Ammonia: 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20
Tank size: 30 Gallons
Water changes: 10 % every other day at the moment.
No changes in last week.
Tank been set up for over 6 months.
I have recently aquired a Suvatti Puffer. He is approx 6", so fully grown.
I've had him for 4 weeks now and I am yet to see him eat.
I've tried prawns and mussels both on a piece of string and on the end of a skewer and ive also tried soaking it in garlic. I've also tried some live river shrimp which he ignored and there's 3 neons in there also.
Any ideas?
Suvatti puffer not eating
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.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
Try a live earthworm. Is he getting really skinny?
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!"
-
indie
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 227
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- My Puffers: 4 x 1.25" Green Spotted Puffers
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- Location: surrey, uk
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
Where can i get an earthworm from? I've never seen any round here.
Yes his belly looks really thin.
Other than being skinny, he seems fine in himself. His breathing is normal, unless I look at him and then he starts breathing heavy until I walk away again,lol. He doesnt swim around at all, unless he wants to move position and then he buries himself in the sand again. Im thinking that is normal for a lurker puffer?
Yes his belly looks really thin.
Other than being skinny, he seems fine in himself. His breathing is normal, unless I look at him and then he starts breathing heavy until I walk away again,lol. He doesnt swim around at all, unless he wants to move position and then he buries himself in the sand again. Im thinking that is normal for a lurker puffer?
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
Burying is very normal. Mine only came out to beg. Do you have any bait shops around?
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!"
-
bigfatfish
- Fahaka Puffer
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- My Puffers: GSP "Puffy" RIP old friend 1999-2009
GSPs "Flash" & "Lionel" - in a 55 UK Gallon Bow front Marine Tank with sump. - Location (country): United Kingdom
- Location: Devon, UK
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
Just dig one up from the garden! Or look under flower pots etc - as long as no chemicals have been used in the area, normal garden worms are fine.indie wrote:Where can i get an earthworm from? I've never seen any round here.
Yes his belly looks really thin.
Other than being skinny, he seems fine in himself. His breathing is normal, unless I look at him and then he starts breathing heavy until I walk away again,lol. He doesnt swim around at all, unless he wants to move position and then he buries himself in the sand again. Im thinking that is normal for a lurker puffer?
-
indie
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:57 am
- My Puffers: 4 x 1.25" Green Spotted Puffers
1 x Suvatti Puffer
2 x Figure 8 Puffers - Location (country): UK
- Location: surrey, uk
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
HI Pufferpunk,
Managed to try an earthworm. Was actually worried the worm would drown before the puffer got tempted? But as soon as I went out of his view, he chomped the whole lot. Yay!
Thank you
Managed to try an earthworm. Was actually worried the worm would drown before the puffer got tempted? But as soon as I went out of his view, he chomped the whole lot. Yay!
Thank you
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
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- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
Yippee! I've never seen a healthy puffer turn down a nice, juicy worm. Did you dig it up?
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!"
-
indie
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:57 am
- My Puffers: 4 x 1.25" Green Spotted Puffers
1 x Suvatti Puffer
2 x Figure 8 Puffers - Location (country): UK
- Location: surrey, uk
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
Yes I dug it up, but they dont use any chemicals in the ground round here.
I'll try source some earthworms from a store somewhere for future use
I'll try source some earthworms from a store somewhere for future use
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pufferpuggirl
- Mbu Puffer
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Rainbow crab
crayfish - Location (country): Yorkshire, GB
- Location: South Yorkshire, UK
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
I'm glad the earthworm worked .... I was going to ask if you left any food there for him because my suvattii don't always eat in front of me, so I leave the food and it's gone next day. My Palembang will look at the food, but if I'm still nearby, he will go away from it until I'm not around and then he will eat it. They are a bit strange like that.
"Puffer .... man's best friend?"
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
C lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
I don't like to leave the food in there for long--especially since my Congo was in a 15g.
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!"
-
pufferpuggirl
- Mbu Puffer
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1 x M Abei
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1 x T Schoutedeni
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1 x T Miurus
Rainbow crab
crayfish - Location (country): Yorkshire, GB
- Location: South Yorkshire, UK
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
I feed all mine every night around 6pm and then I leave it, but first thing next morning I go around with my handy tank vacuum and get all the uneaten food out. And it's amazing how my lurkers don't look as if they are going to eat, yet by next morning, the food is either completely gone or mostly eaten.
"Puffer .... man's best friend?"
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Dadof4
- Tech Team
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- My Puffers: 1 GSP (Microfiche) RIP, 1 Monotrete Turgidus (Leon) in a 30gal. 1 Monotrete suvattii in a 40 gal FW. 120 gallon BW with 3 juvenile Dragon Gobies (so cool). 55 gal with a 2" GSP named Hank. 180 gallon being set up for a Fahaka in the next few months!
- Location (country): United States
- Location: North Wisconsin
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
My Suvatti has slowed down for a while too. I had him eating out of my fingers but now if he sees me he won't take the food, just started over the past week or so. I breed Mollies and I had to feed him a few of them to get his appetite stimulated. I wonder if it's a time of year thing? Is the Mekong flooding this time of year or real dry? Is there a yearly phenomenon that happens to them this time of year?
"Darwin swings...annnnnnd a miss. Boy Jim, Chuck's suffered at the plate tonight. He's 0 for 3 and I'm not sure he's recovered from that shoulder pull a few weeks ago. I'll bet the front office is re-thinking that contract."
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indie
- Figure 8 Puffer
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- My Puffers: 4 x 1.25" Green Spotted Puffers
1 x Suvatti Puffer
2 x Figure 8 Puffers - Location (country): UK
- Location: surrey, uk
Re: Suvatti puffer not eating
Ive tried leaving food in there, but like Pufferpunk I dont like leaving food in there too long. He just wouldnt take anything that I left in there.
Thankfully the worms have worked, at least he's eating.
Thankfully the worms have worked, at least he's eating.