Porcupine Puffer
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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spoot
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 360
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:21 am
- My Puffers: T. fluviatilis 2x
C. travancoricus - Location: Vancouver
Re: Porcupine Puffer
They are really cheap from medical supply stores. Less than $0.50 each. Great for measuring dechlorinator amounts etc.
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Jase
- Mbu Puffer
- Posts: 1579
- Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:13 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: RIP Hootey :(
- Location (country): USA
- Location: Montana
Re: Porcupine Puffer
you should not shoot up earth worms. it's bad for you...crayfish wrote:A friend told me she might have needles left over from when she had a diabetic cat. She'll let me know in the morning and I will shoot up some earth worms if all goes well.
-Jase
edmlfc1 wrote:A house without a puffer is not a home.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
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C valentini
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suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
Eeeeeewwww!!!
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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SpockthePuffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 334
- Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2007 8:24 pm
- My Puffers: A wee GSP named Milton
- Location: Connecticut
Re: Porcupine Puffer
This thread is killing me!!!
Have fun and good luck shooting up earth worms...
Have fun and good luck shooting up earth worms...
"How inappropriate to call this planet Earth, when clearly it is Ocean." - Arthur C. Clarke
~Shannon~
10g betta & snail tank, 30g GSP named Milton, 55g sw fowlr
~Shannon~
10g betta & snail tank, 30g GSP named Milton, 55g sw fowlr
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 3231
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
- My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
I wouldn't use old used cat needles... clean ones are super cheap and totally legal from a medical supply store, I promise.
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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crayfish
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:45 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): USA
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
I know, plus I wouldn't want to get any diseases from those used needles when I shoot up the worms.
Back to real stuff. Still no needles so I will pick some up from the vet tomorrow. My puffer just lays on the sand motionless. Sometimes it will make a weak attempt and moving to a new location but its short lived. He still eats however, I put in a shrimp and he got it pretty happily, but now is back to the sand, kind of bobbing back and forth and moving his eyes around while breathing pretty heavily. These are not symptoms of parasites as far as I know... I am now pretty concerned for his life. Before I was pretty sure that he was just stressed.
Here is a picture...
Back to real stuff. Still no needles so I will pick some up from the vet tomorrow. My puffer just lays on the sand motionless. Sometimes it will make a weak attempt and moving to a new location but its short lived. He still eats however, I put in a shrimp and he got it pretty happily, but now is back to the sand, kind of bobbing back and forth and moving his eyes around while breathing pretty heavily. These are not symptoms of parasites as far as I know... I am now pretty concerned for his life. Before I was pretty sure that he was just stressed.
Here is a picture...
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crayfish
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:45 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): USA
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
K here's an update. The puffer is still in the same position looking around but looking weak. However, when I put an earthworm in the tank he went nuts and ate it, then he actually hunted down a ghost shrimp. I am currently preparing a frozen shrimp with metro+ to see if I can get him to eat any of it. I am not sure what all this means?
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 3231
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
- My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
He could be acting like that because he's bored or sulking. They're intelligent creatures, some will get mad at your and hide for a week for such a small thing as feeding them a food they dislike. My guess would be he's a moody little thing. As for the breathing hard, it COULD be gill flukes, or the like. Dips in metro or prazi would take care of that, or it could literally be just him huffing and puffing because he's cranky.
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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crayfish
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:45 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): USA
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Re: Porcupine Puffer
Would dipping him in a metro+ solution do anything for the internal parasites? He would drink the water right? What would be a mix of medicine and water to use?
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 3231
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
- My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
I don't know if metro is of much use for internal parasites, I think it can work but takes a number of treatments. Prazi, levimisole, and flubenol based meds are better for internal, IME.
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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crayfish
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:45 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): USA
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
Mikeosoft says he has experience with it working for IPs. I will still try to inject it into the puffer's food tomorrow.
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Happy_Puffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 418
- Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:55 pm
- My Puffers: Green Spotted Puffers
The new owner of a Canthigaster jactator
Re: Porcupine Puffer
I just got mine pulled in March and it was horrible and I got the same thing and it is amazing because it can hold a lot but the tip is small but big enough for bloodworms and other foods. Thats how I fed my f8 the ip meds.Jase wrote:ask your dentist. I got a big awesome one when I had to rinse my wisdom teeth before they were pulled.
*Katie*
The new owner of a salt water tank
The new owner of a salt water tank
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crayfish
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:45 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): USA
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
I got syringes and I injected three worms with metro+ which the puffer ate really quickly. However, he is hanging out near the powerhead at the top of the tank not doing much. What are these symptoms of? I'm thinking he has more than stress or internal parasites. Can someone give me any advice please? This fish won't make it much longer I don't think without some pro-active measures.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
Add an airstone?
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!"
-
crayfish
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:45 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): USA
- Contact:
Re: Porcupine Puffer
Well the tank has an open top so I think quite a bit of oxygen gets in there. You think it could be a lack of oxygen though?