MBU buoyancy issues

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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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MBU buoyancy issues

Post by cyclistdan »

My MBU (~14inches) seems to be having problems floating. He has to really try hard to get to the surface. It use to be he could float around effortlessly and would greet me at the surface anytime I walked by. Now when I see him try to get to the surface it requires a lot of effort. Water quality is ideal, 0 0 30. And he is still eating well, I just have to drop the food down to him. He sees the food falling and still gets excited. Problem started several days after a water change but I don't know if it is related.

Tank is well cycled 150 gallon with an FX5 and large sponge filter
no changes had been made around the time the issues surfaced
Eats several shrimp a day eagerly (any suggestions on SAFE foods to feed would be appreciated
150 gallon 48x24x31 and besides the MBU I have a few small guppies and a Chinese algae eater. Mostly bear bottom with a pot of plants I may remove due to lack of light.

I have someone with a larger tank interested in purchasing my puff and want to make sure he is well before the exchange.
Last edited by cyclistdan on Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by Nick »

He might be eating gravel, if he's eating off the bottom, have you ever seen that occur?
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by cyclistdan »

Sorry, just updated my post with more details. The bottom of the tank is mostly bear and the substrate is soilmaster select. a light clay good for plants. He doesn't spend much time near the substrate part of the tank so i'd say it's unlikely.
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by Pufferpunk »

Read about burping your puffer 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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Nick
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Location: Middletown, CT
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by Nick »

It must be getting late ;) You got it backwards, he's not floating, he has trouble getting off the bottom, like he's weighted down with something.
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2 T biocellatus
C valentini
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C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
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burrfish
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by Pufferpunk »

Oops, it's getting late, I better go to sleep & start reading again in the morning.
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!"
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by t1gerbee »

Pufferpunk wrote:Oops, it's getting late, I better go to sleep & start reading again in the morning.
bless...


With goldfish, over eating and constipation can give them swimbladder problems, constipation presses on the swimbladder and they either get stuck on the bottom or float at the surface...

maybe the same with puffers (shot in the dark here..)

have you seen him poo? Is it live Daphnia that act as a laxative.. i think it is.. maybe worth a try?
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by cyclistdan »

I've added some Epsom salt as he has been stuffed up before but he wasn't eating at the time. He is quite hungry now. I'm not sure where I'd find live daphnia. And come to think of it, I haven't seen any poo lately
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by Pufferpunk »

Daphnia is so tiny--I can't imagine a fish that large bothering with them. Epsom salt is the way to go with constipation. 1tbsp/10g.
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: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by t1gerbee »

Pufferpunk wrote:Daphnia is so tiny--I can't imagine a fish that large bothering with them. Epsom salt is the way to go with constipation. 1tbsp/10g.

i did wonder about that.. but didn't know of anything else that would work..

just that it happens to goldfish and that solves it..... :-)


(i'll be dead proud if i'm actually right here! :lol: )
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cyclistdan
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by cyclistdan »

Well I don't know if the Epsom salt had anything to do with it but I did see some poo today. No change though

How do you prepare clams and muscles for puffers?
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by cobra1713 »

ok not a mbu expert here but if he is large enough i think they can eat just raw with the shell on, but if it seems to large then i would assume just remove the shell and serve raw.
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by cyclistdan »

I was hoping to provide him something to trim his beak on. I think the clams I bought are too thick for him. he's tried and failed once or twice to eat one. But the muscles are too thin and he tends to eat alot of the shell. Which also may be part of the problem.
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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
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by Pufferpunk »

Crack it open. When he eats the meat out of it, his teeth will scrape on the shell. Be sure to freeze for 48 hours before thawing in vitamin water, to kill off any nasties.
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!"
cyclistdan
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Re: MBU buoyancy issues

Post by cyclistdan »

was watching the puff today and noticed this sore on his fin. Thankfully the botom of the tank is bear so I can take these pics
Image
Image

It appears to be right where the puff rests and may be a sort of bed sore due to him not swimming well.
He is still eating well though.

I was wondering if putting the substrate back as it was might help even out the load on his underside and keep the sore from forming. or would it simply make it more difficult for him to slide across the bottom. Might it simply upset the wound?
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