Hey everybody my dad just called me to tell me his 10-11" golden puffer (Arothron meleagris) was dead when he got home from work today.
He was has been awesome eating great, no weird behavior since we got him 4-5 months ago then last night he didn't eat and today he was acting weird and then boom dead. When my dad got home this afternoon he said he was swimming upside down and then he puffed up completely and then he just died. He is going to come up to my house tonight and I think we are going to do an autopsy to see if maybe he had worms or internal parasites or something.
Dead golden puffer
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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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Pandora114
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:28 pm
- My Puffers: C. travancoricus RIP both of you little guys. Tank will be a F8 after GSP goes full marine
T. nigroviridis Named Pepsi - Location: Comox Valley, BC, Canada
- Contact:
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sassiegemstone
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 147
- Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 12:14 pm
- Location: Florida, U.S.
- Contact:
Yeah well it turns out the problem was he ate 4 blue leg hermit crabs whole and they tore up his stomach pretty good thus causing the stress. I have a pic of him puffed up I just have to get it scanned onto my comp monday.
My mom said when she got home he had some lumps on his side and we figure they were the crabs.
My mom said when she got home he had some lumps on his side and we figure they were the crabs.
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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:
You'd think a puffer would know to chew it's food 1st.
I've autopsied puffers. Very hard to cut thru their tough skin! Like leathery sandpaper.
I've autopsied puffers. Very hard to cut thru their tough skin! Like leathery sandpaper.
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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Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
Sorry I didnt take anypics and if I had it wouldnt matter since my comp crashed and I lost everything.
There weren't any actual holes but there were alcerations and alot of them.
It wasn't the puffers fault or ours entirely as my dad had purchased a cleaner kit for his tank and they told him the crabs would be about 1-1 1/4" and we figured that he wouldn't be able to swallow them whole but when he got them they were only 1/2-3/4" but everything went great for about 2 weeks and then I guess he decided to eat them.
There weren't any actual holes but there were alcerations and alot of them.
It wasn't the puffers fault or ours entirely as my dad had purchased a cleaner kit for his tank and they told him the crabs would be about 1-1 1/4" and we figured that he wouldn't be able to swallow them whole but when he got them they were only 1/2-3/4" but everything went great for about 2 weeks and then I guess he decided to eat them.
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Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
Without seeing the actual puffer, I can't say for sure.....but more than likely the puffer died from a bacterial infection not the inability to pass the crabs.
If there was a blockage, you will often see dilation of the intestines, enlarged gallbladder, necrosis, etc.
Ulcerations are often seen with internal infections. Bacteria such as vibrio can come on fast and often kill quickly. Buoyancy problems (swimming upside down) sounds like the bacteria affected multiple organs including the swim bladder.
If there was a blockage, you will often see dilation of the intestines, enlarged gallbladder, necrosis, etc.
Ulcerations are often seen with internal infections. Bacteria such as vibrio can come on fast and often kill quickly. Buoyancy problems (swimming upside down) sounds like the bacteria affected multiple organs including the swim bladder.
Kelly