The Puffer Forum

Hi
I have posted this message on the dwarf puffer forum too, so apologies if you read it there as well, but I am getting a bit worried now as I have just read a similar post and the puffer didn't make it

I have had 3 dwarf puffers in an 18G tank together for about 6 weeks now and apart from a bit of territory marking in the early days all has been well, the tank was fishless cycled with ammonia, is cleaned weekly and water is ammonia 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate 10.
All three have been eating well and have had nice round tummys but since yesterday one of them hasn't been eating, He still gets excited when he see's food is coming and is enjoying the chase but he won't eat! I saw him bite a couple of brineshrimps in half and then spit them out. The other 2 are eating well ( too well as I keep trying to get the male to eat!!!) I have tried all his usuals, bloodworm frozen and live, brineshrimp frozen and live, live daphnia, small snails, a larger partly crushed snail and some tiny bits of cockle!
He still seems happy enough,his tummy isn't well rounded like the others but it isn't sunken in either and he is still playing with and chasing the other two fish but it seems odd that although he has always eaten less than the 2 ladies in the tank, he doesn't seem to want or maybe be able to eat at the moment!!
Any ideas gratefully recieved, we do so love our little guys
Thank you
Sue

Puffers can and do go off their food without apparent reason... I would give it another day or two before worrying.

It is a male puffer, then? Have you seen any courtship behaviour? Following the females, bumping up against them? Has the stripe down his belly gotten darker lately? Male dwarf puffers will go days, even a week at a time without eating once courtship begins.

I would hold off on feeding brine shrimp as they are filling but not nutritious.

They are still young but we can definately see wrinkles round his eyes so are assuming he is a male although no belly stripe as yet, so we may be completely wrong, the other 2 are much rounder generally. All three puffers sometimes play together or at other times pair up and chase the other one away. Originally the puffer who isn't eating was very aggresive but that seems to have settled now and he seems to circle one or other of the plump puffers so maybe he ( if he is a he) is practising his courtship rituals!
I will try not to worry all the time he looks healthy and happy
Thanks
Sue

Any change yet? Is he eating?

Before I had to give away my puffers I noticed that my male dwarfs stopped eating as much as the females and a week or so later they would show courtship behaviors, but for my luck no babies. The courtship seemed to last 5ish days with not much aggression by the male. But after the courtship he would eat slightly more then stop again.

Love may be in the air.....or the water. Keep us posted!
Pami.

The little monkey is eating like a horse again now lol, these fishes do like to make me worry!!
I wonder iff his mouth was sore for some reason as he was taking ithe food into his mouth but was spitting it out again, anyway panic over and he is eagerly looking for food and is chasing his wives away , I even saw him pinch a couple of worms out of thier mouths today much to their disgust lol. He is much sleaker in general than the other 2 puffs, and although we can't be sure we are assuming that the other 2 are little girls so maybe we will have the little pattering of tiny fins soon lol. Mind you what on earth we would do with any babies , heaven knows so maybe I will have to put the girls on the pill lol.
Thanks for your concern, I will wait a day or two before panicking next time!!
Sue