Very fat F8

[K8er]

Hi,
I've had my figure 8 now for 8 months and he has never had any problems eating. A few months ago I cut down on the amount I was feeding him because I read that F8's shouldn't be fed a lot of food because they will just keep eating. I also read that once they get to be a few months they don't need to eat every day. A couple days ago I noticed he was fatter than usual so I skipped a day of feeding. Normally when I feed him he gets fat but by later in the day he's slimmed back down. He is still swimming all over his tank and is up at the front checking things out but his stomach has continued to get larger. The size it is now is larger than I've ever seen it and his anus is enlarged too. There are a few snail shells in his tank that he might be snacking on but they are just shells so he can't be eating when I don't feed him. I feed him frozen shrimp cubes cut into 6 pieces, so he is getting very small amounts. Nothing in his tank has changed, I do regular water changes, the salinity is where it should be (I follow what you guys recommend on here) but he's staying the same size. I have not fed him yet today. What should I do?

[inkyjenn]

perhaps he is a she? and maybe she is loaded with eggs? if its behavior is ok and and its coloration is normal, then i wouldnt worry too much?

[K8er]

He is in a tank alone (his killed off his tank mates, ottocat and a catfish). His colour hasn't changed and he's still swimming around. I've posted on other sites and they have said it could be fluid retention or bloat. I've also read things about parasites. But he's acting normal. Can F8's be pregnant when you buy them and remain that way for 8 months? I would think that would be a long gestation period for such a small fish. Or do females just randomly produce eggs? How often should I be feeding Pud (his/her name)?

[crazedpuffer]

Could he be constipated?

[K8er]

I'm not sure if he is, he might be. I've been extremely busy the past few days with a thesis project so I haven't been around often enough to watch for that. There isn't much gunk at the bottom of the tank though. If he is, how do I treat that? I've added a picture I just took this morning. It doesn't really show how fat he is but it still shows his belly. He looks bigger in real life. And his anus is clearly visible from about 1.5 m.

[Nick]

The anus thing makes me wonder if he might be a girl swollen with eggs, as well...

[K8er]

Well if he is a she, and she is full of eggs, how is that possible? Don't puffer require perfect conditions to produce eggs? She's been alone for 8 months.

[yunachin]

I don't know about it being full of eggs but I do know I am a friend to many a portly fish around here. (I guess it's in the water because I do not feed but 2-3 times a week.) If he is acting normal, I wouldn't worry too much but that is just IME.
Here is one of my fatties....and this is BEFORE the feedings.

[LuLu]

awww that is cute a rolly polly puffer

[Pufferpunk]

My GSPs always looked like this, even after 2 days of no food:


RTR used to love to tease me about their round waistlines.

As far as constipation--what are you feeding it? You treat that with 1tbsp Epsom salt/5g for a BW/SW fish.

[K8er]

I feed him frozen brine shrimp. It comes in cubes that I cut into 6 pieces. The name on the package is Mytosis I think. It's only a small amount of food I think. Epsom salt is different than the usual salt that I add to make the water brakish?

[Pufferpunk]

Yes, you can geet Epsom salt at most drugstores. You need a much more varied diet for your puffer. Worms, krill, plankton, snails, etc. See the feeding article in our Library.

[K8er]

I do feed him snails on occasion to keep his beak filed down. But I don't do it often, maybe once every couple weeks. Because he just eats and eats and eats....He ate all 20 the first time I gave them to him. Only tiny snails though! But I'll look at that article too. If it's constipation, what do I do about that? If it's eggs, how do I tell if she's laid them? Just as long as this isn't something that might kill him, I'm not too concerned. Thanks for all the info though!

[edmlfc1]

My puffers are pretty chunky too. It seems like that just got that way overnight. I did watch them for a few days and they both poohed. After that I was not too worried. Adding epsom salt won't hurt, and if he/she lays eggs I would think you would notice the difference right away. IMO, I would watch for him to pooh and if I didn't see it in a day or so, I would add epsom salt.

[coldmachineUK]

I have a pair of F8s in my brackish tank: one is 'portly' in the same way yours is, and the other is not as greedy so nowhere near as big. Again, even though like PP I feed 3-4 times a week max. it still doesn't seem to help reduce the waistline! I think some puffers are born greedy...!
Keep an eye on him/her, and watch for any signs of distress or changes in behaviour: that's usually a good indicator something isn't right. If he/she stays like this but is otherwise fine I wouldn't worry so much. Do vary the diet though! I feed mine with a variety of frozen krill, bloodworm, mysis, brineshrimp, cockles and mussles (the last two sometimes in the shell, sometimes not).