The Puffer Forum

WELL, HELLO I'M IN A SERIOUS NEED OF HELP, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR PROCEED WITH MY SPOTTED PUFFER, IT'S BEEN ALMOST A WEEK AGO SINCE SHE BRATHS VERY ACCELERATED, DOESN'T EAT (I HAVE A STICK WHERE I PUT HER FOOD AND TRY TO MAKE HER TO EAT) BUT MOST OF THE TIMES SHE GRABS THE FOOD AND SPIT IT. I THINK SHE IS VERY WEAK SINCE SHE CAN'T SWIM TO THE SURFACE OF THE FISH TANK AND SHE TRIES REALLY REALLY HARD I SEE HER MAKE THAT EFFORT, AND STILL DOESNT REACH THE TOP AND I LOWERED THE LEVEL OF THE WATER, SHE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS, SHE MOVES HER EYES, I FIRST THOUGHT THAT MAYBE SHE HAS EGGS INSIDE? I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK SHE'S BEEN 2 YEARS AND MONTHS WITH ME NOW AND HAD NEVER ACTED LIKE THIS, SHE IS THE ONLY FISH I HAVE AND I KEEP HER TEMPERATURE BETWEEN THE 24 AND 26°C AND I PERFORM A WATER CHANGE EVERY 2 WEEKS SINCE THE LAST 2 YEARS I HAVE A 10 GALLON FISHTANK. SHE USED TO BE A VERY SWEET FISH WITH A GREAT PERSONALITY, ALWAYS SWIMMING UP AND DOWN, AND THE WAY SHE MOVED HER EYES, IT REALLY FEELS LIKE THEY'RE LOOKING AT YOU, SHE HAD A GOOD APPETITE MOST OF THE TIMES AND I FEED HER FISHFLAKES AND DRIED BLOOD WORMS AND OCASIONALLY TUBIFEX AND I NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH HER FEEDING BEFORE, I READ THAT THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE THAT HER TEETH MIGHT BE VERY LONG, IS THATS WHY SHE CANT EAT? OR MAYBE THE WORSE I THINK , A PARASITE? IS THERE SOMETHING I CAN DO TO SAVE HER?
PLEASE HELP ME, I LOVE MY FISH, HER NAME IS JUMBO AND I AM VERY ATTACHED TO HER, IF THERE IS SOMETHING I CAN DO, I WILL TRY ANYTHING JUST FOR HAVING HER WITH ME MORE TIME.
THANK YOU.
MARIA & MARCO
P.S. I TOOK SOME PICTURES OF HER LAST NIGHT

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Hmm... Over 2 years in a 10 gallon tank. That sounds like a case of stunted growth. When a fish is stunted, their outer body stops growing, but their internal organs keep going. This can lead to some serious internal issues and premature death.

How big is she?

Can you see her teeth stick out of her mouth?

Answer the questions contained in the link provided above by rocker.

Also, please read THIS great article by Pufferpunk about proper care of your fish.

The only photo showing the mouth is not clear enough for me to tell, but the symptoms sound like tooth overgrowth.

Ok I have made the last measurement five minutes ago and the results of the test are:
-PH : 8.5
-Ammonium / Ammoniac : 0 mg /l
-Nitrite : 0.3 mg / l.
-Nitrate : 10.0 mg / l.
The fish is 6.5 cm long and 2 years and months old and her name is Jumbo. I'm assuming it is a female because she was larger than the other puffers I had, they were 3 in total, but they died a really long time ago and she was the survivor and I decided that one fish was enough for me, she's a very charming fish and really sweet she has survived to death at least 3 times now, once she jumped off the fish tank and fell to the carpet, thats when I bought a fish tank cover with light and that was the only time I ever saw my puffer puffed. They look so round, her colors were really dark her eyes popped out even more but she made it through, I'm talking about 1 and a half years ago since this happened and that's why I love her so much, she has been more than a fish to me, she is and always will be my baby girl.
I feed her 2 times a day, a while ago like more than 6 months I used to feed her 3 times a day but she was getting way too fat and I was afraid so I decided to cut it off to 2 times a day, with dried blood worms and 9 in 1 fish flakes, all by Azoo, and she goes crazy with fish flakes but they make the fish tank really dirty so I usually give her the dried bloodworms, and ocasionally tubifex. Except for the last week taht she hasn't ate that much since it represents a great effort for her to go up to the surface and grab her food, so I lowered the water level because I thought it would be easier for her to go up, but it really didn't work. Now, since this week, I have tried to feed her by attaching 4 toothpicks and inserting the dried bloodworms so she can eat them, but sometimes she bites and spills it. Although now that I remember I saw her throw up, or she spilled a brownish looking substance ( like remains of the blood worms ) while I was changing her water last sunday.
I change her water 2 times a month and I always do the same things and i put marine salt about 1 tbsp. a few drops of methylene blue and anti chroride a few drops too. I wash very well her plants and her stones everytime I clean the fish tank.
I haven't add any element to the fish tank since sooo long.
Her temperature is always at 26°C but in this cold weather i raised it up to 27° since it droped off the last week.
I have a 4 gallon fish tank and an aquarius filter by Aquarama and I also have a tower with activated carbon to help to keep the fish tank cleaner.
So please in anyone recognizes these symptoms:
-Fish on the bottom of the fish tank
-Lack of appetite
-Great effort to move
-Accelerated breathing
-The belly inflates and deflates very strangely and only at times, thats why I thought she was pregnant but I guess she can't be pregnant without a male?
But her colors are good, her eyes look good and she can move them as usual. And well her teeth I barely see them stick out they are so thin I can't tell.
Anyone that recognizes these sypmtoms and can help me, I will be forever thankful, I love this fish to death and I don't know what I would do without her.
Thank you:
Maria & Marco

Did you read that GSP article linked to you? It will explain the proper care & feeding of this fish. I would consider getting her a 30gallon tank. It may be to late for her though. I'm afraid she is severely stunted in her growth & may always remain small. The food you have been feeding her is an improper diet for your puffer. Are you changing all the water, or just partial? Why are you adding Methylene blue to the water? Definitely stop that. Start doing 50% weekly water changes & get it into a larger tank, improve her diet & maybe she'll pull through. Check out the Puffer Dentistry article in this forum, but don't even consider tranquilizing her in her present condition.

How's Jumbo feeling today?

Are you keeping her in BW?

she's improving a little , i gave her some snails and she seems to like it.
How many snails and times a day i have to feed her in her state?
thanks for your help
marco&marilu

Jumbo is doing a lot better, I fed her 4 snails saturday afternoon and 3 at dinner and she just LOVES them, and today sunday she ate 4 for breakfast and 5 for dinner, but I'm not sure of how many I should give her. Could somebody please give me orientation about breeding the snails or an alternative of food I could give her. It seems that she will get better with this new diet in a few time, she's more active she doesn't stay at the bottom of the fish tank anymore and she swims more now and she's able to reach the top again with less effort!!!!
Thank you for all your help:
Maria & Marco

Snail breeding articles in the library here:

http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/ ... eding.html

http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/ ... snail.html

HTH

I'm glad to hear the improved diet is helping! Please don't forget, though, that your puffer needs a much larger tank, and full SW as an adult. Did you read that GSP article that I linked to you?

I'd also stop adding Meth blue to your tank & up water changes.

Thank you very much for all your advices, thanks to them my baby girl has improved a lot and is only tuesday I can't wait to see how she recovers by the end of the week. I stopped the methylene blue and I will make a water change today or tomorrow.
Again, thank you so much.
Maria & Marco