The Puffer Forum

My camera isn't going to let me get anything good enough to see what we are talking about. Overall I just don't feel certain of their sexes, that is why I am looking for the line. I see something that looks like a wrinkle or two on the females, back by the gills, but then, I feel sure those are fema...

So you think they are males due to the wrinkles and the goatees?

Mine have the goatees too:)

Lainey

When do the males get the line on their belly? Mine seem full grown. I can't understand how they could have wrinkles but no belly line?

Lainey

I have five dwarf puffers and two have the wrinkles behind their eyes that make me think they are males. They don't have the tiny dots on their backs that the females get. But, they don't have the dark lines on their bellies yet, although they are probably four to five months old. Should they have t...

These dwarf puffers are really young - a couple of them are maybe 1/3 of an inch, maybe a little less. My understanding was that you can keep young DPs in a group in a ten g until they get a bit older and bigger - are you all saying that even as juveniles they will act like adults in terms of their ...

Well, this is a good question because the fighting seems to happen before feeding, when they may be hungry. I have been feeding live baby brine shrimp and daphnia moina three times daily. I tried frozen brine and bloodworms but the fish are too small to eat these, or so it seems. I plan on trying mi...

I already tried overloading the tank with plants but all that happened was that I could hardly see the puffs and could not tell whether they were fighting or eating so I took some plants out in order to monitor the fish better. There are still loads of hiding places. I am mostly concerned with how b...

The tank is ten gallons and is planted with stem plants plus two areas of moss as well as driftwood. I have kept DP before and seen them do very well in this type of tank. I was planning to keep one small group of DP in this ten g and then another small group in another ten or five g and then take t...

I recently purchased a group of seven young, half-inch DPs with the intention of keeping them together until I could sex them at which point I planned to split them up into small appropriate and non-fighting groups in separate tanks. I thought this was a good plan since most DPs come into importers ...

Salt and several different antibiotics one at a time did not seem to have any effect. I think it's more like a pimple that just needs to come out!

Lainey

Today the pus is coming out on its own in a string. However, I doubt that the entire abscess will drain this way. Does anyone know if it is likely to drain completely on its own? I still haven't done anything or decided what to do or not do. But right now, there must be an opening in the skin and ma...

My DP Poe is still struggling with his swelling. I tried antibiotics of different types for two weeks to no avail. Poe continues to act totally normal except that his jaw is so swollen that he can't eat much at any one time. It does not appear that he has a tumor or goiter because the swelling keeps...

There are developments: The swelling has changed shape and suddenly there is an angry red patch on one side. The whole thing is more intensely red too, but overall it seems smaller and has changed shape. Poe is happier now, more active and eating much more. I am wondering if a piece of snail shell o...

Could I use the epsom salt, the iodide and the melafix all at the same time?

Would the epsom salt help if it's a thyroid goiter?

Thanks,

Lainey

So is it unlikely that the iodide supp will reduce the size of the growth? Because it's a bit hard for him to eat right now. Or is there a chance it could get smaller?

No, he's acting fine still, it's not time to euthanize yet. But I have my eye on the poor guy, that's for sure.

Lainey