constipated?
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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seashells1521
- Puffer Fry
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- Location (country): Washington
constipated?
my gsp doesnt like swimming the just kinda lays on his plant or the ground and his tail is all kinked. from previous expierence i know that a kinked tail and lack of motivation means constipation....is it the same for gsps?
Re: constipated?
It could be constipation but not necessarily. Gsp's or most puffers for that matter tend to curl their tail's when resting or sleeping. If you could answer all the question above in read we might be able to help you more. Not being active could be a concern. Do you still have the two puffers? Have you upgraded the 5 gallon tank for them/him/her?
Last edited by trekenk on Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: constipated?
Constipation can be helped with 1 tbsp Epsom salt/5g.
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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pufferpuggirl
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Re: constipated?
I just want to say that I used to have 3 GSP's (I finally found a good home for them!) that didn't do much, they all laid on the bottom of the tank most days, and only really got up for food. So I would not automatically assume that it's constipation with your puffer, although it very well could be. Sorry not to be able to give you an exact answer. 
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bauk
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Re: constipated?
When my GSP wil go lay down i also would think there must be wrong.. Mine are very hyper, al day.. And never lay on the bottum.. ??? When they are realy sleeping/resting they have an other color, they are lighter. Don't know how to say in Englisch 
Is it a new thing or is it normal for him/her?
Is it a new thing or is it normal for him/her?
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Dadof4
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Re: constipated?
This is a normal thing for GSP's and some of the other puffers. Mine look very faded when they sleep.bauk wrote:When my GSP wil go lay down i also would think there must be wrong.. Mine are very hyper, al day.. And never lay on the bottum.. ??? When they are realy sleeping/resting they have an other color, they are lighter. Don't know how to say in Englisch
Is it a new thing or is it normal for him/her?
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seashells1521
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Re: constipated?
i know its not him sleeping. theres like a lump on one curve of the tail and the other is caved it.
usually he is all over the tank and in and out of his rocks and plants but lately he lays vertical...head down in his plants and doesnt move until im pounding on the tank screaming he better not be dead lol.
could it maybe be eating something that fell in his tank or something. cause he is at my house and my 8year old sister is fascinated with him and she loves popcorn and i saw a few kernals around his tank so if a piece fell in there and he ate it....could that be the constipation problem or something worse
yes i did up grade and got a 30 gal for each of them and divided them up just in case. they are much happier now besides the fact kumar is constipated or something.
usually he is all over the tank and in and out of his rocks and plants but lately he lays vertical...head down in his plants and doesnt move until im pounding on the tank screaming he better not be dead lol.
could it maybe be eating something that fell in his tank or something. cause he is at my house and my 8year old sister is fascinated with him and she loves popcorn and i saw a few kernals around his tank so if a piece fell in there and he ate it....could that be the constipation problem or something worse
yes i did up grade and got a 30 gal for each of them and divided them up just in case. they are much happier now besides the fact kumar is constipated or something.
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busybones
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Re: constipated?
What are your water parameters? If you could answer the questions in red at the top of the page it would help. Even though you are thinking it's constipation it is possible that there would be another cause for his actions. Have you tried adding the Epson salt? If so, were there any changes at all in his feces?
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seashells1521
- Puffer Fry
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Re: constipated?
i havent been home enough to notice a change in feces.
but i did the pea trick and that seemed to help a little so slowly but surely ill get him back to normal
thank you all for your help
but i did the pea trick and that seemed to help a little so slowly but surely ill get him back to normal
thank you all for your help