My Fahaka miracle!

[ScallyWag]

Hi fellas, I've been lurking around the puffer forum for a week or so and i've just registered myself cause i wanna share my crazy roller coaster ride my fahaka gave me.

I've had GSPs and F8s for a few years now and recently got myself a Fahaka puffer from a local LFS. When i first got it, it was about 3", it looked so frail and the puffer was almost fully grey. It settled in perfectly in a day or two and have grown already! It is now 4" in like what 5-6 days? i coudln't ask for more It is really an amazing puffer. Its behaviour, grace and power is amazing. I named him 'emo', i'll explain if anyone wants to know. He has adapted well, swimming and exploring various crevases of the tank and eating almost everything i fed him.

Well yesterday, i made sure i fed emo and then left for work. After work while i was fetching my girlfriend home. My brother called me from home at 10pm. He told me he had found emo lying on the floor motionless and in what apparently looks dead. I was in a state of shock, how could that have hapepned! I've intentionally kept my tank water level 4 inches below the top and it couldnt never have strucked me that my new Fahaka had jumped that high out of the tank! How ignorant of me! argh! Anyway, back to the story. My brother then told me he had placed the fish back in the water but its still motionless, basically he's telling me the fish is dead and asks if he needs me to dump it. I was hurrying home by then, kinda coudln't take the fact that that just happened.

When i got home, 15 minutes later. To my amazement, emo was swimming around the tank! Oh my god! i was so relieved and happy that is still alive! He might have been lying on the ground for as long as 8 hours! Its truly a puffer miracle. I'm so glad that i could share this.

Anyway, i wanna add that, my puffer seems a little unlike his usual self. His seems to swim a little awkward and is now resting on some rocks. Its just a little difference i've noticed but i'm worrying a lot here because i'm scared that he might be hurt during the fall or perhaps his internal organs might have been damage by the dehydration while he was out of his tank. Any information or similar experience anyone might have?

I'm really relieved right now, i'm gonna watch and take extra care of emo to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I'm from Singapore by the way and sorry for the long post, thanks for reading my long story anyway. Thank god for saving emo!

Best regards,
Magnum

[manutius]

Wow that is pretty amazing, i have read that they can last a long time out of water. if you can get hold of a product called Melafix this should help with the possible infection he may get from scratches or his skin drying out and cracking. If you have an air pump or can ripple the water surface more using the outflow of the filter this will increas the oxuygen in the water and may help him a bit.

Congratulatiuons but keep an eye on emo and let us know how it turns out

[Nick]

Many fish don't die of lack of oxygen out of water, there's plenty of that, they die when they dry out, often of skin damage rather than gill damage, as the slits tend to keep the gills moist. I would guess his lack of much swimming is due to pain in his skin, the human equivalent is a really bad sunburn on every inch of your body.

[OraLacerta]

Amazing story, keep us updated. Definitely treat him with Melafix as Manutius stated above because he's going to be peeling and could be prone to infections as he recovers.

And by the way, Welcome to the Puffer Forum!

[ScallyWag]

Thanks for the advice. Emo's doing well now. He looks perfectly healthy and his appetite has gotten better! I'm really delighted at how things have turned out for emo and myself in just one day.

Well thanks again for the advice and concern! Will post up a picture of him soon!

-Magnum