10 gallon hospital tank and former nursery tank, has been set up for over a year, seeded with media from previously established tanks
AquaClear 20 filter- minus the carbon and an air pump powered sponge filter
p.H. 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate .07
Temp 77
Stress Coat Plus and Melafix are being used
minimal decor- a handful of aragonite sand across the bottom that diminishes with each vacuuming, a piece of driftwood and a piece of terra cotta for hiding under and a bunch of anacharis floating on the surface
I brought the Turgidus home Thursday.
Feeding ramshorn snails, small earthworms and a bit of thawed krill
25-30% water change on Friday and today to vacuum up waste.
So after getting a confirmation on the new puffers identity, I began to start water changes on my other tanks. I glanced over at the new fellow to find him inflating with air! I know this isn't uncommon, but I have NEVER seen my F8's or SAP's EVER do this. He would partially inflate, then deflate, then swim for a bit, then partially inflate, then deflate again. He wasn't swimming erratically and after about 20 minutes he went back to hanging out in his cave his cave.
I'm just wondering how normal this is, I don't want to start panicking unnecessarily.
Turgidus troubles already?
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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pufferpuggirl
- Mbu Puffer
- Posts: 3979
- Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:04 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffs & Stuff:
1 x M Abei
1 x M Turgidus
1 x T Palembangensis
1 x M Baileyii
1 x T Schoutedeni
1 x T Leiurus
1 x T Miurus
Rainbow crab
crayfish - Location (country): Yorkshire, GB
- Location: South Yorkshire, UK
Re: Turgidus troubles already?
Relax, it's quite normal. Puffers often inflate for no reason at all, although it's thought that they might be "practising". So no need to worry. 
"Puffer .... man's best friend?"
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omplmpa3
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 211
- Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:09 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: 1 Turgidus
1 Irrubesco - Location (country): United States
- Location: Wisconsin
Re: Turgidus troubles already?
Good, because he's doing it again 
It's funny, it each species of puffer gives me a case of new parent jitters.
It's funny, it each species of puffer gives me a case of new parent jitters.-
Dadof4
- Tech Team
- Posts: 2862
- Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:50 am
- Gender: Male
- 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: Turgidus troubles already?
Turgdis are real temperamental and will go off at the slightest irritation. Just having you in the room, moving around, this soon after getting him in his new surroundings could do it. My Turgdis has puffed over the strangest things and, also, for no apparent reason. One minute he's happily hiding, the next he's all up in fins about something. On the flip side, he's one of the most curious puffers I have. I wake to him in the morning and get a "good morning" body wiggle at the glass and the occasional stare down as I fall asleep. He'll investigate nearly anything that comes in to his tank and then attack and try to eat it....You may want to think about adding an actual tight fitting cave for him to hide (don't use coconut, he'll gnaw on it) for security sake and think about eventually getting him a bigger tank so he has more imagined territory (they don't move around much but like to be king of the domain).
Once he settles, and it may be a while, he'll stop the puffing and trying to showing off how tough he is.
Once he settles, and it may be a while, he'll stop the puffing and trying to showing off how tough he is.
"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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omplmpa3
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 211
- Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:09 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: 1 Turgidus
1 Irrubesco - Location (country): United States
- Location: Wisconsin
Re: Turgidus troubles already?
Thank you for your helpful response Dadof4! It's good to know this is SOP for a Turgidus.
He is just in the 10 gallon until his fins get better, his eyes clear up and I can be sure he has no IPs. Hopefully it wont be too long. After that he will be going into a 30 breeder.
He is just in the 10 gallon until his fins get better, his eyes clear up and I can be sure he has no IPs. Hopefully it wont be too long. After that he will be going into a 30 breeder.
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Dadof4
- Tech Team
- Posts: 2862
- Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:50 am
- Gender: Male
- 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: Turgidus troubles already?
Beautiful puffer once those fins heal. People that have them usually absolutely love them once they get used to that "Look at me, I'm cute...but don't get to close or I'll puff or rip your nose off" attitude and the hiding thing. I find mine to be more nocturnal than my other puffers and is easier fed in the wee hours of the morning or real late in the evening, live food is a real trip with these guys. Their hunting style is pretty unique, kind of float over to the food then slowly stalk it.
I find mine to be more nocturnal than my other puffers and is easier fed in the wee hours of the morning or real late in the evening, live food is a real trip with these guys. Their hunting style is pretty unique, kind of float over to the food then slowly stalk it."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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omplmpa3
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 211
- Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:09 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: 1 Turgidus
1 Irrubesco - Location (country): United States
- Location: Wisconsin
Re: Turgidus troubles already?
I'm more apprehensive when I hand feed him, that's for sure! MUCH bigger mouth than my F8s and SAPs. Your right about the hunting style, it's completely different from the way SAPs pursue food.
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Dadof4
- Tech Team
- Posts: 2862
- Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:50 am
- Gender: Male
- 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: Turgidus troubles already?
Yeah...I wouldn't hand feed him. Mine "accidentally" got a chunk of me when I was cleaning and took a little flesh. Fiddler crabs are especially fun.....viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18540
"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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omplmpa3
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 211
- Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:09 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: 1 Turgidus
1 Irrubesco - Location (country): United States
- Location: Wisconsin
Re: Turgidus troubles already?
Dadof4 wrote:Yeah...I wouldn't hand feed him. Mine "accidentally" got a chunk of me when I was cleaning and took a little flesh.
Time for me to to invest in tongs.
I like the fiddler crab story, maybe once this guy gets a little bigger....
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Rusty
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:31 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: A modestus
x2 C travancoricus - Location (country): USA
- Location: Cleveland, O-H-I-O
- Contact:
Re: Turgidus troubles already?
for now just use those cheapo wooden skewers.
safety first
safety first
Old fishermen never die, they just smell that way.
Rusty
Rusty