Dwarf Puffer Poop

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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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montyfish
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:59 am
Location (country): UK

Dwarf Puffer Poop

Post by montyfish »

Hello All

Joined the forum for a bit of help with my Dwarf Monty. Iv had him 4 years so isnt a young fish and he's tough as old boots. Moved tanks 3 times, survived a tank crash, survived a cycle etc. But I noticed something today, admittedly I have never kept an eye on his poop over the last 4 years, but today I noticed he is pooping what look like undigested bloodworm. So its long, easily the size of the fish, slightly red/brown and in places looks like rope.

Im thinking Internal Parasites. I just want to make sure as he lives with a breeding ramshorn population that then feed my GSP's and Figure 8s in another tank and I believe any medication will kill them?

His current tank is relatively new as he threw a paddy when he decided that he must kill the figure of 8 he was sharing it with, the tank was 130L so a bit overkill for a dwarf. The tank he is in has been running 6 weeks, fully cycled with readings at 0 except for a small amount of nitrates. If you wonder how I can claim fully cycled after 6 weeks it was set up with existing media, water, decorations etc and supported with stability for a short while until readings settled. Water is a 20% change each week.

He displays no other symptoms, no change in behaviour etc. Still eats like a monster, swims about ok, no concave belly. so could just be me being paranoid, but i'm attached to the little guy. Could over feeding cause this if not IP?

I have attached some pics:

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It must be mentioned the OTOS pooped white string a few days back and I put that down to them unable to find food in a recently established tank. There is no algae.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Dwarf Puffer Poop

Post by Pufferpunk »

[welcome]
Have you added any new fish?
If the poop is brown, it could just be resembling the food he eats.
What are you feeding him?
These questions are covered in the list above, in red. ;)
I do believe IP meds could kill your 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!"
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montyfish
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:59 am
Location (country): UK

Re: Dwarf Puffer Poop

Post by montyfish »

No hes all on his own,just with the Otos who he has been with for years. It was the otos who drew my attention to him to be honest as I saw truly stringy white poop from the otos a few days ago.

He has a very varied diet, that night he had been fed bloodworm
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montyfish
Puffer Fry
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:59 am
Location (country): UK

Re: Dwarf Puffer Poop

Post by montyfish »

He eats a varied diet, that evening it had been bloodworm. To me it looks like undigested bloodworm.

No new fish, he was briefly with two new figure of 8s for one day about 6 weeks ago.
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32975
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:
Contact Pufferpunk

Re: Dwarf Puffer Poop

Post by Pufferpunk »

And how often are you feeding?
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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montyfish
Puffer Fry
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:59 am
Location (country): UK

Re: Dwarf Puffer Poop

Post by montyfish »

He gets fed daily with the odd days skipped here and there. Its been the same for all his life.
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montyfish
Puffer Fry
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Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:59 am
Location (country): UK

Re: Dwarf Puffer Poop

Post by montyfish »

I have purchased some Praziquantel and will treat all puffers as a preventative measure. Would rather be safe than sorry. I will dose the food and see how we go.
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Iliveinazoo
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Re: Dwarf Puffer Poop

Post by Iliveinazoo »

Looks like poo to me.
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