Canthigaster Solandri Puffer not eating

[evnevel]

Here are the stats/details: Ph 8.4 / Amonnia 0ppm / Nitrate 0ppm / Nitrite 0ppm / Salinity 29ppt / 1.021 Specific Gravity / Tank 30 gallon / Inhabitants: 1 clown ~8yrs old (Sally) & this Puffer ~3 yrs old / Feeding: daily, rotate btwn: mussels, brine shrimp, Formula 2 marine cuisine, squid / no significant tank alterations in past 2+ yrs / Water chg: every 4 wks 30% chg, inbtwn those 10% ~ every wk / Tank up since 2001 / started with Damsel starter fish by seller. OK, I hope that covered everything, if not, let me know what else is needed. The problem is the puffer (Heather) has unexpectedly stopped eating for the past 3 days. She is starting to waste away, growing thinner by the day. It seems as though she wants to eat, but cannot. She has been lying on the bottom of the tank for most of the day, somewhat on her side, not moving really at all. She does come alive more so when its feeding time, but under close observation, she does not appear to be eating anything. I did a 10% water change yesterday since I am due for a 30%, but did not want to stress her out even more. I also noticed for the first time this evening that she puffed up, about half the size of a golf ball. This has never been witnessed before, maybe it occurs often, but this is the first time I have seen her do this. Any guidance/suggestion/direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Eric

[Pufferpunk]

I'm sorry she's not feeling well. Have you added any new tank mates? Are you freezing any of the shellfish before feeding to her? Check out the feeding articles in our Library. Also the one on Internal Parasites.

[evnevel]

We have not added any new tanks mates in the past 2+ years. All of the food is purchased frozen, thawed w/tank water and then given to the fish. Thanks, Eric

[marksrush]

Have you seen her poo recently, and if so, what did it look like?

[evnevel]

I honestly cannot ever recall seeing her go, so I have no information to offer on that topic. Is there something I should be looking for that would be helpful to keep an eye out for? Thanks, Eric

[ryverrat]

I agree with PP- check for parasites and treat. You can also try offering Julian's sea veggies- green seaweed. Sounds weird but these puffers also consume algae- that's why they nibble on coral and live rock. Mine love the green sea veggies- gives them vitamins, good for digestive system.

[Nick]

Trying to eat and failing can be due to a type of protozoan which afflicts the entire digestive track, causing severe irritation of the throat, which makes swallowing hurt, while showing interest in food, but then not eating, or simply loosing interest in food, can be a symptom of the entire spectrum of IPs. Metrondazole and flubendazole are known for treating protozoan IPs, praziquentel and flubendazole for treating flatworms, and levimisole for treating camalanus worms. To make life more complicated, your puffer can have more than one type, like poor Annabelle the Fahaka - she had a tapeworm, which, once passed, made infestation by camalanus worms noticeable - she required treatment with praziquantel for the tapeworm, and then levimisole for the camalanus worms. There are also bacterial IPs, which seem to be less common in puffers relative to other kinds, but are theoretically possible. Sadly, IPs can be very complicated.

[Pufferpunk]

Sounds weird but these puffers also consume algae- that's why they nibble on coral and live rock. Mine love the green sea veggies- gives them vitamins, good for digestive system.

+1, a portion of their diet should be veggies.

[evnevel]

Nick, thanks for the wealth of information, I will contact a few local stores inquire about the treatment options you mention to see what is readily available. Since I do not have a quarantine tank, I will likely need to perform treatments on the entire tank. The only other inhabitant is a clown fish, which I hope can tolerate the treatment. I don't believe I mentioned this previously, but my puffer is very small, only about 2 1/2 - 3 inches in length.

To PufferPunk, yes, we do include alge cubes as part of the food variety we feed both fish.

Thanks again all and wish me (and Heather) luck.

Eric

[Pufferpunk]

It is always recommended to treat all the tank's inhabitants for IPs, since it can be transfered to them all.

[evnevel]

Well, here is the latest update. I contacted a local aquatic store to inquire about the IP treatments. They strongly recommended that I first attempt to get her to eat something/anything, so I purchased some "Entice" which I soak the food in prior to serving. I also purchased some small live shimp to see if that would encourage her to eat. The results were not favorable, she swam around, but I did not see her eat anything. Additionally, even though she was more active, she appeared to be quite disoriented, bumping into corals, sides, plants and the bottom of the tank. I am assuming this is being caused by her decreasing strength due to not eating. By evenings end, she settled back down to resting on the bottom of the tank somewhat on her side.

Again, any suggestions/comments/direction would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric

[Pufferpunk]

My 1st suggestion is not to listen too what LFS tell you about puffers! Follow the IP article article in our Library. Also one on getting puffers to eat.

[evnevel]

Latest update in the continuing saga. I did locate Metrondazole locally. My problem is that it is in food form and she is not eating, so the clown is getting the benefits and not the puffer. I searched online and it sounds like I can get the Metro in powder form, but again, it needs to be mixed with food and eaten to be effective. It is my understanding that just putting the powder in the water will not provide any relief since it needs to be ingested. I was surprised to learn that puffers can go without food for a couple weeks before hitting the point of no return. Since she is clearly into a full week of not eating, I am still very concerned, but glad to hear there is some level of cushion with regards to time.

To reiterate, she is not eating, regardless of what is presented to her or any enticements offered. Since she is only ~2.5 inches long (dwarf, I assume), force-feeding (tube) or handling her in any way does not sound like the correct move.

I have read the library articles on feeding and treatments for ailments, but have not been able to extract a clear action plan from them. Sorry, it may be clear to others with more experience, but it is not so for me.

Again, I am open to all suggestions/comments/direction,
Thanks,
Eric

[Pufferpunk]

Actually SW fish do drink water, unlike their FW cousins, so you could at least try adding the powder ot the water. Have you tried the tricks in the feeding articles, garlic, etc?

[edmlfc1]

I had to tube feed Annabelle, I did it once then she started eating on her own. It's not as harsh as it seems. I pureed her food, put it in a syringe and attached a tube to it. I used finquel to knock her out so that I wouldn't hurt her. I used a toothpick to get the air out of the syringe once I added the food. I then put the tube just past her gills going into the stomach. I slowly pushed the food in keeping my hand on her belly area and once it started to fill I stopped. I didn't want to over feed her. I can't remember but I think I fed her about 3ml. Annabelle is about 7" nose to tail so I would do maybe 1ml on the first feeding for a fish that's less than 3". Hope this helps you.

Edit: You can add the meds to the food if you decided to tube feed.