The Puffer Forum

Sorry you lost Filbert. It's crazy how fast you fall in love with these little guys.

Sorry man... I know how it feels to lose a prized puffer

I'm so sorry for your loss Spock .

Sorry about your loss.
Have you considered taking the body to the vet to find out what happened?

Thanks everyone

I'm sure none of the local vets would have but I did think about doing it myself. I have a pretty good stomach when it comes to such things being raised on a farm. Somehow I couldn't bring myself to do it. When I was a kid I saw most of my sheep either get sent away to auction or my grandparents kill them themselves and cut them up for meat but I couldn't bring myself to check out Filbert. I guess that shows how much my fishes mean to me, and I don't think of them as food!

I was just going to post that you should cut him open & look around. I had a suvattii that dies for seemingly no reason after having him for 6 weeks. After I cut him open, I saw a yellow hard-as-rock liver & even with my limited medical knowladge, I knew he died of liver disease.

Pufferpunk wrote:I was just going to post that you should cut him open & look around. I had a suvattii that dies for seemingly no reason after having him for 6 weeks. After I cut him open, I saw a yellow hard-as-rock liver & even with my limited medical knowladge, I knew he died of liver disease.

I wish I could have done it, it would have been way too difficult for me. Maybe if had a strong drink before hand, lol...

awww im sorry spock i couldnt cut open my puffer either though....maybe my guppies but not dumpsters

aww he was a cute little guy. *hugs*

Sorry for your loss.

My first "guess" with the rapid respirations and rapid progression would be parasitic infection/infestation of the gills - possibly velvet.

Was this puffer quarantined?

No he wasn't QTed. Yes, I know I should have and yes I bought a qt tank for future uses.

I think it could have been parasitic as well. He seemed to want to eat, looking at the food but he just wouldn't try it. And even though he didn't really eat his stomach stayed pretty big and round, I figured after awhile it wouldn't have stayed so round since he hadn't really eaten much for over a week.

After you mentioned the rounded tummy on a fish that barely ate & then died, I wass hoping you'd cut it open to see if there were worms in there.

I know, I wish I did but I couldn't! I suggested it to my boyfriend too and he thought I was CRAZY