The Puffer Forum

1) Have not taken water parameters. I have a kit, just have not had to use it in years. Just wanting to get this post up - I can gather after wards if desired.
2) 120g tank - He is alone.
3) Eats 2-3 clams, 2-3 times a week. I net them out as soon as he's done. Water changes I have not been doing very well at -- I am being honest. Once a month lately. He is a pretty small fish and in a big tank. I use Prime.
4) No changes.
5) Aquarium has been setup about 4 years. No real problems at all. I use a wet/dry filter with an overflow box. High GPH water pump.

Very important note - I had a Turgidus puffer of 4 yrs that died about 2 weeks ago. He also ate clams. These clams are usually frozen immediately after they arrive home, so they don't go putrid. He did not appear to have any external problems that I could visibly see. He stayed in his cave a lot, so I don't see him too much other than food time. I really do not think the water conditions killed him.

What is he experiencing? I am working on uploading a video on YouTube to show his problem. He hadn't eaten for about 2 weeks now. Sometimes he strikes though after water changes. It started out as a "balance" problem - 36 hours ago. He was wobbling side to side. Now he can't stay right side up. I am also noticing a noticeable bump on this stomach region. He is still breathing somewhat normal.

What have I done? I have removed him from the big tank and moved into 2.5 gal hospital tank to treat more easily. I have a proper amount of aquarium salt in there attempting to use it to help. I also dosed with Melafix & Pimafix. I have a heater set to 73F and an air pump and an air stone.

I have Maracyn TC available if needed.

So I tested the water in the main tank.

pH - 8.2
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Temp kept at 76F.

I've always struggled with pH where I live. I believe our fish have adjusted to this over time.

Still working on the YouTube video.

YouTube video is up http://youtu.be/1GqlprMHW7Y

I believe clams are high in thiaminase which can lead to vitamin B1 deficiency , a diet of just clams alone regardless is not nutritionally sound.
I hope you meant a 25 gallon tank, not 2.5 gallon, depending on his size 10 would be BARE minimum for a hospital tank, saying he's only an inch or so. He can poison himself in his waste in too small an area, plus it's just stressful with the lack of space.
Do a huge water change and get that "aquarium salt" out, commonly sold, definitely not beneficial, may even be harmful to certain fish.
If your test kit is several years old, some of the tests may have expired, might be a good idea to get it checked at an lfs.

How big is he? How long have you had him?

ya that hospital tank is way to small. He will poison himself quickly.

sevenyearnight wrote:I believe clams are high in thiaminase which can lead to vitamin B1 deficiency , a diet of just clams alone regardless is not nutritionally sound.
I hope you meant a 25 gallon tank, not 2.5 gallon, depending on his size 10 would be BARE minimum for a hospital tank, saying he's only an inch or so. He can poison himself in his waste in too small an area, plus it's just stressful with the lack of space.
Do a huge water change and get that "aquarium salt" out, commonly sold, definitely not beneficial, may even be harmful to certain fish.
If your test kit is several years old, some of the tests may have expired, might be a good idea to get it checked at an lfs.

#1 - No I meant a 2.5 gallon tank.
#2 - He is about 6-7 inches long. He is able to turn around in the tank. I can move into a 10 gallon if needed.
#3 - "Certain fish" ??

Will fill up the 10 gallon -- I'm not worried about test kits being outdated at this point. He's not even in the main tank. I will not be returning him to the main tank while being treated.

sevenyearnight wrote:How big is he? How long have you had him?

4 years.

Ok, filled up the 10 gal, heater and air stone in there. Prime applied. Nothing else.

What should I be aiming to treat here? Based on the YouTube video?

Certain fish, like plecos, tetras, etc, are sensitive to salt to the point that the addition can kill them fairly quickly, they inhabit very soft, freshwater in the wild. But with any fish, a large change in the salinity could cause them to go into shock.
I am only familiar with the addition of salt to help eradicate ich, so I'm not certain if it would benefit your situation.
Here is an article on feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
And here is some information on Thiaminase: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/ ... minase.htm
From what I have read, earthworms do not contain thiaminase, so that is a good option as well.

I just watched that video, please return him to the main tank asap, but make sure you acclimate him, because he's acting like some fish do when they go into shock and/or have swim bladder issues, the sudden change could complicate that.
He won't survive long in a 10 gallon, he's way too big for that. I'm sorry, I can't personally suggest medicating such a large fish in such a small body of water, he really looks like he's in very bad shape already.

I used to feed him earthworms - I moved onto clams to try and keep his teeth in check. Point noted.

Have him sitting in the net in the main tank -- What is the plan here -- if you are offering assistance. Just need to know how it contrasts with my thoughts.

Put him back into his main tank. You can't just toss a big fish into an uncycled little tank. he will very quickly have a much bigger problem of ammonia poisoning.

He seems to have swallowed some air.
library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/

You can also hold him vertically by his tail, with his head under water & shake him to see if he'll expel the air.

Attempted this -- Not sure how successful it was.. but I tried about 5 times to "burp" him. Wouldn't he go to the surface if he had air in him? He goes right to the bottom and stays there. It looks like I got it out at first.. but now it looks like it's even bigger? If that makes sense.

I believe there is a bacterial disease where it causes gas to build up in their system. I don't know much about it but I saw it a few months back here. I'm afraid you have made a lot of mistakes with this fish. Feeding it only one kind of food for extended periods of time & lack of water changes. Then it seems you are doing infrequent large WC, which is a total shock to the poor fish, which is sensitive to changes in parameters.

I know. I feel bad when I think about it as a whole. I actually got recalled back to the Army to go to Iraq for 14 months in the middle of his life, so I had to make things pretty simple for my girlfriend to take care of him. It has kind of stuck though, unfortunately. I was going to get him on a crayfish/clam diet, but I never got the crayfish thing going.

Should I just let him sit in his main tank and see how he does overnight? I was really tempted from the beginning to treat this as a bacterial infection.