The Puffer Forum

Is that Epsom salt they gave you? How much are you adding? For constipation, it's suggested to add 1 tbsp Epsom salt/10g the 1st day & the same amount again the 2nd day.

Pufferpunk wrote:Is that Epsom salt they gave you? How much are you adding? For constipation, it's suggested to add 1 tbsp Epsom salt/10g the 1st day & the same amount again the 2nd day.

Hi Pufferpunk, No it was a salt called aqualibrium at a dose of 1tbs per gallon

That sounds very salty for a FW fish! What's in there? I'd ditch that salt & use Epsom at the dosage I recommended.

Aqualibrium
A physiological salt for the aquarium with a built in pH buffer. It can be used in several ways including a preventative treatment against disease, to support fish disease treatments and to prevent nitrite poisoning.

I honestly don't think that is helping much, just looks like another product the LFS is trying to sell. I would do as Pufferpunk say's and add the Epsom salt which does work for constipation. Although I don't know if this is constipation???? Good Luck

Ingredients?

Pufferpunk wrote:Ingredients?

I don't know the ingredients of it but it is make by Interpet.

P.S. Found this..... It's made from 100% plant extracts that apparently activates microbes in the water to produce a balanced reaction of carbon and hydrogen ions to infuse the water with oxygen.

I don't trust anything that won't put ingredients on their bottle.

Well todays update is:

Came down this morning and he had moved to the other side of the tank over night, he breathing was low but steady, i turned his light on and about 5 mins later I had a flurry of swimming activity still spirialling around then slumps to the bottom again all hunched over.

I tried tempting him with some cockle to atleast get him motivated, but nothing.

Well ive been non stop with him this morning, trying to tempt some life out of him and yay I managed to hand feed him some Shell less peas they were frozen but I microwaved them abit, he eat 2 and literally minute after he was swimming around the tank still in his spiraling way but he was trying so hard to right him self (swim normally).

One thing I did notice while ive been with him is his eyes have a grey glaze over them, i dont know whether this is where hes been rubbing the sand or its a bad sign.

Ive tried the burping technic, nothing Ive tried massaging his belly somemore and that hasnt seemed to have helped.

But the peas seemed to have done something for his motivation he only eat 2 but thats the most Ive seen him eat in about 2 days now.

Anymore suggestions to what may help/what it could be?????????????

Is he breathing out of both gills. Do you see any Ick or whitespot. I really think that the main cause though is an Uncycled Tank. Are there any lumps in his belly. Also to I think but dont hold me to my word on this but if he stops eating completly and his belly doesnt get sunken at all i think its a sign of worm or some other IP. what are your parimeters today All of them?

SammyDee wrote:Is he breathing out of both gills. Do you see any Ick or whitespot. I really think that the main cause though is an Uncycled Tank. Are there any lumps in his belly. Also to I think but dont hold me to my word on this but if he stops eating completly and his belly doesnt get sunken at all i think its a sign of worm or some other IP. what are your parimeters today All of them?

Hi His tank parameters are all exactly the same as yesterday (start of post) although temp is upto 27oC, which I turned up to try and aid digestion.
No external signs of anything except he know has a grey glaze over his eyes, maybe bad or where hes been rubbing the sand.
Uncycled Tank??? A year later can that happen??
He's breathing out of both gills and all his fins work when he tries to swim, he just cant hold his balance.
Not sure on his belly as this has all come about since yesterday and he's passed poop once but very small.
He is in a kind of backward C position right this minute, he did sit on the bottom a while ago upright as he should be, but all of a sudden he started floating upwards tail first as if something was dragging him backwards upwards if that make any sense.
Other than the Peas he hasnt eaten anything, Ill keep feeding him by hand if I have to but would prefer he did it on his own steam.

Puffdaddyuk wrote:Uncycled Tank??? A year later can that happen??
.

To answer your question yes this can happen. Your tank can crash. How long ago was your MBU added? Puffers add a big bio load which sometimes your tank can not support, causing them to crash. Hope he/she is feeling better soon, good luck.

Yes, your tank can crash at any point, especially if you add something.. food, chemical, new fish, etc.

I would leave him alone, you're only stressing him out more. Stress reduces the immune system, lowered immune systems can't heal or fight off infection.

Puffers, especially the larger ones, can go weeks without eating. Let him stay quiet for now, worry about keeping the water clean.

Those salts sound like regular "aquarium salt", not going to help much of anything.

Yes, that is what I wanted to say is it sound like aquarium salt which is not helping anything at all. Even though the dummys at any LFS will say to use this. When you bought him he was healthy looking Im guessing why not trying to test the water parimeters at the store you bought him. You never know they may have had him in BW and some idiot thought to tell you its FW and now hes stressed cause of the change in SG/ PH etc. GO BACK TO WHERE YOU GOT HIM AND FIND OUT THE PARIMETERS OF THE TANK YOU GOT HIM FROM ASAP I BET THIS IS YOU PROB. I have seen it happen before a BW fish going back to FW without being slowly acclimated and he did similar things like curled up. Couldnt swim straight and spiraling out of control till he found the filter intake and got stuck. It was very sad. But still you need to match the stores parimeters before raising your SG and it should be alot less stressful for him. FInd that all out try to fix it and if he still doesnt get better well im very sorry it make be something bigger like an IP and you may lose him Im very sorry good luck keep updating. GET LFS PUFFER TANK WATER PARIMETERS FIRST BEFORE ADDING CHEMICALS ITS THE LEAST YOU CAN DO WHILE WAITING THIS OUT. IF YOU CANT GET THERE CALL tHEM FOR THE TEST RESULTS. p.s. whenever getting anything from a LFS or petstore I ask at least two ppl something specific about care or anything but the same question if I get two totally different answers you know they dont know jack and are just ppl ther for a check.

I seriously doubt a LFS would be keeping a mbu puffer is such a high SG as to shock the fish by putting it in FW. Heck--99% of LFS keep their F8s & GSPs in FW.

I still have to wonder if you used the test kit properly, why you show no nitrate.