The Puffer Forum

I really hope that your Abei makes a full recovery and is doing better today!

Good news is he's still with us , bad news is he doesn't seem to be getting much better . He did a massive poo this morning and seemed fairly perky for a bit as well, swimming around reasonably normally although a bit clumsier than he would if he was healthy. He still looks huge though, very bloated.

Did another 90% change this evening. Probably going to go for 2 smaller changes a day from now 50% am and 50% pm and see if that makes much difference.

What did his poo look like?

Completely normal, orangey sort of colour

Could he be constipated? You said he took a huge poo, maybe he still has a lot more he needs to expel? You could try some Epsom salt, I beleive it's one tablespoon per 5 gallons. I don't believe it will have a negative effect on him even if it turns out he is not constipated, but don't hold me to that.

I'm not sure what's going on, he's normal size this morning and looks fine (not seen him swim yet) can't find anything in the tank

Still wouldn't hurt to treat with Epsom salt--1 tbsp/10g for now.

Where can I get epsom salt from? (it's not the same as aquarium salt is it?)

On a closer look he's still looking a little fatter than normal

Any drug store should have it.

It's different from aquarium salt. Humans use it for constipation, sore muscles, and infections. Be sure not to get the kind for bathing that's scented, colored, etc. - get the kind that's for medicinal purposes.

I wouldn't think "orange" poo would be normal .... brown would be a good colour for a healthy puffer.

My rescue bettas, even the ones in good health, all have orange poo. I think that the color varies according to diet. I've heard of a puffer on here having red poo after bloodworms.

Oh, I've ever only seen white poo and pink poo, which I think are both signs of illness .... I thought brown was the colour of health. But once again, I learn something different.

Orange is definitely his normal colour, but as mentioned it does depend a bit what he's been eating (raw prawns tend to give it an orange colour).

Good news to report, he's back to normal and very active again - a bit pissed at me for changing the tank water again this evening but he's definitely back to normal

I think he's hungry but gonna hold off feeding him until the morning.

Gonna get some epsom salt at the weekend & add some liquid tests to replace the strips so I can get more accurate readings in the future.

Good to hear your efforts did not go to waste!

Hopefully Abei stays healthy!