Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

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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.

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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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Deewings
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Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Deewings »

We have a Fahaka Puffer who is about 6-7 yrs old. About a week and a half ago, my husband found him laying on his side on the bottom of the tank and he wasn’t moving. We watched him for a while and when he tries to swim, he rolls around and doesn’t swim normally at all. All he does is lay there :( We went on vacation for a week and had our house/pet sitter keep an eye on him and not feed him. We came home and he’s still the same. His color is good, fins are good, eyes are good, he looks completely normal except he has a bulge in his belly. The bulge moves depending on which way he is laying. The bulge is always on the side that’s facing up. My husband tested the water and it was all normal. He did a water change. Today, he changed the media in the filter (didn’t dump out the filter water, just switched the media). Any ideas what could be wrong with him?? We feel so bad! He just lays there and tries to swim :( My husband has tried burping him but not exactly sure how to do that or if that’s even the problem since he isn’t floating at the top but sinking to the bottom.
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Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Pufferpunk »

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!"
Deewings
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Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Deewings »

My husband has been trying to burp him for 2 days with no change :( He’s tried gently massaging his belly while holding him upright and tried shaking him gently while holding him upright (something someone recommended) and nothing has worked. Not sure if he’s not doing it right or long enough. How long should it take for him to release the air bubble? Puffer also never puffed or tried while my husband has been trying to burp him either. Is it possible the air bubble will eventually come out on its own at all? We feel so bad because he’s just been laying there and not able to swim much or properly for almost 2 weeks now :(
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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: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Pufferpunk »

Air bubble will not come out on its own. Did you shake him hard?
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!"
Deewings
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Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:25 pm
Location (country): USA

Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Deewings »

He didn’t shake him hard. He basically moved him from side to side in the water in short strokes. Just enough to give him some movement to try to work the bubble out. He tried feeding him a mussel last night too and puffer took a bite and spit it out. Then tried feeding him a pea and puffer spit that out too.
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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
Contact:

Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Pufferpunk »

You have to shake him hard, to release the bubble. Only other thought is it's a tumor.
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!"
Deewings
Puffer Fry
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:25 pm
Location (country): USA

Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Deewings »

We’ll try shaking him hard. Would a tumor move from side to side though? The lump moves as he moves. If he’s laying on his left side, the lump is on his right side and vice versa. The lump is always on the side that is facing up. I’d attach a picture but, I’m not sure how to do that as I’m new to the forum. Lol
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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
Contact:

Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Pufferpunk »

I'd say it's air. He will die if you don't get it out.
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!"
Deewings
Puffer Fry
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:25 pm
Location (country): USA

Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Deewings »

My husband just tried giving him some good shakes but, didn’t work. Puffer just got mad and tried to bite my husband. He never tried to inflate either. He’s breathing pretty heavy now so, going to leave him alone for the rest of the night. We did do a 50% water change tonight and added epsom salt in case he has a different issue that the salt may help. Just trying everything we can find through research for the poor lil guy! Would there be anything that could possibly prevent him from inflating? Just find it odd that he hasn’t inflated once with everything we’ve been doing and as often as we have been grabbing him the last couple days. We’ve never handled him or even netted him in the 7yrs we’ve had him so find it odd that with everything we’ve been doing lately hasn’t scared him or stressed him to make him inflate.
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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
Contact:

Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Pufferpunk »

It's a good sign he tried to bite your husband. Means he still has some fight left in him! Not quite sure how he could do that if your husband had him by the tail?
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!"
Deewings
Puffer Fry
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:25 pm
Location (country): USA

Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Deewings »

He didn’t have him by the tail. He cupped him in his hands and shook him side to side. Shaking him by the tail won’t break anything?
Deewings
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Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Deewings »

Also, he won’t eat. We tried hand feeding him a mussel and he spit it out. Also tried feeding him a skinned pea and he spit that out too. Any ideas how to give him a pea? Thought about thawing and skinning it and mushing it with some tank water and then feeding that to him with a syringe? Is it possible he has a broken bone? I’ve tried researching it but couldn’t find anything.
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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: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Pufferpunk »

Hold his tail with a net. Head upward, tail downward, with his head underwater. Shake him HARD. I've been following your post on Facebook. LAST resort is to try drawing the air out with a needle/syringe.
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!"
Deewings
Puffer Fry
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:25 pm
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Re: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Deewings »

How the heck do you hold his tail with a net? Our puffer is 11-12in long. He’s huge! His tail is quite slimy, can barely hold with fingers without his slipping through fingers.

Is it possible he has a broken bone that is causing the bulge? He can’t inflate for some reason.

We’ve noticed now the bulge isn’t moving like it previously was. It used to move depending on which side he was laying on but the last 2 days, he has only been laying on his right side. He still rolls around in the tank but he always ends up on his right side. The bulge doesn’t look to be bigger.

My husband just got him to eat a pea!! He tried vigorously shaking him again with no luck prior to feeding the pea. When he shook him, he also took a few seconds to check out the bulge and he was moving it around with his fingers and said he couldn’t get it to go any higher up his body (towards his head) and could only move it down towards his tail. The bulge is just below his gill on his left side and he couldn’t move it passed there, only down towards his tail. Currently doing a water change and adding epsom salt.
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: Fahaka Puffer buoyancy issue

Post by Pufferpunk »

The fish should be easier to grasp in a net. You have to hold on tight.
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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