The Puffer Forum

Hi,
We have a 29 gal tank, 2 F8 puffers... both very healthy/ eating... I noticed one reddish mark on one F8 yesterday during the day...but never had seen any agression with them, so didn't think it was a bite or anything. THey seem to get along SO well with eachother. I did my weekly water change yesterday, (50%), ammonia-0, nitrite-0, nitrate-5, pH 8.2, sal-1.006, temp-82. I woke up this morning, one puffer is fine/ swimming around happily, and the other puffer with the red mark yesterday is FULLY INFLATED. He is now kind of towards the middle/bottom of the tank, vertical (head up to surface of water), stuck in between some plants and a cave.

WHAT DO I DO??? SHould I try to 'burp' him like the article in the libarary recommends, or can he deflate on his own??? PLEASE HELP!!!

Update: we helped him deflate using the 'burping' method..both wearing gloves, my fiance and I held him upright and gently pressed on his belly until he started to dispel air...then we left him alone and he deflated all on his own. His belly still looks weird and 'grooved', but he is swimming around normally and even playing in the bubble wall!!

I can't see the cause of him inflating being aggression from the other F8?? I have NEVER seen any signs of aggression towards the 2 F8s..they eat together, sleep together, and right now, are swimming side by side. Is it possible that when the lights go off at night, one bullies the other?? Wouldn't I see some sign of it when I was observing them?

The other thing is that his anus was extremely enlarged yesterday. I was going to wait till today and observe it, and then treat for constipation w/ epsom salt. it is still very large, so I just added 1 tbsp/5 gal epsom salt... is there ANY possibility this would have caused him to puff? Also, anything else I need to do now to help him along with his deflation?? I was SO SCARED when he puffed...I can't believe he is actually swimming around right now!!!!! ANy ideas would be helpful...thanks!

The red marking, could it be a heater burn? Maybe he got burned, got startled, started inflating close to the top of the aquarium, therefor inhaled air in the process. I think when they inhale air they can't expulse it by their own. You burping it would have gotten rid of the air and then he must have been able to expulse the water by his own. I'm not an axpert but I don't think constipation makes them puff! Although constipation can cause bloating, but in your case it rather looked like he really puffed, burping would not help bloating.

Yeah, he DEFINITELY wasn't just bloated...he was inflated at least to 2-3 times his size!! He's swimming around now, like nothing ever happened. Except for the fact that his belly is still a litle wrinkled (like he stayed in a bath way too long!) I just can't see him inflating as a 'defensive' mechanism b/c I have seen NO signs of aggression towards the 2 F8s. They are swimming side by side right now... plus, if eiither of them was the 'dominant' one (always going at food first, then the other would follow), it would be the one that puffed.

There was someone a while back who's puffer puffed up really big and then passed some feces and deflated again.. like they were using the extra pressure.

Honestly though, we never really know why these guys puff half the time. Sometimes they get startled, sometimes they are just practicing, sometimes its defensive, sometimes they are just trying to get our attention.

Puffing with air makes me think something made him jump up out of the water an puff at the same time.. Which could be him trying to get away from something in the tank, or something outside the tank could have startled him too. Lights flashing on and off, doors opening suddenly, alarm clock going off or a TV being turned on..?

As per my PM: add Melafix for help in healing.

Thanks guys...
I will see if the epsom salt helps with what I think is constipation (his anus has been enlarged for a 2nd day now)... Since it's a 29 gallon, I added 6 tbsp.

I don't think it was agression, since they do get along so well. I really can't wrap my brain around what caused him to puff up... Since when we went to bed at midnight, they both were fine, lights were off...and when I woke up at 7am, he was puffed up, and the other puffer was swimming normally.

It was such a frightening sight!! But thanks to all the info I got on here, we were able to get him to deflate...it was really incredible to see. Really great info in the article on how to get them to deflate!!

Any ideas of if I have to re-dose w/ epsom salt if his anus remains enlarged?? I did see him pass a tiny poop about an hour ago...but his anus is still enlarged...

Thanks again for all of your help. (I hope his belly goes back to normal relatively soon too...it looks so strange to be all wrinkled up!)

Usually bites from other puffers will look like a small black ring. So maybe it wasn't aggression.

So when we got home from dinner tonight, the other F8 we had in the tank along w/ the puffer who puffed up this morning started acting ill, losing gravity....He was PERFECTLY healthy last night, eating fine... He had no control over his swimming, and passed away a little while ago. It was awful

We both noticed that the F8 that puffed still had some spikes out even after he deflated...is it possible that the other puffer was 'poisoned' by him?? We cannot figure it out. THe puffer that puffed is doing fine, he only ate a teeny bit of shrimp tonight, but swimming fine, and his tummy is still wrinkled...

I did another water change tonight when we got home since the F8 who just died was acting ill...but I tested water before I did this change at all was great: 0 NH3, 0 nitrite, 5 nitrate, ph 8.2, temp 82, salinity 1.006.

Any ideas?? Maybe the puffer did 'puff' b/c they were aggresive overnight w/ eachother while we were sleeping last night...which would explain why when we woke up at 7am, the one F8 was puffed.

So now we're down to one F8...very sad. But hoping to nurse him back to health...hoping he recovers from puffing up this AM.

ANy ideas on this...I just cannot figure out the strange, SO QUICK demise of the other F8 in the tank. COMPLETELY healthy last night... it's so sad. Any input/ advice would be helpful...And, any ideas on the side effects of puffing up?? Will his tummy ever go back to normal??

So sorry for your loss

The puffers spikes don't contain the poison. Unless the other puffer took a chunk out of the puffer, I doubt it was poisoning.

How is your puffer doing?

Just got up at 4am to check on him He is doing okay.... a little skittish, but swimming normally...his belly is still a little wrinkly from puffing, but other than that, shows no signs of stress. His color is good. I am going to head to the gym and when I get home before work I'm going to offer him some food...he hasn't eaten since Saturday night (he puffed at some point early Sunday AM)...last night he didn't eat....so hopefully he'll take some food. I just want him to pull through!!!!!!!!!

p.s. I also tested the water (just to be safe)...all was fine this AM: ph 8.0-8.2, ammonia-0, nitrite-0, nitrate-~5, salinity- 1.006, temp- 82.

Really hoping he can recover from puffing...and whatever caused the other puffer to go off and die in less than 12 hours like that doesn't have any effect on him...Can't figure out what is going on!!!!!!!!!!!

You might want to soak some food in garlic to entice him to eat.

Hope he's doing better.

The puffer that died, did it have any lacerations or bite marks on it? They'd be harder to spot (as the skin goes quite pale), but maybe there was aggression you never noticed?

Also, was there anything sprayed in the air around your tank? Some ideas would be the tank being near a kitchen (especially if you're frying), hair sprays, bug sprays, raid spray, perfume, or window cleaner. Sprays have resulted in many fish deaths, unfortunately.

Is it maybe something they ate? Do they eat snails on a regular basis? I've heard of a few puffers cutting themselves (or something) on the snail shells, which ended in a premature death while the puffer was healthy.

Definitely sorry to hear about your loss, though. Hopefully the other one pulls through.

Sorry to hear about your puffer.

One reason I saw my short lived puffer inflate was choking. I was feeding him a rosie (I know, I know, don't need to tell me) and he swallowed it sideways, he kind of made a hiccup motion a couple times, then every time he did it he inflated a little. soon he was fully inflated and the rosie went down his throat, then he deflated himself.

So maybe he found a snail and choked on it? Just my only experience with puffing.