The Puffer Forum

This may be a silly question .... but do you use a water conditioner when you do water changes? If you are putting water straight from the tap without treating it, that could be the problem. But I suspect you know better than to do that. Just trying to think of things that could cause this problem....

Just to say, pufferpuggirl, thanks... puffers are so personable, it's amazing. I found and put an air curtain in, so if it is O2 depletion (unlikely, right?), that will help. If it isn't, he'll get some bubbles up his bum and might die with a smile on his face... This really has me stumped... I know...

He's being all weird and pale again. Argh!

Is my fish emo?

OK, after another ~50% w/c he seems back to normal. If fish had necks, I could strangle him for worrying me like that.

If anyone else has this problem with no apparent cause, try a water change.

Hi, My ceylon puffer is very pale and lethargic this morning after I performed a water change last night. He seemed fine afterwards, I say that because sometimes he becomes stressed when I work in the tank (other times he's curious, even excited, during water changes). He has been swimming around, b...

Thanks very much, Mr Monks. I'll pop him back in with the shrimp.

Looks very much like this chap: http://www.mdbc.gov.au/subs/fish-info/n ... dgeon.html

@yunachin: sent a PM to Mr Monks and eagerly await a reply. Thanks for the tip about it possibly being a gudgeon fish. I'm doing some reading up now. @katty: yes, it does look like a gudgeon fish from the pics I'm looking at. I'm anxious now that I might have a freshwater fish in brackish (he came i...

@Jase: it perches. It darts around rather than swims in open areas -- it's very quick, too. That's why I wondered if it were some kind of mudskipper. @qt and lil: it's about 5cm/2in or not much more. @qt:it hangs out in the bottom but also swims to the surface. It's all over the place right now. I j...

Went to a LFS I don't usually go to, but have chatted to one of the women who works there who keeps puffers and they often have some cool stuff, so I drop in now and then. I got some river shrimp for the puffs while I was there (my nearest LFS doesn't get them in). It was 40 for £5 and I've got a ta...

Forms of flubendazole for livestock may contain an ingredient which increases uptake, but also has a negative effect on fish, making their skin more transparent to toxins in the water, I'd probably buy the fish stuff, since it's not expensive. Figured it was a long shot... I've never had to treat m...

I believe people are even encouraged to catch the American crayfish that are devastating our native species. There's a brook nearby here that have crayfish in it, but I've never tried to catch any. I do keep a red-clawed crayfish that I've dubbed 'The Beast'... they apparently breed quite readily in...

Flubendazole is the active ingredient in Flubenvet which is a powered wormer that I use for my chickens. I have no idea what the dosage would be for fish, but you do have to sign a register with your name/address when you buy it, since it's a vet. medicine. The dose for each chicken is tiny (I dip a...

Not too long ago I dreamt that my dragon puffers escaped and were hopping around on the floor like frogs. Totally bizarre.

I'll be upgrading my tank soon I hope... if you wanted, you could buy the whole rio 180 off me (which includes the juwel T5 highlite and marine white and blue tubes) and then sell on what you don't require, one of the flaps has been cut to take a HOB skimmer though. If you're interested I'll keep y...