GSP Constipation???

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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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littlemanhuey
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Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:58 pm
Location (country): USA

GSP Constipation???

Post by littlemanhuey »

Hi there! I am new to the forum so I will try my best to include all the required information! I am a pretty new puffer mom, although I have had a variety of freshwater fish for almost 10 years now. I bought an adorable GSP (his name is Huey!) in December and he has been doing fantastic! Today I noticed that his abdomen is pretty bloated, every though I had not fed him yet today. There was some poop in the tank, but minimal. He is still active and inquisitive, maybe a tad more standoffish today that usual. I fed him just a few bloodworms to see if he felt well enough to eat and he devoured them! My question is - can puffers suffer from constipation? Or is it possible that he has an intestinal parasite, being that he was wild caught? I did not notice any bloating until today.

Tank Conditions/Water Parameters:
Tank - 30 gallon, he is the only inhabitant! Fluval 207 canister, with an air stone, sand substrate (Cichlid sand to keep pH high), I use Seachem Prime to condition the water and Stability during water changes
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrates - 0
Salinity - 1.008 (I use Instant Ocean)
Temperature - between 70-80 degrees
Weekly water changes (25-30%)

The tank has been set up for several years, but the filter and substrate are newer, approximately 3 months old.
Huey eats frozen bloodworms (thawed), clams on the half shell, and ramshorn snails (I have a separate 10 gallon set up for snails only)


Thank you in advance for any input! I love Huey already and I really want to keep him healthy and happy :D
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Pufferpunk
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Re: GSP Constipation???

Post by Pufferpunk »

Welcome!
I find it odd you have no nitrate in an established tank?
Generally, thinness is a sign of IPs, not chubbiness. What does his poop look like? White/stringy is also a sign of IPs.
If he isn't pooping, you can add 1 tbsp Epsom salt/10g for constipation.
How often are you feeding Huey?
No need for Stability in a cycled tank.

library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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