GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

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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.
majoun
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

Okay, thank you for the air-filled instructions. I saw the bit about the frozen foods, and rest assured he wont be getting any more frozen plankton, no matter how much he liked it.

It is approx 1230PM CST, and I just got done "burping" the puffer as instructed.

I did manage to get 3 very small air bubbles out of him, one of them was about the size of a piece of small gravel, I think the other 2 were smaller. My girlfriend who was watching describes it this way: there were 3 or 4, maybe more 'cause it seemed to her that they were coming out 2 at a time once or twice, they were about the size of his mouth.

Anyway, of course, his coloration got darker, and it did seem that he got a little more swollen, hopefully with water. I waited 5 minutes or so and tried to "burp" him again, and no air came out.

Its been about 10-15 minutes since, he is hiding, he is still very swollen. I have the aquarium light off hoping to make him a little more comfortable. I will post his condition in a couple hours before I go to work. I will post when I get home from work, which will be midnight to 6 AM.

SHOULD I TRY TO BURP HIM AGAIN SOME TIME IF HE IS SWOLLEN TOMORROW???
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

3 hours later. He is still a little dark, was swimming around a little. Still VERY swollen, maybe more than a few hours ago, hard to tell, and lounging around at the bottom. His mouth is closed, which is new from the last couple of days.
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

SUN, 420 AM, 16 hours since burping:

still just as swollen, the spots around his head seem somewhat...gray? hard to tell in the lighting
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

Sun 1230 PM, 24 hours: still swollen
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

Sun 930PM CST, 33 hours since intial burping.

Still swollen. I tried to "burp" him again, no air was expelled.

Tried to feed him a small snail and some plankton, it doesnt appear that he ate anything. Swims in all areas of the tank, anyone still there? any more advice?
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by Pufferpunk »

How are the water parameters now?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

Still just as swollen as ever. He did eat a very small amount of bloodworms both today and yesterday, yeah two days in a row, but not enough to overfeed him. Did another 50%er today, plan on doing another tomorrow. Ammonia and NO2 higher than 0, working on that.
NO2: think it was between 0 and 0.5, closer to the 0
NO3: think it was between 20 and 40, much closer to 20
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: <.25 on the fresh water scale
SGrav: right around 1.005

He's swimming all over right now, doesn't act like he's sick, other than not eating.
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by Nick »

Maybe he's allergic to ammonia or nitrite, and he's swollen from exposure?
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

I think he's just getting bigger, he still swims around, but his swimming is starting to look...weak, i cannot help but think he's gotta be miserable, and I hate that, wish I could do something.
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by Nusquam »

Have you tried feeding your puffer anything else? I've heard of someone's GSP being intolerant of bloodworms, and would look lethargic and sick every time it had any.
Now, bring me that horizon...
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

He just started eating bloodworms a few days ago, Nusquam, before that he liked snails and plankton. Hes a picky eater to begin with, he did not eat bloodworms before. Hes still currently eating very small amounts of bloodworms.

Hes a little (very slightly) less swollen today, color looks a little better today. In fact, hes munching on some bloodworm left overs this very second. Ive got a spare aquarium started, a little small, but my big ones are occupied atm.

Perameters today:
NO2: looks like 0
NO3: higher than 20, but less than 40
Ammonia: close to 0 but not perfect quite yet on the freshwater scale

I put in a little more ammonia decreaser tonight. next 50%er will be sat or sun.
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by Pufferpunk »

Adding ammonia removers will inhibit the tank from fully cycling. I'd just do a WC with Prime. Look into all the other vaireties of foods for him in an article in our Library.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by Myaj »

Try to keep those nitrates at or below 10. Over 20 or 30 and all my puffers start to show some signs of skin irritation or refuse to eat, etc.

Glad to hear he is looking a bit better!
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

Not perfect, and his condition has been fluctuating lately, but he looks better today than he has in a long time.
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Re: GROSSLY SWOLLEN GS puffer

Post by majoun »

Great progress today, hes hardly bloated at all. I am a little worries about his behavior, im worried that hes acting, well, kinda blindish, but i cant tell for sure right now. I will check all the water specs tomorrow and post em, as well as his eating habits tomorrow.
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