Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated 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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Happy_Puffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
He looks much better! I think you should name him Lucky because he is so lucky to have you guys! Oh and he is lucky to be alive and getting fat!
*Katie*
The new owner of a salt water tank
The new owner of a salt water tank
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Mareva
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
Wow! What an improvement! I've been a quiet reader of this post from the start!
Is it just me or the shape of his mouth/face is chaging? Being a nutritionist and dealing a lot with undernourished people, I have observed that when people are severly underfed, they suffer muscles atrophy (muscles get smaller) which can cause them to not be able to swallow properly (swalloing is actualy a very complex movement!!). So I'm thinking maybe something similar has happened to you fish and the mouth shape change would be building up of new muscles. Just my little theory, but it looks like he's quite on the right track and he should be able to eat bigger piece as he replenishes his muscles.
Good job!!
Is it just me or the shape of his mouth/face is chaging? Being a nutritionist and dealing a lot with undernourished people, I have observed that when people are severly underfed, they suffer muscles atrophy (muscles get smaller) which can cause them to not be able to swallow properly (swalloing is actualy a very complex movement!!). So I'm thinking maybe something similar has happened to you fish and the mouth shape change would be building up of new muscles. Just my little theory, but it looks like he's quite on the right track and he should be able to eat bigger piece as he replenishes his muscles.
Good job!!
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FishFan
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
Mareva,
Initially we thought this fish had an obstruction, inflammation, or some other sort of blockage that prevented swallowing. Based on his very gradual but continuous progress swallowing larger and larger pieces we think you are right about muscle atrophy. While the amount he eats at a setting went up sharply after each of two praziquantel treatments, the size of the pieces he could swallow has increased very gradually day by day.
The clams feet we've been feeding are the firm flesh of the clam that extends out of the shell. The feet of the clams we offered were are about the thickness of a cooked spaghetti noodle but about 1/4 inch wide. Originally I had to cut the clam's feet into very narrow strips or he would chew them repeatedly and eventually abandon attempts to eat them. When attempting to swallow he puts his whole body into the effort, with obvious repeated heaving of the bottom soft concave area beneath and behind his gills. With successful swallowing this area would become thiner and after successfully eating several pieces of clam the area underneath further back would fill in. This morning for the first time he was able to swallow an entire clam's foot whole without chewing.
This morning we offered him a whole opened clam still in the shell. He's been sitting next to it all day, often resting with his chin on the shell. Photo below He hasn't tried to tear off pieces yet like our other Burrfish, Kiwi. We're confident that this will come in time.
Initially we thought this fish had an obstruction, inflammation, or some other sort of blockage that prevented swallowing. Based on his very gradual but continuous progress swallowing larger and larger pieces we think you are right about muscle atrophy. While the amount he eats at a setting went up sharply after each of two praziquantel treatments, the size of the pieces he could swallow has increased very gradually day by day.
The clams feet we've been feeding are the firm flesh of the clam that extends out of the shell. The feet of the clams we offered were are about the thickness of a cooked spaghetti noodle but about 1/4 inch wide. Originally I had to cut the clam's feet into very narrow strips or he would chew them repeatedly and eventually abandon attempts to eat them. When attempting to swallow he puts his whole body into the effort, with obvious repeated heaving of the bottom soft concave area beneath and behind his gills. With successful swallowing this area would become thiner and after successfully eating several pieces of clam the area underneath further back would fill in. This morning for the first time he was able to swallow an entire clam's foot whole without chewing.
This morning we offered him a whole opened clam still in the shell. He's been sitting next to it all day, often resting with his chin on the shell. Photo below He hasn't tried to tear off pieces yet like our other Burrfish, Kiwi. We're confident that this will come in time.
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A = Anne, R =Robert
There has to be a point.
There has to be a point.
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Jase
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
that's great! it really is awesome you brought him back from near death. 
-Jase
edmlfc1 wrote:A house without a puffer is not a home.
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FishFan
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- Location: USA
Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
At this point this fish is no longer at risk and is experiencing continuously improving health. Our thanks to those of you who posted on this thread encouraging us to take a chance on this fish. We would never have considered buying a fish in this condition if it were not for your positive input. 
A = Anne, R =Robert
There has to be a point.
There has to be a point.
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Happy_Puffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
Aww look at that smile!!
*Katie*
The new owner of a salt water tank
The new owner of a salt water tank
Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
Glad to see things are working out, both for you and the puffer. It is unfortunate that he was in such poor condition in the first place, they deserve better than that.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
It takes a forum to raise a puffer! Congrats on your great sucess with this very special fish.FishFan wrote:Our thanks to those of you who posted on this thread encouraging us to take a chance on this fish. We would never have considered buying a fish in this condition if it were not for your positive input.
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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Nick
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
I'm very happy he's doing so well.
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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FishFan
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
White Tummy!!
We didn't know that that this fish variety had a tummy that changes color. It was initially brown to dark brown as shown in the first photo. It is now white as shown in the second.
We didn't know that that this fish variety had a tummy that changes color. It was initially brown to dark brown as shown in the first photo. It is now white as shown in the second.
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A = Anne, R =Robert
There has to be a point.
There has to be a point.
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Happy_Puffer
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
That would be weird but as long as he is happy and healthy then yay!
*Katie*
The new owner of a salt water tank
The new owner of a salt water tank
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jimi
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
he looks great congratulation's on your newly health puffer
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t1gerbee
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
so glad things are looking a little better, as i said in the beginning, if you can get them back up to health, even though it's really hard work, it feels amazing... because you know what would have happened if you hadn't tried...
I hope he continues to improve...
well done on all the work you're putting in,
I hope he continues to improve...
well done on all the work you're putting in,
1 x 90G Juv stars and stripes puffer, Ceylon Puffer + GSP + 2 black clowns
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
Now he HAS a tummy!
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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edmlfc1
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Re: Expert Advice Needed re: Very Emaciated Puffer
Pufferpunk wrote:Now he HAS a tummy!
That's what I was going to say! It looks more like a tummy now.Need to know what kind of puffer you have? Click on Puffer ID.....Puffer ID: ug.php/v/PufferPedia/
What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
Feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Have a GSP, need more information......Click on GSP Article.....
GSP Article: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
Feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Have a GSP, need more information......Click on GSP Article.....
GSP Article: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/