Long in Tooth!

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
Forum rules
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.
Post Reply
User avatar
Myaj
Tech Team
Posts: 4587
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Bubba, turgidus
Paris, lined burrfish
Location: SE Wisconsin
Contact:
Contact Myaj

Post by Myaj »

LOL Very true! Poor guy, that's just not fair to have to live like that.
Image
Top
User avatar
Hilly
Mentor
Posts: 1903
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:36 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Current: Tetraodon Lineatus
Previous:
Tetraodon Sabahensis
Montrete Abei
Tetraodon Biocellatus
Carinotetraodon Salivator
Location (country): UK
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK

Post by Hilly »

Pufferpunk wrote:He says it's quite small. It's those huge eyes that bug me. It's like the rest of the fish is stunted but the eyes kept growing.
Some unscrupulous Asian Arowana sellers stunt their fish to increase colour depth to increase the value. A telltale sign is the size of the Arowana's eye is much too big in comparison to the length of its body. This looks very similar, body is small and the eyes are massive, perhaps stunting of large puffers has the same characteristics to this.
Hilly
Top
Pandora114
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 397
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi
Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
Contact:
Contact Pandora114

Post by Pandora114 »

I'm in tears here..

Poor baby...

I hope you can get them the help they need...poor fishies...and educate the owner a little bit.
Top
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32773
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:
Contact Pufferpunk

Post by Pufferpunk »

The owner is really a good guy, just uneducated about the species. I'll be by there Friday night.
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!"
Top
User avatar
manutius
Former Staff Member
Posts: 1316
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:49 pm
My Puffers: RIP Clooney the Mbu :(
Location: Southend essex, UK
Contact:
Contact manutius

Post by manutius »

fingers crossed you can work your magic
Top
Gomez
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 76
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:49 pm
Location: Canada

Post by Gomez »

Sad! :(

HOw did the dentistry go? I have always wondered how grabbing a fahaka and trimming his teeth would go. I think i would ware chain mail gloves like meat cutters use.
What's the difference between a fish and a piano?
You can't tuna fish!
Top
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32773
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:
Contact Pufferpunk

Post by Pufferpunk »

I'm going tomorrow. Somehow, I don't think this weak, starved puffer will put up much of a fight. My biggest concern is tranqilizing the thing & being sure it'll wake up.
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!"
Top
User avatar
manutius
Former Staff Member
Posts: 1316
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:49 pm
My Puffers: RIP Clooney the Mbu :(
Location: Southend essex, UK
Contact:
Contact manutius

Post by manutius »

Good Luck :D
Top
User avatar
taly
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 190
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2006 3:43 pm
My Puffers: Abei, 2x Salivator, 3x Irrubesco
Location: Rogaland, Norway

Post by taly »

Poor little guy! :(
Good luck Pufferpunk!
natalie
Top
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32773
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:
Contact Pufferpunk

Post by Pufferpunk »

Well, I wound up only charging him $50 & he gave me $60. Probably coulda gotten more but at least I helped a very stunted puffer. He has 2 of these--both are 4 years old & should be at least a foot long by now. They're living in a 30g tall & are only 4" long. :(

Here he is after the trimming:
Image

More pics:
Image
Image
Image

Hre's the other puffer, which didn't need trimming of it's teeth at all. both puffers are about 4-5" & live in 30g talls (they're 4 years old):
Image
Image

He's talking about getting a 55g for 1 of the puffers & putting the other one in the 75g his severums are in (he'll rehome the cichlids).
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!"
Top
User avatar
Myaj
Tech Team
Posts: 4587
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 12:27 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Bubba, turgidus
Paris, lined burrfish
Location: SE Wisconsin
Contact:
Contact Myaj

Post by Myaj »

The poor little guys! They are soooooo skinny.

It sounds horrible, but I'd love to see an autopsy on one of these compared to a full grown fahaka and see the internal differences. I bet the organ sizes are all out of whack, some things normal sized, others squished down...
Image
Top
User avatar
spoot
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 360
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:21 am
My Puffers: T. fluviatilis 2x
C. travancoricus
Location: Vancouver

Post by spoot »

poor little fishes. I wonder how many more of these there are out there because sales people said that they only need a small tank. I wonder if people can still debate the reality of stunting with evidence like this.
Top
User avatar
manutius
Former Staff Member
Posts: 1316
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:49 pm
My Puffers: RIP Clooney the Mbu :(
Location: Southend essex, UK
Contact:
Contact manutius

Post by manutius »

wow the teeth look oads better, just a shame theya re so skinny :(
Top
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32773
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:
Contact Pufferpunk

Post by Pufferpunk »

They're not actually as skinny as they appear in those pics. More like dwarfed.
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!"
Top
User avatar
Boxermom
Former Staff Member
Posts: 2182
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:34 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:
Contact Boxermom

Post by Boxermom »

I just had to do a second trimming on Chiquita, my SAP. Wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking as the first time, as I had a better idea of what I was doing. Used less clove oil and she came around much faster. Her teeth are still a little long but not nearly as bad as they were (although they weren't bad enough to keep her from eating). I'm paranoid about cutting them too short and/or cutting her lips.

Is it less nerve-wracking for you to do bigger ones or smaller, PP? Did you Dremel these guys?
Tina

Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Hospital”