I have a MBU giant puffer who has recently gone into nice new big home (water conditions good - cycled). He has gone dark rather than pale (normally goes pale when stressed). Has a cloudy coating over his eyes and keeps bashing into things in tank as if blind. Also my normally greedy boy will not eat. has not for 5 days now. How long can he go without food. have ordered Melafix for him for tom. Plleeaaassseeee advise.xcloudy eyes, no appetite mbu giant puffer
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.
cloudy eyes, no appetite mbu giant puffer
I have a MBU giant puffer who has recently gone into nice new big home (water conditions good - cycled). He has gone dark rather than pale (normally goes pale when stressed). Has a cloudy coating over his eyes and keeps bashing into things in tank as if blind. Also my normally greedy boy will not eat. has not for 5 days now. How long can he go without food. have ordered Melafix for him for tom. Plleeaaassseeee advise.xThanks for the quick reply as i cant stop worrying bout my boy!
Water as follows
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
PH - 7.5
Nitrate - Low (cant remember exact reading-been testing all daily as worried about him - using Master Test Kit and Nitrate is fine).
My LFS said it is prob due to the previous poor water conditions (high nitrite between 0.3/0.8 due to insufficent previous filtration in old tank so was doing 25% water change every other day)and said it is prob a slime coating on eyes but he can still see?? To me it looks like he cannot see by the way he is bumping into bogwood/plants/glass etc.
Even when i held his fave mussells up to his lips would not eat. Swimming was bad before but improved muchly.
Water as follows
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
PH - 7.5
Nitrate - Low (cant remember exact reading-been testing all daily as worried about him - using Master Test Kit and Nitrate is fine).
My LFS said it is prob due to the previous poor water conditions (high nitrite between 0.3/0.8 due to insufficent previous filtration in old tank so was doing 25% water change every other day)and said it is prob a slime coating on eyes but he can still see?? To me it looks like he cannot see by the way he is bumping into bogwood/plants/glass etc.
Even when i held his fave mussells up to his lips would not eat. Swimming was bad before but improved muchly.
-
Hilly
- Mentor
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:36 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Current: Tetraodon Lineatus
Previous:
Tetraodon Sabahensis
Montrete Abei
Tetraodon Biocellatus
Carinotetraodon Salivator - Location (country): UK
- Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Water parameters look fine, it could be the stress of the move that has put him in this state. Adding melafix may help with the cloudy eye. Apart from that I don't know what else to say to you apart from keep the water pristine which you already seem to be on top of. If he is sulking and stressed from the move it may just be a waiting game for him to snap out of it.
Someone else should chime in with some more ideas.
Someone else should chime in with some more ideas.
Hilly
-
Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32976
- 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:
I have started treating with Melafix today, will get Pimafix (what is that for exactly pls?). Can i treat at same time? 
My boy is approx 5.5inches without tail and i think he is juvenial...how can i tell properly as book i have says its to do with the markings becoming more spotted than wavy as they mature?
He still wont eat and banging into tank objects although he is quite lively with his swimming.
Where his patterned bit meets his underbelly it has started going slighly grey on the edges??
I can't stop worrying about him as love him dearly and any extra advice is greatly received.
My boy is approx 5.5inches without tail and i think he is juvenial...how can i tell properly as book i have says its to do with the markings becoming more spotted than wavy as they mature?
He still wont eat and banging into tank objects although he is quite lively with his swimming.
Where his patterned bit meets his underbelly it has started going slighly grey on the edges??
I can't stop worrying about him as love him dearly and any extra advice is greatly received.
-
manutius
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1316
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:49 pm
- My Puffers: RIP Clooney the Mbu :(
- Location: Southend essex, UK
- Contact:
I think you are doing everything you can at the moment, Keep water pristine and add the meds as instructed. At 5.5inches your puffer is still fairly young, I havent' noticed that my Mbu markings have changed greatly in the 4-5 years I have had him and he is about 16inces excluding tail. Plenty of pics in my gallery 
I cant think what could be causing the problem other than stress, what have you been feeding him lately?
I cant think what could be causing the problem other than stress, what have you been feeding him lately?
Clooney looks great!
My home pc is offline at the mo and i am on nights at work so using work pc but i will upload loads when i get my broadband back up and running...hoping he will still be around then.
He has been eating mainly mussels,cockles in shells,squid,crab sticks and occasional whole prawns and aquatic snails.
He isn't too fussy an eater but mussels are his big time fave which is why it's horrible seeing him ignore them.
What kinds of live foods would you recommend giving him that i can get hold of?
My home pc is offline at the mo and i am on nights at work so using work pc but i will upload loads when i get my broadband back up and running...hoping he will still be around then.
He has been eating mainly mussels,cockles in shells,squid,crab sticks and occasional whole prawns and aquatic snails.
He isn't too fussy an eater but mussels are his big time fave which is why it's horrible seeing him ignore them.
What kinds of live foods would you recommend giving him that i can get hold of?
-
manutius
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1316
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:49 pm
- My Puffers: RIP Clooney the Mbu :(
- Location: Southend essex, UK
- Contact:
I would look into getting some live shrimp as Clooney tears the tank up trying to finish them off, there are some vids in the Filx section I would say that getting some vegetable matter inside him would be worth a shot, the jury is out wheter they actually need it but Clooney loves peas and spinach. Blanch them first and remove the skin from the peas and feed a couple at a time. I would not rush the feeding at the moment though, as Hilly said they can go a long time without feeding and if he's not eating at the moment you will be wasting your time. Wait for him to improve and then think about dinner time
I would say that getting some vegetable matter inside him would be worth a shot, the jury is out wheter they actually need it but Clooney loves peas and spinach. Blanch them first and remove the skin from the peas and feed a couple at a time. I would not rush the feeding at the moment though, as Hilly said they can go a long time without feeding and if he's not eating at the moment you will be wasting your time. Wait for him to improve and then think about dinner time