The Puffer Forum

Hello, i'm new to the forum. I have a fahaka puffer. he's currently living in a 20 gallon tank, by himself. hes only about 3 in or so. we've had him several months now. we were told to feed him every other day. he eats frozen silver sides and frozen krill. he likes the kril best. he is always happy to eat. recently, his behaivor has changed a little. i dont know that he's necessarily sick, but i worry something may be amiss. we get attached to our fish and i want him to grow and have a happy long life.
the water seems fine, i tested it with my test kit. he is freshwater. his tank does need a water change. he has the pretty white sand at the bottom instead of the standard rocks. some fake plants and a stump that he likes to sleep in.
this last week or so, he is still happy to eat, but he eats more slowly. tipically he eats very quickly. up until recently, when i fed him he would get a little tummy and it would stay for a day or two. now his tummy bulge is gone by the next day. do i need to feed him more? he almost looks too skinny when his fat tummy goes away. he also seems to eat a bit slower than normal. and it seems his eating may be more difficult than normal. i'm new to puffers, so this is all my best guess here. maybe his teeth are getting too big? i havent given him a snail in a while. any info you might have will be helpfull. i just want him to live and be happy.
i tried to take some pics for you. he moves around just enough to make the pic a little unclear, but maybe it will help anyway.

He is definitely emaciated. This is likely caused by IPs (Internal Parasites). You're going to need to act fast on this. He's still eating, so treating him will be a LOT easier. You need to get some IP medication (PraziPro or Jungle Tabs Parasite Clear) immediately and begin treating him. DO NOT treat with less than the dosage suggested on the box. Under dosing causes the parasites to become immune. Also, it's better to soak his food in the medication than it is to dose the whole tank. Dosing the tank is only recommended when the puffer will no longer eat.

If you can't find those products, look for medication that the main/only ingredient is Flubendazole, Metrodiazole, Levamisole Hydrochloride, Fenbendazole, or Praziquantel.

So head to the store, grab some medication, and follow the instructions. Don't hesitate to post questions on how to use the product, as we're always eager to help!

Now, in terms of food, you can't use Krill as a staple food. Krill has been linked with Lock-jaw in puffers (due to a deficiency in a nutritional element that a Krill-based diet does not provide), which ultimately causes the puffer's demise. This isn't to say they aren't allowed to eat Krill, but Krill should be considered a treat, not a staple. I'd look into the frozen packs of mixed seafood (the raw and unseasoned stuff). Grocery stores usually have them, they aren't too expensive, and your puffer will love it! Also, I'd stop feeding silversides if you can. It's not healthy to feed puffers other fish, as crustaceans are their main natural diet, and fish are only eaten when there's no other source of food. If your puffer doesn't want to try new foods, you can always pick up some garlic, crush up a clove and let it soak with the food. Puffers go crazy for garlic.

There's also an article in our Library (Hospital section) about how to treat Internal Parasites. Give that a read!

Thank you very much for your reply!! I am still at work, but will stop off on my way home to petsmart and look for the meds. And then to the grocery story for better food. I really appreciate your help with this!!
After reading the library article, it sounds like a one time treatment, is that right? Then the next day do a water change with the gravel vac. ? and he sould look better in a day or two ?
How about his feeding schedule, is one time a day every other day still ok for him? And his teeth, how often should i find him a tiny snail or something? i heard that puffers teeth can become a problem if not kept trimmed.
thanks again!

I believe you're supposed to treat him for three days in a row, or something along those lines. Each treatment is a bit different, though, which is why you should give the directions a good read. After the first batch of IPs are expelled, though, he should start to feel (and look) a lot better. After you pick up a medicine and give him a dose, post on here with what you purchased and such.

Since he's so emaciated right now, I'd feed him a few times a day (if you can) every day until he starts to fatten up. You don't need to feed him until he's got a huge stomach, just give him enough until his tummy is slightly rounded, and do this 2-3 times each day until he starts feeling better. I'm sure you've seen what he looks like with a stomach stuffed full of food, so just feed him less than that and ease him into plumpness.

After he starts to look a lot healthier, you should feed him once a day until he has a slightly rounded belly. Try to avoid feeding him too much (it's hard, I know, since they love food so damn much!). A good way to gauge it is that, by the next feeding, him stomach should be flush with the rest of his body (and his body should be almost the width/thickness of the head).

