Puffer has a sudden big stomach

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Read this before posting!!

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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Traysea
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2020 7:42 pm
Location (country): USS

Puffer has a sudden big stomach

Post by Traysea »

My puffer is 7 years old, hatched in the tank so I’ve had her the whole time. Today she has a big stomach. It wasn’t like that when I fed her this morning. I tested the ph and it’s 6.75. I’m not sure what to do or if I should do anything. I love this fish.
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Pufferpunk
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Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
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Re: Puffer has a sudden big stomach

Post by Pufferpunk »

What species puffer? Please answer ALL the questions above in red.
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!"
Traysea
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2020 7:42 pm
Location (country): USS

Re: Puffer has a sudden big stomach

Post by Traysea »

She is a dwarf puffer. I think it was eggs because today her stomach is flat again. I have changed nothing in the water, or anything about her environment. I cycle the water every two - three weeks. She is alone in her 30 gallon tank. She was hatched in the tank and has been there for 7 years. I’m hoping it was eggs. She has been on a mostly frozen blood worms diet. I have trouble finding nuisance snails. I think she is fine. I’m happy.
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