Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

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Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Nyshae
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Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Nyshae »

Hello,

I have a dwarf puffer fish that attempts to eat but vomits the food back up. I had tried feeding very small portions, in case this is an overeating issue, but he still cannot keep food down. He actively hunts and tries to eat, but is unsuccessful. This has gone on now for several days.

Water testing showed 0 nitrite, 0 ammonia, 5ppm nitrate. Fish are feed bloodworms and snails. Water change ~20% weekly.

The fish is in a 20 gallon with two other dwarf puffers. The other two puffers are behaving normally.
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puffykid
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by puffykid »

Hello, welcome to the forum.

Does the dp that can't keep the food down have a sunken belly? It might be internal parasites
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Pufferpunk »

I agree--sometimes the stomach is so full of worms, there is no room for food.
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by RTR »

+1 to puffykid & Pufferpunk's comments. That is a classic symptom of IPs (intestinal parasites) .
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Nyshae
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Nyshae »

The belly does look slightly sunken. How would I treat for this?
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Flutter »

Buy the Jungle fizz antiparasite tablets. Put 1/4 of one into 1/4c of tank water, add food, let sit in the fridge for a few hours, then feed to all of the fish in the tank.

I always use a favourite food so it's extra tempting :)
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Nyshae
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Nyshae »

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Flutter
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Flutter »

Yep :)
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
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Nyshae
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Nyshae »

The puffers seem to think it tastes terrible and spit it back out.

How often should I be trying to get them to eat it?
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Flutter
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Flutter »

Every meal for at least 4 doses/days. Whether they like it or not they don't get another option ;)

That being said you can add crushed garlic to the water to mask the taste a bit. You could also add the medication to the tank water. It's thought that if their water tastes funny then the food doesn't taste any funnier.
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
Nyshae
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Re: Dwarf puffer unable to keep food down

Post by Nyshae »

Thank you for the help!
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