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.
Re: Puffer not eating
No, not thin. He becomes more of a bowl shape. By flattening, I mean the lumps go away. He still looks like a fatty.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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Re: Puffer not eating
He's a very good-looking fella!
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!"
Re: Puffer not eating
ThanksPufferpunk wrote:He's a very good-looking fella!
Here's what I mean about flattening:
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allycat
- Dwarf Puffer
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Also kept: 29 G FW juvie loach community, soon to be 55G!)
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2.5G snail breeder - Location (country): USA-Indiana
Re: Puffer not eating
Are you saying this is your puffer on a skinny day?
I love his fancy little spots!
I love his fancy little spots!
ask: is this suffering necessary or unnecessary?
Re: Puffer not eating
Reminds me of a lava lampallycat wrote:Are you saying this is your puffer on a skinny day?
I love his fancy little spots!
And no, the picture I posted on page 1 was his lumpyness after eating. The pictures above are of him shortly after, when his food lumps go away.
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zookey
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 162
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:04 pm
- Location (country): United States
Re: Puffer not eating
Thank you all for the replies!
So earthworms from the bait shop are okay as long as they are clean first. I assume you mean to wash the dirt and crud off of them. What do you do with the rest of the worm? I can't imagine that this particular puffer is large enough to eat a whole earthworm in one feeding as he is pretty small.
And sleeping in a particular spot is normal. And the circling is just his way to get comfortable and positioned I guess. He does seem to like to sleep in the corner of the tank where he can see both the living room and the bedroom. He was quite excited to see us get up this morning. Probably because he knew he would be fed soon.
The picture helps a lot! That is what his belly looked like last night just a bit smoother. His belly does not shrink down very quickly as he was still pudgy this morning before I gave him something out of the seafood baggy. He does seem like a vicious little eater... but so cute!
I am glad you are all here to help me (and this puffer). Maybe I worry too much .... but he had a pretty poor life before I took him in and I just want to do the best I can for him.
Thanks again for all of your help!
So earthworms from the bait shop are okay as long as they are clean first. I assume you mean to wash the dirt and crud off of them. What do you do with the rest of the worm? I can't imagine that this particular puffer is large enough to eat a whole earthworm in one feeding as he is pretty small.
And sleeping in a particular spot is normal. And the circling is just his way to get comfortable and positioned I guess. He does seem to like to sleep in the corner of the tank where he can see both the living room and the bedroom. He was quite excited to see us get up this morning. Probably because he knew he would be fed soon.
The picture helps a lot! That is what his belly looked like last night just a bit smoother. His belly does not shrink down very quickly as he was still pudgy this morning before I gave him something out of the seafood baggy. He does seem like a vicious little eater... but so cute!
I am glad you are all here to help me (and this puffer). Maybe I worry too much .... but he had a pretty poor life before I took him in and I just want to do the best I can for him.
Thanks again for all of your help!
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zookey
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 162
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:04 pm
- Location (country): United States
Re: Puffer not eating
@Fwoom ... how long is your puffer? I am wondering now if I am not feeding enough. He doesn't get that, ummm, "round" when I feed him.
I do love the pictures. Your puffer is beautiful! Such a pretty neon green in those pictures. And who ever said it ... the spots to look like a Lava Lamp! Had never really thought about their spots like that before.
Thanks again to you all.
I do love the pictures. Your puffer is beautiful! Such a pretty neon green in those pictures. And who ever said it ... the spots to look like a Lava Lamp! Had never really thought about their spots like that before.
Thanks again to you all.
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purplecandle
- Mbu Puffer
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Re: Puffer not eating
Try panfish trout worms, they are smallerzookey wrote:Thank you all for the replies!
So earthworms from the bait shop are okay as long as they are clean first. I assume you mean to wash the dirt and crud off of them. What do you do with the rest of the worm? I can't imagine that this particular puffer is large enough to eat a whole earthworm in one feeding as he is pretty small.
To clear up confusion, Fwoom's GSP has a golf ball with tail body shape, so he appears to be fat when really that is his body shape. I suspect Fwoom is NOT over feeding. Zookey your GSP is probably younger and is on his way to developing that golf ball shape. In time with proper feeding yours will look as round as his.zookey wrote:@Fwoom ... how long is your puffer? I am wondering now if I am not feeding enough. He doesn't get that, ummm, "round" when I feed him.
Re: Puffer not eating
Between 1.5-2 inches.zookey wrote:@Fwoom ... how long is your puffer?
Yeah, mine wasn't in the best of shape either when I got him. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and that's what he looked like a week after I got him:
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=25321
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zookey
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 162
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:04 pm
- Location (country): United States
Re: Puffer not eating
purplecandle and Fwoom... thank you both for your replies. You are very kind and helpful. I will see what I can find as far as panfish trout worms... sounds more like angle worms vs night crawlers.
I hope that given some time, and me spending many hours here learning the proper care and nutrition, my puffer will look like Fwoom's one day. Thank you again for the help. I do appreciate it.
I hope that given some time, and me spending many hours here learning the proper care and nutrition, my puffer will look like Fwoom's one day. Thank you again for the help. I do appreciate it.
Re: Puffer not eating
zookey wrote:purplecandle and Fwoom... thank you both for your replies. You are very kind and helpful. I will see what I can find as far as panfish trout worms... sounds more like angle worms vs night crawlers.
I hope that given some time, and me spending many hours here learning the proper care and nutrition, my puffer will look like Fwoom's one day. Thank you again for the help. I do appreciate it.
Glad I could help