The Puffer Forum

Hi guys

just picked up this guy.....

i think he is a bit too thin for a dog face.. so got a bit of work on that


but im worried about his teeth.. is it time to practice puffer dentistry.. or will I get away by giving him hard shelled foods for now

I mean he is still eating....


what do you guys recommend???

The belly is quite sunken in. Are there any other signs of IPs?

ETA: Gonna look gorgeous once it's in full health.

no idea.. ?!?!!?

but better treat him for ips anyways....

yeh need to fatten this boy up!!! .. thats for sure!


the guy I got it off has had him for 3 months.. he was feeding him krill at one stage and a thumbnail size prawn everyday???

definitely need to be increased.....

Awww good luck with the cutie. I think if I were in your shoes I'd skip treating it with IP meds and just focus on feeding him lots of crunch, meaty seafood soaked in vitamins right now. Good luck with this little guy, he's so adorable!

somewhat off topic, but are IPs contageous? i recently got a DP that appears to be thinner than she should be, and she doesnt eat very well... i sort of suspect something is going on, but i got her less than a week ago, so im not sure if she is just small and the petstores DP tank was over crowded maybe she just didnt get a chance to eat cause she was so small... mabye shes just settleing in? i need to know if they are contageous... it may be of some use to the topic starter since they have other inhabitants in their tank as well

They are most definitely 'contagious'. If they weren't then fish would never get them

recombinantrider wrote:Awww good luck with the cutie. I think if I were in your shoes I'd skip treating it with IP meds and just focus on feeding him lots of crunch, meaty seafood soaked in vitamins right now. Good luck with this little guy, he's so adorable!

ok kewl.. I can do that! =)

Flutter wrote:They are most definitely 'contagious'. If they weren't then fish would never get them

hmmm... true... ive never dealt with IPs before... all i have is an extra 3gal laying around... opinions? return her or try and treat in a 3gal hospital tank that wont be able to cycle due to small size? and id have to change the water every day, so would that hinder the medicine from working?
PS- im gonna start my own thread about this in a min... it was just convienent because we were already on the subject.... flutter, and anyone else, would you mind responding on my new post? PLS? itll be in the hospital section... i appreciate it.

sorry for hijacking this thread a little... trying to keep it on subject by starting my own thread about it

hehe thats cool

i would have read this in the other sections anyways... with some interests! =)

recombinantrider wrote:I think if I were in your shoes I'd skip treating it with IP meds and just focus on feeding him lots of crunch, meaty seafood soaked in vitamins right now.

I'm of the completely opposite view. IF your fish has IPs then it needs to be treated. You can't expect a fish to fatten up and get healthy when other critters are taking all of it's nutrients. Deworming is rarely hard on an animal and comes with a lot of benefits. With mammals at least it's one of the very first things you do and isn't dangerous unless the animal has an extremely high parasite load (then you need to deworm them slowly).

Yeah, as long as you've got to fed em, soak in meds. IMO, once the teeth are overgrown, no amount of crunchy foods will shorten them enough. Crunchy foods are to maintain teeth, not shorten them.

do you guys think his teeth are too long..... too long to be maintained??

It's not that extreme but may need clipping in the near future. Fatten him up & possibly treat him for IPs 1st.

ok got it! =)

thanks heaps guys

hes a gorgeous puffer, definitely treat IP's first. post some pics when hes nice and fat!