Amazon Puffer floating at the top but alive

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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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KenBeck
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2021 3:59 pm
Location (country): USA

Amazon Puffer floating at the top but alive

Post by KenBeck »

Today i noticed the one of my Amazon puffers is swimming and seems slightly puffed. I have them for about two weeks. The problem is that he’s not eating and he can’t sink himself.

Right now i have him in a quarantine tank with fresh 100% changed water, 1/2 Tbs per gallon on a 10 gal tank, general cure and Antibiotics. Hoping he’ll pull though and was wondering in I’m on the right path. Any help, advice or a diagnosis is appreciated.
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32764
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
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
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Re: Amazon Puffer floating at the top but alive

Post by Pufferpunk »

Please follow these instructions & put him back into his tank.
General Cure is NEVER recommended.
library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/
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!"
KenBeck
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2021 3:59 pm
Location (country): USA

Re: Amazon Puffer floating at the top but alive

Post by KenBeck »

Pufferpunk wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 6:26 pm Please follow these instructions & put him back into his tank.
General Cure is NEVER recommended.
library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/
If you don’t use general cure. What do you use to treat internal parasites? He just pooped out a long white thing that looked like spaghetti. Just want to know for future reference, this is my first time keeping puffers. Should i dilute the general cure?
IlissaBeck
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2021 10:04 pm
Location (country): USA

Re: Amazon Puffer floating at the top but alive

Post by IlissaBeck »

KenBeck is my husband. We tried burping the puffer twice. It didn’t seem like it helped. He was at the top of the tank but he wasn’t belly up so we’re not sure it’s an air problem. At one point tonight we found what looked like a one inch piece of uncooked spaghetti at the bottom of the tank. Considering we didn’t see it there about 10 minutes before, we think it was a parasite. It was someone stiff though. Not soft and stringy like what most images show. After that the puffer seemed to be better. Swimming in the middle of the more :D Then about 30 minutes later we see that he’s just laying on the bottom of the tank in the corner. When the water gets agitated he’ll wake up and swim, but then he settles back down on the bottom. We really want to save him. Any other suggestions?
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
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
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Amazon Puffer floating at the top but alive

Post by Pufferpunk »

Is he eating at all? Any tank mates? Was the tank cycled? Parameters?
library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/
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!"
IlissaBeck
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2021 10:04 pm
Location (country): USA

Re: Amazon Puffer floating at the top but alive

Post by IlissaBeck »

Hi unfortunately he died over night. The tank he was in was fully cycled running for 4 months. It had normal parameters when we took him out 0-0-20. He did have tank mates, 2 other Amazon Puffers, 4 cories, and 5 ottocinclus. It’s a well planted tank. He was not eating but we were hoping that after the treatment he would regain his appetite. The other 2 puffers have no symptoms as of right now.
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
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
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Amazon Puffer floating at the top but alive

Post by Pufferpunk »

:rip:
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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