I have on numerous occasions. What specific questions can I help with?
Definitely try to use anesthesia on the bigger puffers as I have had them bite the feeding tube in half. Also if they are relaxed, it is less stressful and they are less likely to regurgitate/vomit.
Feed about 2 - 4% of body weight. If it has been a while since the puffer has eaten, start at the low end as the stomach will not be able to accomodate the larger volume. Feed a high protein diet enriched with vitamins and beta glucan. Might consider adding kanamycin. I have a puffer that did the same and actually had what appeared to be a granuloma. I treated with kanamycin daily for a month and it returned to 'normal' - this does NOT confirm the eradication of myco but ???
Where to send for Necropsy?
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.
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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Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
-
Feathers&Fins
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 201
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:42 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Pufferless since Nova passed; had 2 red T.miuris, 4 T.biocellatus for many years.
- Location (country): KY (USA)
- Location: (US) Kentucky
I'm afraid I need complete instructions. 
I've tube-fed Seahorses more times than I can count but their anatomy is so different from Puffers.
What size tube is needed? How far does it need to be inserted? Does the food need to be mashed into gruel? What food have you used most often?
My tube-feeding supplies include Beta-Glucan capsules, Phytoplan, Cod Live Oil, 1cc syringes, 0.1cc tuberculin syringes, tiny catheters/cannulas, mortar/pestles, mini-blender.
Would Erythromycin powder be an suitable substitute for Kanamycin? Other antibiotics I have on hand are Neomycin liquid, Neomycin Sulfate powder, Tetracycline Hydrochloride powder, Triple Sulfa powder, and Nitrofurazone powder.
He's snubbed every live and frozen food I've offered. You name it, he's turned his nose up at it. I risked my fingers last night trying to force bits of salad shrimp into his mouth. No go. He just kept spitting it out.
Thanks for the help.
I've tube-fed Seahorses more times than I can count but their anatomy is so different from Puffers. What size tube is needed? How far does it need to be inserted? Does the food need to be mashed into gruel? What food have you used most often?
My tube-feeding supplies include Beta-Glucan capsules, Phytoplan, Cod Live Oil, 1cc syringes, 0.1cc tuberculin syringes, tiny catheters/cannulas, mortar/pestles, mini-blender.
Would Erythromycin powder be an suitable substitute for Kanamycin? Other antibiotics I have on hand are Neomycin liquid, Neomycin Sulfate powder, Tetracycline Hydrochloride powder, Triple Sulfa powder, and Nitrofurazone powder.
He's snubbed every live and frozen food I've offered. You name it, he's turned his nose up at it. I risked my fingers last night trying to force bits of salad shrimp into his mouth. No go. He just kept spitting it out.
Thanks for the help.
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Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
I do not have experience with this type of puffer.Feathers&Fins wrote:Well, I'm losing another one. My adult red T.miurus of ~3yrs. He hasn't eaten in two months and is wasting away. I'm guessing the Myco is kicking in. I've checked his teeth and they aren't overgrown or broken but he has a weak bite. PP, PQ, have either of you ever force-fed a Puffer?
Erythromycin is not a substitute for kanamycin - different drug categories and different coverages.
In a limited study, kanamycin was used to treat mycobacterium.
With tube feeding, use a small tube - 5 french feeding tube, the extension tubing on the butterfly phlebotomy set.......
Measure from mouth to imaginary spot just behind the gills and mark the tube as a guide to how far to insert.
For what to feed - whatever is "normal" for this type of puffer. I often will use cyclopeeze with my saltwater puffers. Blenderize/puree to make sure the food goes through whatever tube you are using.
Kelly
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Feathers&Fins
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 201
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:42 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Pufferless since Nova passed; had 2 red T.miuris, 4 T.biocellatus for many years.
- Location (country): KY (USA)
- Location: (US) Kentucky
I tried feeding him a scallop last night. He just bit a chunk off and spit it out. 
I'll order the Kanamycin and swing by the vet's today for the tubing.
I'll check out the nutritional profiles on some of my frozen foods to see if any of them are high in protein. Would using a food he is not accustomed to eating stress his system? I was thinking about using a processed high protein pellet/wafer.
Thank you, Kelly. I appreciate the help.
I'll order the Kanamycin and swing by the vet's today for the tubing.
I'll check out the nutritional profiles on some of my frozen foods to see if any of them are high in protein. Would using a food he is not accustomed to eating stress his system? I was thinking about using a processed high protein pellet/wafer.
Thank you, Kelly. I appreciate the help.
-
Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
-
Feathers&Fins
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 201
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:42 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Pufferless since Nova passed; had 2 red T.miuris, 4 T.biocellatus for many years.
- Location (country): KY (USA)
- Location: (US) Kentucky
I tube-fed the T.miurus. The Finquel (MS-222) did not work very well for me. He was sedated to the point that he didn't respond to visual stimuli and he stayed on his back when flipped over. However, when I inserted the feeding tube he started thrashing around violently. It took several attempts before the feeding was successful.
Normally, this fish keeps a very good weight when fed every 10 days. Due to his recent illness he is underweight. How often should he be tube-fed?
Normally, this fish keeps a very good weight when fed every 10 days. Due to his recent illness he is underweight. How often should he be tube-fed?
-
Feathers&Fins
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 201
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:42 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Pufferless since Nova passed; had 2 red T.miuris, 4 T.biocellatus for many years.
- Location (country): KY (USA)
- Location: (US) Kentucky
-
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:
Re: Where to send for Necropsy?
Any update on the mbu?
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!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
-
Feathers&Fins
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 201
- Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:42 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Pufferless since Nova passed; had 2 red T.miuris, 4 T.biocellatus for many years.
- Location (country): KY (USA)
- Location: (US) Kentucky
Re: Where to send for Necropsy?
No Mbu in the household. I'd love to have one though.
I tried to post an update a little while ago but I'm pretty sure the forum upgrades were still being tweaked. He had been doing very well and gained back most, if not all, of the weight he lost. I was a happy keeper. Then, he stopped eating again a little over a week ago and is loosing weight again. Same thing as before… he takes a bite or two of food, then spits it all out. Tonight I tried cockle meat, shrimp, and Pollock. He just patooey-ied it right back at me. I guess I'll have to break out the tube-feeding equipment again if he doesn't snap out of it.
I tried to post an update a little while ago but I'm pretty sure the forum upgrades were still being tweaked. He had been doing very well and gained back most, if not all, of the weight he lost. I was a happy keeper. Then, he stopped eating again a little over a week ago and is loosing weight again. Same thing as before… he takes a bite or two of food, then spits it all out. Tonight I tried cockle meat, shrimp, and Pollock. He just patooey-ied it right back at me. I guess I'll have to break out the tube-feeding equipment again if he doesn't snap out of it.