Help Fahaka puffer can't maintain boyunce!

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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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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Shannan02
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 7:23 am
Location (country): Essex, united kingdom

Help Fahaka puffer can't maintain boyunce!

Post by Shannan02 »

Hi,
I am in desperate need of advice my fahaka puffer seems to not be able to maintain boyunce he is constantly laying belly up and just floats up to the top! I have tried burping him as I feel he had ingested some air due to finding him floating at the top (belly up) mouth out of the water when I got in from work this has not seemed to work and I don't know what else to do. I have put him in a breathable container and weighed it down to prevent him for breaching the water. Has anyone else had this problem and knows of some things I can try to help him. I also know he isn't constipated as he when for a poo yesterday when I was burping him.. prior to this he had eaten for about 10 days which I don't know might be a factor. Any help would be much appreciated!

Many thanks,
Shannan.
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Pufferpunk
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Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
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Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
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Re: Help Fahaka puffer can't maintain boyunce!

Post by Pufferpunk »

You're going to have to continue burping him. Have you tried pressing his belly?
library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/
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!"
Shannan02
Puffer Fry
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2017 7:23 am
Location (country): Essex, united kingdom

Re: Help Fahaka puffer can't maintain boyunce!

Post by Shannan02 »

Thanks for the advice I will persevere with the burping. I haven't really pressed it so much I just have been massaging it but no air bubbles seem to come out no matter how long I do it for. I was wondering if he may have a swim bladder infection?
User avatar
Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32764
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Re: Help Fahaka puffer can't maintain boyunce!

Post by Pufferpunk »

Puffers don't have swim bladders. Are you pushing the tummy from the tail upwards, towards the mouth? Have you tried the "shaking" method of holding upwards by the tail (mouth under water) & shaking hard?
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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