The Puffer Forum

The tank is pretty heavily planted and there are tons of terra cotta pots for him and the gobies to hide in.

Went to the pet store where I got Norman and the the last GSP from his batch was in their brackish tank looking awful. He was completely brown and his spots showed green. He was also clenched in a ball just bobbing near the bottom. Norman doesn't look nearly as bad but I've started treating the tank for parasites. I'll be treating his food if I can get him to eat.

Good idea!

Day four of parasite treatment in his tank. He still won't eat. The puffer at the pet store was treated with Methylene Blue and was much improved. I did a methylene dip with Norman and added a teeny bit to his hospital tank. There is a blue ringed patch on his chin. Methylene blue is supposed to dye external injuries so I know something hurt him. I'm wondering if the fiddler crab we gave him a while ago got him. Where do I go from here? Melafix?

Yeah, I think the fiddler might have grabbed him. Melafix is a good idea.

The problem with the ammonia readings after treatment with Prime is that most test kits cannot tell the difference between harmful ammonia and neutralized ammonia post-Prime use. There are kits available which can read the difference, but they are not very user friendly IME.

Day three of melafix treatment and he's had two methylene blue baths. Day 8 or 9 of not eating. I've tried everything I can think of to get him to eat. How long can he go without food. We're moving back home for the summer in a few weeks and it's an all day road trip. I don't want the stress of the trip combined with not eating to kill him.

list the foods you have tried. My GSP's went ga-ga over shrimp.

you can also soak it in garlic which is a known attractant.

We've tried live earthworms which he used to love. We've tried frozen krill and bloodworms soaked in garlic, crushed mussel soaked in garlic, live ghost shrimp, live snail, crushed snails soaked in garlic. He seems to be afraid of live food and not to know dead food is food. If the food is moving he swims away to the other side of the tank and dead food he ignores. I tied the mussel to a thread and moved it a little and he seemed interested but never worked up the gumption to take a bite.

Soaking in garlic? Test the parameters again.

Ammonia is at .25ppm everything else is at zero. He will not eat. He's moving much slower than usual. The methylene blue is still dying a patch on his belly. Still treating with melafix.

Did he stop eating when you started using the methylene blue? Meds are VERY toxic to puffers. Remind me why you're using it? What else have you tried?

He stopped eating way before the methylene blue. I started using it because it was recommended by the girl I bought him from. The last puffer from my own puffer's shipment was very ill and around the same time he was and the methylene blue seemed to help him. I've tried a parasite treatment but because he won't eat I don't think it did much good. I've been using melafix for the last four days or so and still no improvement.

I would discontinue the MB meds. What are his other symptoms?

Lately he's lethargic but that's probably because he hasn't eaten in well over a week. He seems to be afraid of his food. Definitely seems interested at first then swims away