dwarf puffer bumping into food...help!
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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puffandtoke
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:34 pm
dwarf puffer bumping into food...help!
I've had 2 DP's in a 5 G for over a year. All has gone well with these guys...but now one is going after his food (live brine shrimp, bloodworms, and snails) but just bumping into it like he is not sure where his mouth is. I do not see any other problems with him. He has not eaten in several days and I'm getting worried. I thought about blindness but he will still go after the swimming shrimp and he still hunts the snails but he just bumps into them. I think his equilibrium is off, he seams to be having trouble controlling certain movements. (For example if he tries to look straight up a little he will kind of almost do a back flip). He can’t get steady enough to complete that little last lunge at the food and ends just missing getting the food in his mouth…he even bites down with his teeth but he is missing the food. I do not see any external sores or damage to any fins. He has been puffing up a lot…could he have some sort of swim bladder problem? It is very sad, I know he is hungry and he is trying to eat but just can’t get anything into his mouth. Anyone have any advice?
Sounds like a swim bladder problem almost. But never heard about it for puffers. Only with koi and goldfish from gulping TOO much air into their stomaches. You may just have a territorial puff, or one that is amusing its self, or maybe one that has ADHD?
Has anyone heard of a dwarf getting overgrown teeth? Never heard of that before, just only with larger puffs.
Has anyone heard of a dwarf getting overgrown teeth? Never heard of that before, just only with larger puffs.
<80 gal> 2 GSPs & a Ceylon!
<75 gal> 3 Figure 8s & 1 Butterlfy Goby
<75 gal> *Empty*
<55 gal> 3 Gymnothorax polyuranodon (FW eel)
<30 long> Pair of Lorteti's & Irrubesco's, 1 DP, Endlers Livebearers, Clown Pleco, Royal Pleco, 2 Bumblebee Cats
<20 long> 4 Flounders
<4 gal> 2 Sparkling Gouramis & 3 ottos heavily planted
~Tihsho~
<75 gal> 3 Figure 8s & 1 Butterlfy Goby
<75 gal> *Empty*
<55 gal> 3 Gymnothorax polyuranodon (FW eel)
<30 long> Pair of Lorteti's & Irrubesco's, 1 DP, Endlers Livebearers, Clown Pleco, Royal Pleco, 2 Bumblebee Cats
<20 long> 4 Flounders
<4 gal> 2 Sparkling Gouramis & 3 ottos heavily planted
~Tihsho~
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puffandtoke
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:34 pm
Here are the tank specks
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrite.
This is by far the most important information you can provide
pH = 7.5
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 5
Temp = 82 C
2) Feeding and water change schedule.
The real one. Not the one you'd like to adhere too. (Yeah life gets in the way for us too sometimes!)
brine shrimp or bloodworms once a day
chang one gallon (5 G tank) 2 times a week
3) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so.
Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
water changes everyday, tried using MelaFix and PimaFix to see if that would help my puffer
4) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it?
1 year and 2 months, water from another tank
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrite.
This is by far the most important information you can provide
pH = 7.5
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 5
Temp = 82 C
2) Feeding and water change schedule.
The real one. Not the one you'd like to adhere too. (Yeah life gets in the way for us too sometimes!)
brine shrimp or bloodworms once a day
chang one gallon (5 G tank) 2 times a week
3) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so.
Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
water changes everyday, tried using MelaFix and PimaFix to see if that would help my puffer
4) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it?
1 year and 2 months, water from another tank
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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puffandtoke
- Puffer Fry
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- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:34 pm
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puffandtoke
- Puffer Fry
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Bred
- Former Staff Member
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Jeez... It's tough because they're so small. Gently hold him by the tail with thumb and forefinger, hold him vertically with his nose facing up. Then gently and not too quickly, "shake" him up and down, gently masaging the belly from bottom to top with your free hand (or not--I don't imagine this will be easy). Sorry to hear it's gotten this bad. I hope you can do something for him.
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puffandtoke
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:34 pm
Well, I have tried to burp him several times, it has either not worked or that is not what is wrong with him. He is not any better. I have been taking shrimp and holding them in front of is mouth with tweezers trying to feed him. He has been able to eat a few. I might be prolonging his suffering by doing this. I do not know what else to do? Thank you to all that have very kindly tried to help me.