The Puffer Forum

Filbert, my solandri toby, still isn't really eating that much but I've seen him take a few nibbles of food. He doesn't look that thin at all, not fat but not thin. I've had him for 12 days? Something around that.

The problem is, today I turned on the lights like normal and he was sleeping vertically on a rock (which he always does) He seems to puff up a tiny bit and then stick himself to a rock at night. Well he woke up and swam around a bit but then an hour or so later I saw him back in his spot "sleeping" even though the lights were on. He stayed like that most of the day. At feeding time I tried to give him some shrimp soaked in garlic and vitamins, he wouldn't eat but he did move from his sleeping spot, probably because I scared him with the shrimp.

Tonight was the night to do the water change and I wanted to make sure I did it because maybe his odd behavior was due to the water.

I did the water change and afterwards he was hiding under a rock laying there. He has now been laying under this rock for around 3 hours, it looks like he is breathing somewhat heavy but I don't really know what is considered heavy breathing. After just looking at him now he is going into his molted sleeping colors as well.

all other fish in the tank look fine and are acting their normally

I tested the nitrates earlier, they were under 15. I'm going to test the others after I post this, just to make sure... sg is around 1.024ish (I got a new hydrometer the other day and found out the old one wasn't very accurate at all... next thing on my list is a refractometer but that won't happen until I get some money)

55 gallon tank - coral beauty, yellowwatchman, royal gramma, false perc, blue damsel, some snails and some hermits and a peppermint shrimp.

The only change I've made is that I got some vitamins off of dr f&s so I soaked their food in it, which the other fish have been eating and acting fine so I wouldn't think its that. And I did the water change to day but he was acting weird before that.

If he is still acting odd tomorrow I will go out and buy a 10 gallon tank. I really didn't want to stress him from catching him and putting him in a smaller tank but maybe this will be better?

He had been acting somewhat normal, swimming around and such a few days ago, he didn't seem as scared as he first did when I put him in the tank and now he is worse than before!!!

Any ideas on what is wrong with him? It could be lack of food, he hasn't eaten very much. Will putting him another tank help?

Lack of eating can be a warning sign of internal parasites. You may want to try force feeding. Was he in quarantine before you got him?

He was just in one of the tanks at the LFS with a few other fish. He didn't swim around much when he was there either. I don't know if they QT their new fish or not... I don't think they do though.

So should I put him in QT and treat him for internal parasites? I figured his belly would look very sunken if that was it.

Well if he is showing no outside symptoms (ie: ich, velvet, cloudy eyes..etc) it shouldn't be anything bacterial. Would you be able to force feed him?

How would I even go about force feeding him? I would probably have to move him to another tank to force feed him, the 55 is too high up for me to really get in there.

I know PP has done it before. I haven't personally. Damn! Is he still laying on the gravel?

I just checked, he moved, he is now sleeping upside down on a rock, and he does seem to be breathing heavy, I took a pic, he is in his sleeping colors but all the light are on...



at least, thats what I've guessed as his sleeping colors since thats how he looks like at night when the lights are off

Puffers are moody fish. My bluespot layed on his side for a week--I had to poke him to see if he was even alive. Then one day he just started acting normal again. Another story: My Valentini went missing for a very long time (about 2 weeks). I looked everywhere for him, especially on the floor. Eventually I caught him sneaking out from behind the rocks at night & fed him then. Did that for about a month, then started he showing himself a little more every day & then finally started coming out normally during the day. If he doesn't look skinny, I wouldn't worry much. They are strange creatures...

"How long since he stopped eating? Is he skinny? Have you tried live foods?" - from pufferpunk's pm

I've had him for about 12 days. He didn't eat when I first got him and a few days ago he finally nibbled at some mussel. The past three days he has been ignoring all foods though.

He doesn't look skinny, he is somehow keeping on weight.

I put in some ghostshrimp, I haven't seen them but its very hard to see them anyways. Someone else in the tank might have eaten them too, I caught my watchman goby with a peppermint shrimp in his mouth the other day (I didn't know watchman gobys even ate shrimp...)

He does seem to be breathing heavy though... maybe he is just acting like a weirdo?

I don't think he hunts at night, when I turn off the lights he immediately goes to his spot on the rocks and sleeps and in the morning when I turn them on he is still asleep there on the rocks.

His breathing is definitely rapid breathing... he is almost shaking...

I'm sorry if this has been answered before but who are his tank mates?

coral beauty, yellow watchman goby, royal gramma, blue damsel, false percula and some hermits, snails and a peppermint shrimp (the goby at one of them, I saw the legs sticking out of his mouth) 55 gallon tank

My bf saw the damsel whack filbert with his tail a few minutes ago while walking past the tank, He said filbert didn't react.

rapid breathing due to stress?

oh and a midas blenny

So nothing poisonous, like a lionfish... Any poisonous corals?

Damsels are notorious for being bullies.