Thanks in advance!
Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
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.
-
TheMockumentarist
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:45 am
- Location (country): Los Angeles
Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Hello! I have a lone Figure 8 Puffer in an 18 gallon tank. I got him a day ago from a LFS. My Figure 8 Puffer has a strangely lumpy stomach. Is this normal? Is it just malnourished or is it something to be concerned about? I am concerned that it has internal parasites. However, its feces are a normal looking black and it has a very healthy appetite.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
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JRC3
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 904
- Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 4:10 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: F8(55g)
F8 (46g)
4-DP(29g) - Location (country): U.S.
- Location: S.W. OH
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Hopefully he just hasn't eaten since being caught. You should still treat for IPs.
What are you feeding him? Be sure not to overfeed the skinny guy...It'll be tempting.
Is his new home/tank established and cycled, or is it also new?
Good luck
What are you feeding him? Be sure not to overfeed the skinny guy...It'll be tempting.
Is his new home/tank established and cycled, or is it also new?
Good luck
There are many knowledgeable fish keepers on this forum willing to help and give great advice...The advice is free; What you choose to do with it gives it value.
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TheMockumentarist
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:45 am
- Location (country): Los Angeles
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Thanks! What would be the gentlest treatment for IP?
Although the tank is new, my LFS was kind enough to provide me with half a filter from one of their established tanks. Will that be okay? I do a 10% water change daily.
The Figure 8 was cooped up in a tank with around 20 GSPs. I couldn't bear to leave it until I got a tank fully cycled.
Although the tank is new, my LFS was kind enough to provide me with half a filter from one of their established tanks. Will that be okay? I do a 10% water change daily.
The Figure 8 was cooped up in a tank with around 20 GSPs. I couldn't bear to leave it until I got a tank fully cycled.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
T lineatus
T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
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C papuan
C lorteti
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burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
That's exactly how all my puffers look after they've had a good meal!
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!"
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G S P Freak
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 421
- Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:58 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Figure Eight Puffers, Binks (29G)
Dwarf puffers, named "He-Puffer" (male) and She-puffer (female) (10g)
Non-puffer:
1 Red-eared slider, Tortuga (female)(100g)
1 rubber lip pleco - Location (country): USA, Indiana
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
IDk about the tummy, but get some melafix for the poor guy, his fins are in tatters.
No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-
RTR
- Mentor
- Posts: 6155
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 4:39 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): East Coast, USA
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Puffers are not like other fish, and folks new to them have a lot to get accustomed to. As part of being capable to puff up, puffers have no ribs - this means that their bellies look funny since they lack the abdominal muscles and bones of other families of fish. Individual meals show up as discrete lumps in their GI tract. It is rteally easy to tell that a puffer is or is not eating. That is, as PP said, the way normal puffers look.
HTH
HTH
Where's the fish? - Neptune
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PufferMe!
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 268
- Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:50 pm
- My Puffers: One green spotted puffer in 70 gallon, marine tank. Soon to add 3 yellow tail damselfish
- Location (country): USA, New Mexico
- Location: Albuquerque
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Before I knew not to feed malaysian cone/trumpet snails to my GSP, I have him a few of those,because that was what they were eating tons on in the tank at the LFS. He also had that same stomach,because I saw him eat them whole, which was a bit scary. He might have eaten some of those and mine had no problem digesting them.
I used PraziPro which you can find on Amazon or in any good fish store. It's very safe. It's not a bad idea to just treat for IP when you get a new puffer.
I used PraziPro which you can find on Amazon or in any good fish store. It's very safe. It's not a bad idea to just treat for IP when you get a new puffer.
Life is a sum of all your choices - Albert Camus
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TheMockumentarist
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:45 am
- Location (country): Los Angeles
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Thanks for all the awesome advice! It's good to know there's probably nothing wrong with it. 
I'll be picking up some Melafix and PraziPro. I soak its food in Prazipro, right?
I'll be picking up some Melafix and PraziPro. I soak its food in Prazipro, right?-
PufferMe!
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 268
- Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:50 pm
- My Puffers: One green spotted puffer in 70 gallon, marine tank. Soon to add 3 yellow tail damselfish
- Location (country): USA, New Mexico
- Location: Albuquerque
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Directions say to add to tank. That's what I did
Life is a sum of all your choices - Albert Camus
-
G S P Freak
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 421
- Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:58 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Figure Eight Puffers, Binks (29G)
Dwarf puffers, named "He-Puffer" (male) and She-puffer (female) (10g)
Non-puffer:
1 Red-eared slider, Tortuga (female)(100g)
1 rubber lip pleco - Location (country): USA, Indiana
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
No... this is not very effective for IPs... IPs = Internal/intestinal parasites, meaning that dosing the water won't affect them; the fish won't absorb any meds if you dose the water. Dosing the water is strictly for external parasites, such as flukes. Soak the food for about an hour and add garlic juice for flavor if necessary. Just dose melafix as directed. I successfully treated my f8 with prazipro doing this.PufferMe! wrote:Directions say to add to tank. That's what I did
No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-John Ruskin-
"I have to laugh when people call fish-keeping a hobby, if anything, it's a science... and for some, an obsession." - Me
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- 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: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
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!"
-
TheMockumentarist
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:45 am
- Location (country): Los Angeles
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Is it okay if I soak live snails in PraziPro? Will the snails absorb any medication? My puffer refuses to eat anything but snails.
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JRC3
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 904
- Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 4:10 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: F8(55g)
F8 (46g)
4-DP(29g) - Location (country): U.S.
- Location: S.W. OH
Re: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
I've used snails but I smash them first. Get the puff to get used to eating a few smashed snails beforehand.TheMockumentarist wrote:Is it okay if I soak live snails in PraziPro? Will the snails absorb any medication? My puffer refuses to eat anything but snails.
There are many knowledgeable fish keepers on this forum willing to help and give great advice...The advice is free; What you choose to do with it gives it value.
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32987
- 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: Figure 8 with Lumpy Stomach
Yes you can but the med will kill the snails.
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!"