The more snails you can get him, the better. However, your Fahaka is going to get really big, really fast, so you can start to look into things like crab claws, muscles, cockles, and clam. They don't necessarily need to ingest the shell, they just need to chew at it (scrape the meat off of it).

And on a final note, you're going to need to get a 100 - 120 gallon tank very very soon. Look around Kijiji and local fish clubs for used tanks (we can get a 100 - 125 gallon used with all of the equipment for $500 - $700 CAN here). Fahakas grow very quickly at a rate of about 1 inch per month until they reach about 9-10 inches, and then their growth slows down a bit. Keeping him in a 20 gallon is going to stunt his growth and effectively end his life prematurely.

Keep us informed with how the treatment goes!

And start doing water changes. Do a 25% today & another one tomorrow & then 50% the next day. Then do 50% 2x/week, until you upgrade to a larger tank.

Hi, just being curious... is that Cyanobacteria growing at the back of the tank (the Green Blob)?
If it is, its indicative of the water parameters... just a thought...

Hope your little one gets well soon.

Cheers!
Jason

ok, went to petsmart and got Jungle Parasite Clear Tank Buddies. Its the only one they had. It says it clears external and internal parasites. Directions says "one tablet to each ten gal. Treament may be repeated up to two times with 48hrs between treatments and a 25% water change. For anchor worms and fish lice, repeat treatment three times, using once a week with a 25% water change."
do i disolve one or two tablets then with his food? two for a 20 gal tank? should i do a 25% water change before or after i feed him the medicine food?
If i need a 2nd treatment, how will i know? he will still look sick?
what are anchor worms and fish lice? do i need to worry about that part of the directions?

the algea stuff, the green blob, is from the tank being near a window i think. this tank has always had a lot of aglea. Its hard to keep clean. we've had other fish in that tank prior to getting the puffer.

i anticipate being able to get a new tank in about 3 weeks time. whats the best way to set up the new tank and transfer him over?

I've honestly never used the jungle labs stuff. You can dissolve 1 tablet into his dish of food and feed him. If he doesn't eat the food (meds might taste terrible), proceed with dosing the tank as per the directions. I'd repeat the treatment (either the feeding or the tank dosing) for a total of 3 treatments (which it recommends) at the intervals it recommends since his case seems to be pretty severe. Ignore directions for anchor worms and fish lice.

Do a water change before giving him the medicine.

If you have cycled filters on your 20 gallon, your best bet would be to set up the new tank with all the gravel and such that you want, then move your puffer and the filters from the 20 gallon to the new tank at the same time (while running the new filters for your larger tank at the same time, of course). Just make sure not to rinse the filters out with tap water or anything so that the bacteria is still alive to do its job.

You can add garlic to the food while it's soaking in the med, to enhance flavor.

I usually treat the tank and the food at the same time, this med seems to absorb pretty well though the gills(metrodazole and praziquantel are pretty soluble), just in case parasites in the tank water are a recontamination risk, as they can be with some types of IP.

i think the next big concern is a giant fish being in a 20g tank. if you have had him for a few months and he hasn't grown to 5" or so then you deffinately need to get him into a larger tank. My 3" fahaka grew to 5" in about 5 weeks and he is gettin closer to 7" now. you need to get him a 55g fast or get his eventual full size tank of 120gal so he can start growing the way he should.

I concur. He said he'll be getting a larger tank (which is hopefully 75 gallons or more) in 3 weeks. Although it'd be ideal to get it sooner, you can only do one thing at a time.

thanks for all your help guys. i gave him the food soaked in the meds with a bit of garlic and he was happy to gobble it down. i couldnt find any frozen mixed seafood to feed him. i used a little krill piece just for the purpose of his meds. my mom went to the store and picked up two live clams and 2 raw shrimp while i was at work. they are now in the freezer. whats the best way to feed him these? hes still about 3 at most 4 in. big.

you guys think i should add another tablet to his tank? or wait for the next treatment to do anything else, med wise?

thanks

What all have you given him so far for meds? If you haven't dosed the tank, I would do so (as Nick suggested). Best to make sure *all* of the parasites are dead.

The best way to feed clams is to remove them from the freezer, thaw them in water from the tank (in a separate dish, of course), then open them up and remove a bunch of the meat (leave enough so that he won't explode if he eats it all), toss the clam shell with some meat still on it into the tank for him to attack, and then you can just feed him the remaining meat later (or cook it up yourself). I find my seafood only lasts an extra day in the fridge (submerged in water) before the puffers don't want it anymore.