help needed sick puffer

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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.
Post Reply
newman
Puffer Fry
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:31 am
Location: derbyshire
Contact:

help needed sick puffer

Post by newman »

my F8 puffer "bumb" is sick water qualities are good, and his friend is fine, he just seems to be sitting at the bottom of the tank and when he eats he seems to vomit his food back up (bloodworm) please help what would you do ? do you know whats wrong with him ? i dont want to loose my little buddy
User avatar
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

Post by Hilly »

Does he take some in and his belly gets round and does he then start to spit back out or does nothing seem to go down at all?
Hilly
newman
Puffer Fry
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:31 am
Location: derbyshire
Contact:

Post by newman »

not sure he ate then a few minutes later he seemed to bring it back, you could see him like spitting out the broken up bloodworms (frozen) but about four mouth fulls came back out
User avatar
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:

Post by manutius »

are you thawing them first?
User avatar
Corvus
Mentor
Posts: 1405
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:35 am
Gender: Male
Location: Planet earth; mostly Germany recently

Post by Corvus »

puffers may vomit when overfed. do you have a pic of your puffers?

Vomiting is not very good for your water quality. Did you check your nitrates?

Bloodworms are not good if they are the only type of food offered.

If nitrates are low (ammonia and nitrites have to be absent), the diet was varied and they are not overfed I'd consider internal parasites possible.
Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man, and he'll eat for weeks.
User avatar
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

Post by Hilly »

Overeating perhaps and coughing back up when he cant eat any more, try some very small portions or drop in a very little bit at a time and see how that goes.
Hilly
newman
Puffer Fry
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:31 am
Location: derbyshire
Contact:

Post by newman »

sorry no did not thaw them first, ill check all the nitrates ect when i get home again, ive offered cockels and prawns, mixed and snails too but they just wont eat them
User avatar
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

Post by Hilly »

Definitely thaw everything in some tank water first before feeding. Try some Mussel, never had a puffer refuse Mussel.
Hilly
User avatar
Boxermom
Former Staff Member
Posts: 2182
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:34 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Contact:

Post by Boxermom »

"Good" isn't enough of an answer for us to help you. We need actual water parameters please (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, SG), as well as info on how often you do water changes, tankmates, tank size, etc.

Puffers need to be trained to eat a variety of foods. It can be done but takes patience.
Tina

Puffers: Auriglobus silus x1, Tetraodon travancoricus x1, Tetraodon turgidus x1, Tetraodon miurus x1, Tetraodon nigroviridis x2, Tetraodon baileyi x2, Tetraodon lineatus x1, Tetraodon palembangensis x1
User avatar
OraLacerta
Former Staff Member
Posts: 573
Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:51 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Tetraodon biocellatus.
RIP: C. travancoricus, Chilomycterus schoepfi. Canthigaster jactator.
Location (country): USA
Location: USA

Post by OraLacerta »

Thread moved to Hospital section.
-Michelle

Prevent unnecessary deaths due to disease- quarantine ALL new additions at least 4 weeks in a separate tank before adding to your main display tank!

Puffers: Hindenburg the Figure Eight, 75gallon Brackish
newman
Puffer Fry
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:31 am
Location: derbyshire
Contact:

oh no

Post by newman »

think ive made a big mistake ive been using aquarium salt not ocean salt, will buy some today, will it be ok to change half the water and add the new salt or should i wait a while.
User avatar
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

Post by Hilly »

adding the marine salt when you change the water is the ideal time to do it. You need to make sure it's fully dissolved before adding it to the tank by pre-mixing it in a bucket and using an air pump or better yet a powerhead to make sure it's fully dissolved. I speed the dissolving up by boiling the kettle and using the boiling water to help dissolve the salt then running it for half an hour with aeration before adding it to the tank. I have had no problems doing it this way.

You will nead something to measure the salinity, hydrometers are cheap and can be reliable if used correctly, do a search on the forums, there is plenty of posts on hydrometers. A lot of people like refractometers but they are more expensive.

have a read of this website, lots of good information and you can download a salt calculator which can be used as a rough guide to helping you calculate how much salt you need, measurement with a hydrometer or refractometer is recommended though so you can be sure what you have raised it to.

To be on the safe side you can raise the specific gravity by .002 a week this will allow the bacteria to have time to adapt to the new salinity so they shouldnt die off.
Hilly
newman
Puffer Fry
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 11:31 am
Location: derbyshire
Contact:

thanks

Post by newman »

puffer up and swimming now, guess may have been the malafix and primafix plus water change but not sure, just happy to see him swimming again, thanks everyone
User avatar
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

Post by Hilly »

When using Melafix and Pimafix it can be advisable to add additional aeration to the tank if it's not already in place. If you've already got an airstone running along side a filter or couple of filters in one tank pumping out a lot of air you shouldnt have a problem.
Hilly
User avatar
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:

Post by Pufferpunk »

Generaly, if a water change has perked up your puffer, you aren't doing enough of them.
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!"
Post Reply