The Puffer Forum

90 gallon
salinity - 1.006
ammonia - 0
nitrites - 0
nitrates - 10

things in it - about 40 plastics plants
2 bumble bee gobbies
4 ghost shrmp
2 red cherry shrimp
1 gsp 1.5 inches about
tank has been cycled properly


What I have been doing

when if irst got him about 12 days ago, i fed him gel tek for ips immediately. I followed the instructions and did 2 servings a day soaked for 45 mins to 1 hour. i did this for 3 days. On the 2nd day i decided to throw in tank buddies parasite clear for parasites into the tank. I dissolved 9 of them and poured the water into it.
2 days later, i did a 70 % water change.

everything seemed fine until about 3 days ago, i noticed some stringy clear thing on the anus of the gsp that looked weird. I started the IP treatment again with geltek. i did it for 2 days so far, he stopped eating on the 2nd day, all he does is spit the blood worms back out. ( he makes the worms clear, he sucks off the red. And now he has weird markings on his body and has black spots. and a black line.

Also he has become very inactive in the last few days.

I included some pictures

Other than the little bit of dark on his side, he looks pretty good to me actually, at least from what I know. Maybe he just lost his appetite from all the treated food he was getting. You said he's not eating bloodworms anymore, will he eat something else? And how long was the clear stringy thing coming from his anus? Because if it wasn't very long, it could've been a worm he was purging.

You also mention he has become inactive. Does that mean he lies on the bottom? Or does he just "park" in a spot and hover?

it was not that long, and he just parks at random places now or on the bottom and does not move much.
He will not eat anything, it might be the remaining parasites leaving his body ? I read in the article they might lose appetite for a few days but i dont know how it works.

I had a puffer that took a while to start eating again after deworming...kind of makes sense, they go through a big change in their bodies and might need some time before things settle down internally and they feel like eating again.

Oh - and did you just do the one Parasite Clear treatment?

yes just the one treatment with the tank buddies.

No Idea what is wrong, he is still unhappy and turned darker color again and not eating. and he keeps running his head against stuff, could it be fish lice?

When you medicated his food, did you follow the directions? If by chance you over-medicated him, that could cause problems. What is the pH in the tank? What is the temperature? What other chemicals have you put in the water recently?

ph is 7.6
temp is 81
i followed the instructions.
i only added prime.

I generally recommend longer treatment - at least 3 treatments with the tank buddies in a row. I can't say for sure if it's IPs, but long strings coming from the puffer instead of dark poo generally indicates such.

He started eating again however he will only eat ghost shrimp and snails (crushed) and that is only sometimes. he will not touch blood worms or shrimp or oysters....

could he just be a real picky eater?

wngt368 wrote:could he just be a real picky eater?

Yes. Odd I know. I'm glad he is eating something! My larger gsp refused FD bloodworms after eating it for a few months. He would do without then eat them. I kept offering them along with other food. Months later he started eating bloodworms again.

Are you putting the shrimp through QT and gut loading them? That would be the best way to go.

i got the new ones from a friend so they are safe.

he ate 4 small ramshorn snails today and 3 pieces of small blood worms. I think i should starve him for a day and try to re introduce frozen blood worms to him again.

his color and everything seems really bright and nice but he is still a little in active, maybe that is just the way he is?