The Puffer Forum

It's probably a long shot but see if you can get him to eat cooked peas. Just squeeze the inside of the pea out and feed that part. It helps get things moving.

Well, I put the epsom salts in about 5 hours ago & have been on poop watch ever since! I am pleased to announce the arrival of a tiny poop! (really very small - about 3mm - but a poop non the less). I hope that by the morning, there may be some more...

No more poop over night I'm afraid . He seems ok when he is swimming around, but when he was sitting on the bottom, I saw him curl his tail around & roll over onto his side, then onto his back - he stayed like that for about 5 minutes, then uprighted himself & swam off. I am very worried about him, but I don't think there is anything I can do - just watch & wait.

Sorry to hear. Did you try the peas?

It can take a while for it to work. Make sure you have extra oxygen moving in the tank and also try feeding high veg content for a day or two.

Just got home from work & he was sitting on the bottom as normal. But, half of his head is black - I mean, from the top of his head, down the centre of his face/nose & then backwards about 1cm. It looks like he is wearing an eye-patch (his eye is fine). When he saw me, he came straight to the front of the tank, begging for food. Going to try some veg/peas tonight, although his shape is possibly improved. The rest of his colour is brilliant - perfect white tummy & bright, yellow green body. He looks really healthy from one side, then he turns around & whooa!! Don't know what the black patch is all about - anyone?

Sorry, never heard of anything like that. Any way you can post a pic?

Don't worry about the epsom salt, it's fine to add to your water. We add it regularly as fertilizer and to treat other problems as necessary. It seems to help our female discus expel her eggs.

Many puffers love peas so definitely give them a try. Ours eat them readily

No improvement I'm afraid . Spending most of his time sat on the bottom. Occasional episodes where he rolls onto his back & just stays that way for a while. Despite his keenness to eat (not peas sadly!), I feel it will only be a matter of time before I find him dead, or I have to make the decision to euth him. Just wish I knew what it was!

As for pics - sadly my computer does not want to let TPF have the pics for some reason! I have them on my Facebook page if anyone is on my friend list & wants a look.

Just the fed them both. He is keen to eat & taking food into his mouth & you can see him "munching" on it, but then he just spits it out. Have tried various different things - half wondering if I need to have a look in his mouth somehow.

Well, I am going to bed this evening with a heavy heart - I really don't think he will be alive in the morning. He has wedged himself under the internal filter - this is the first time he has tried to hide away. His general colour still looks great, but he still has the black patch over his right eye - I hoped that if he were really poorly, that his colour would have deteriorated. I don't think there is anything more that I can do. I feel hopeless & helpless.

I know how you feel, it's a horrible position to be in. I wish I could help.

So sorry to hear this.

I know it's not really very similar, but my bichir did something like this several months ago and I too was sure he was going to die. He didn't eat for about a week and a half, acted like he wanted to, but would just mostly sit on the bottom looking half alive. One day, I finally saw poop and a small piece of gravel, and part of a exoskeleton. He has been fine since, but I was so sure he was dying. Perhaps he just needs time to pass whatever is clogging his tract.

Have you tried treating him for IPs?

RIP Luigi. xx