The Puffer Forum

Here is the guide for removing air:
library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/

i would also dim the light a bit if you have a controller. the one pic where he is floating on the top the light is close to his eyes and he might look directly into it. This could really stress him out.
Sick fish tend to relax more in darker tanks.

Just tired the method for removing air a few time no luck.

I had a good feel of the lump it is soft. But running from the fin to the middle of the lump it is hard. Possible trapped shell??? Could that cause this?

Feeding at the surface?
library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/

I will give this another go now. It is 2:16 am here and I don’t want to stress him out much more than he already is. Hopfully it works this time.

I’m
Hoping the big fella is still with me in the morning. Just tired for half hour he’s getting really stressed.

I’m concerned with part of the lump being hard as far as I know and can tell by looking at a mbu skelington there are no bones where the lump is so if it was completely air is should be completely soft?

I tried for half hour holding him up. Rubbing massaging and pushing on his stomach and where the lump is and no air came out at all.


*edit*

The big fella is hanging on in there. He’s still on his side however hasn’t he floating at the top for a while. He’s back down the bottom or attempting to swim about. I’m still going to treat as trapped air just in case today and see how it goes if aboutone has any other idea it would be great.

Hi all,

The big lad is still hanging in there he’s a fighter I’ll give him that.

I’ve tired to treat as if trapped air I get nothing. Like said something differently hard in the lump. I got to the point I feel helpless and causing him even more stress.

He’s not improved with treatments for antibactiral or internal parasites. In fact bacterial has gotten worse some how with his fins whiting at the end (guessing is fin rot) checked water perameters again today.

0-0-10. Ph7.5. Kh at 7

I am starting to feel a bit cruel now with trying to get any air out of him.

I’ll keep you posted don’t really know what else to treat for. Bacterial isn’t making much head way even in the obvious. Parasite no effect in 24hours. Trying to remove air nothing.

Parasite no effect in 24hours

what are you using for parasites?
Acriflavin is only used for external issues on the skin like fin rot, fungus etc., checked it again. It works really slow http://www.pharmawiki.ch/wiki/index.php?wiki=Acriflavin

I would get a different medication since it is clearly inside.
Can you get praziquantel and metronidazole in the UK?

I would have treated my puffer that way if it wasn't so damn hard to get it here.

Parasites in treating with flubendazole

I have got metro in the past for treating parasites when I first had him I rememeber it being very hard to get hold of. I did call the vets that trimed his teeth today. They have an aquatic specialist hopfully they can come take a look but I’m thinking every hour is critical. I will google search and see if I can get metro locally tomorrow to dose the tank. Just causious of putting to much in it.

btw flubendazole is not water soluble if I remember correctly from class. So you have to get it "in" him somehow. Just mixing it with the tank water would be ineffective.
I would take a little syringe and flexible tubing and force feed a flubenol suspension. (what I did)

Good luck, hope he makes it.

Did you get more details about his teeth trimming, since that's when this all started?

The teeth trimming was done but an exsotic vet specialist they use ms222 I did try to get hold of them today to ask more questions but coulDnt get hold of the vet that done the works. I do know from speaking with him at the time that he used to keep Mbu Puffers personally himself which is why I went to them.

I will try to call them again tomorrow I can hopfully get more answers.

I have just notice that his anus has opened up on I’m
Unsure of what I’m looking at is normal. Never really spent much time looking at his anus from this angle anyway. See picture below.

https://ibb.co/mk44i7 I maybe clutching at straws here sorry for the lack of info but nothing much has really changed over night or today.

I'd be curious how long the fish was knocked out & whether they had it on O2 during the process?

I will try them again tomorrow and ask the questions. I’ll update with any change in his condition tomorrow morning. Thanks a lot for all the suggestions and trying to help I really appreciate it.

I would have clove oil on hand, just in case.