Parameters: Ammonia--0, NitrIte--0, NitrAte--5ppm
Tank: 10 gallon FW, gravel substrate, Whisper 20 HOB filter, plastic plants, rock, driftwood
Inhabitant: Poofer, Carinotetraodon irrubesco
Feeding: 1x daily thawed frozen bloodworm or mosquito larvae, to rounded belly
Water changes: weekly or every other week, 50%. Last water change on Saturday
Product: Seachem Prime
No changes in past week or so
Tank has been up and running for 1-1/2 yrs, cycled with Bio-Spira.
Problem:
Poofer has not eaten for several days. Today I found her lying on the bottom of the tank. She is very thin, dark, listless, and will not come up for food.
Poofer had a very long bout with IPs, treated once with Jungle Parasite Clear in her food for two weeks, and once with Flubenol in the tank water for 5 weeks. She has had trouble putting/keeping on weight since then. She is emaciated now.
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.
Please help--Poofer is sick
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.
-
PuffTheMagicFishy
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 166
- Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:51 am
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- Location: California
Please help--Poofer is sick
Tanks:
20-gal feeder breeder (platties and snails)
75-gal West African Lungfish + snails
Other pets: Pacific parrotlet, Italian Greyhound, lots of plants
20-gal feeder breeder (platties and snails)
75-gal West African Lungfish + snails
Other pets: Pacific parrotlet, Italian Greyhound, lots of plants
Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
my puffer passed away last night despite how hard i tried to help him with medications and water changes. my local fish store guy told me he may have cut up his insides with a snail i fed him before he started to act strange. he recommended i try maracyn-two. i did but i think my puffer was already too sick by then for the medicine to help. but maybe it'll help your little guy.
good luck.
good luck.
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crazedpuffer
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1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
It could be long term effects from the IP.
How'd keeping an irrubesco in a 10 work out for you?
How'd keeping an irrubesco in a 10 work out for you?
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
So sorry to hear that! 
Hard to believe a puffer would die from eating a snail--natural food in any puffer's diet.
Hard to believe a puffer would die from eating a snail--natural food in any puffer's diet.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!"
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Mareva
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Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
Does your puffer's belly actuale gets round when you feed her? Does it seems like she needs lots of food to make it round? Maybe there is still some IPs... It took me 3 treatment to get rid of IPs in my puffers.
As flamesofiftreet says, it might be the damages made to the intestines by massive IPs invasion. The intestines wouldn't be working as well and absorption might be compromised. Maybe soaking her favorite food in vitamins? If she finds her favorite food attractive enough, maybe it would give her a chance. If she refuses to eat at all, then I don't really know what can be done.
Good luck!
As flamesofiftreet says, it might be the damages made to the intestines by massive IPs invasion. The intestines wouldn't be working as well and absorption might be compromised. Maybe soaking her favorite food in vitamins? If she finds her favorite food attractive enough, maybe it would give her a chance. If she refuses to eat at all, then I don't really know what can be done.
Good luck!
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Nick
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Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
mspatron:
The LFS guy knows nothing about puffers, apparently, they do not cut up their insides with snail shells. It's their natural food. Also, even if they did, maracyn-2 in the water wouldn't be a good treatment.
The LFS guy knows nothing about puffers, apparently, they do not cut up their insides with snail shells. It's their natural food. Also, even if they did, maracyn-2 in the water wouldn't be a good treatment.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
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PuffTheMagicFishy
- Figure 8 Puffer
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- Location: California
Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
I can't get her to eat.
When she was eating, she would eat until her belly was round, and then she would "hollow out" again by the next day.
Should I hit the tank with Flubenol again? What should I do?
Flamesofifreet: Poofer was doing great up until now as a singleton in a 10. The PufferPedia requirement of 20 gallons seems a bit ridiculous to me. With overfiltration nitrate has never gone above 10, and she has tons of places to hide.
When she was eating, she would eat until her belly was round, and then she would "hollow out" again by the next day.
Should I hit the tank with Flubenol again? What should I do?
Flamesofifreet: Poofer was doing great up until now as a singleton in a 10. The PufferPedia requirement of 20 gallons seems a bit ridiculous to me. With overfiltration nitrate has never gone above 10, and she has tons of places to hide.
Tanks:
20-gal feeder breeder (platties and snails)
75-gal West African Lungfish + snails
Other pets: Pacific parrotlet, Italian Greyhound, lots of plants
20-gal feeder breeder (platties and snails)
75-gal West African Lungfish + snails
Other pets: Pacific parrotlet, Italian Greyhound, lots of plants
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spoot
- Green Spotted Puffer
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C. travancoricus - Location: Vancouver
Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
maybe try the flubenol again. A healthy puffer should not have a hollow stomach the next day. It should be slightly bulged or flat depending on how much was fed.
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Hilly
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- Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
I'd hit it with a does of flubenol and then try some food again, perhaps something more meaty like a prawn or mussel that you can skewer and position near to see if you can get her to take a bite.
Hilly
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manutius
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Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
Sorry to hear that. I would add another dose of flubenol and offer food soaked in garlic like Hilly suggests. Good luck 
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PuffTheMagicFishy
- Figure 8 Puffer
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- Location: California
Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
I dosed the tank with Flubenol.
Poofer started to swim aimlessly, so I tried putting food in front of her, but she bumped passed it like she didn't recognise it. She no longer cues in on her feeding cup or chopsticks. It's as if she is blind.
Poofer started to swim aimlessly, so I tried putting food in front of her, but she bumped passed it like she didn't recognise it. She no longer cues in on her feeding cup or chopsticks. It's as if she is blind.
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Mareva
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Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
Puff, I feel so sorry for you and Poofer...
Have you considered seringe or tube feeding her? My guess is she probably still have IPs and her intestines are damaged right now. Maybe someone here knows about tube feeding puffers... Sounds to me like she needs some food into her and tube feeding might be the solution...
Have you considered seringe or tube feeding her? My guess is she probably still have IPs and her intestines are damaged right now. Maybe someone here knows about tube feeding puffers... Sounds to me like she needs some food into her and tube feeding might be the solution...
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PuffTheMagicFishy
- Figure 8 Puffer
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- Location (country): California, USA
- Location: California
Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
She's so tiny I don't know if that's possible. Her mouth is maybe 1.5 mm wide.
I have not seen her today. I'm hoping she's just hiding. I want to find her and make sure she's still with us, but it stresses her out so much when I move her furniture around.
I have not seen her today. I'm hoping she's just hiding. I want to find her and make sure she's still with us, but it stresses her out so much when I move her furniture around.
Tanks:
20-gal feeder breeder (platties and snails)
75-gal West African Lungfish + snails
Other pets: Pacific parrotlet, Italian Greyhound, lots of plants
20-gal feeder breeder (platties and snails)
75-gal West African Lungfish + snails
Other pets: Pacific parrotlet, Italian Greyhound, lots of plants
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yunachin
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my name is mike
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Re: Please help--Poofer is sick
a small pipette or wide needled siringe may make force feeding possible --
Mike