The Puffer Forum

So i was at my LFS and decided to take a stroll by the dwarf puffers. All of a sudden this decent sized male came swimming up right in front of me. I could not believe my eyes. he was totally emaciated. I was disgusted by the way he looked. I was surprised he was even alive. I had to get him and try to save him. He is now in my tank with a male and two females. Okay, now here is my question, how long to i give him to gain weight before i should conclude that he has parasites? I just got him the other night, and he is eating normally. he gets a little belly when he is done, but his body really hasn't gained any weight. now when i say he was emaciated, it was really bad. his eyes were the widest part of his body by far. he was practically like a skeleton. i want to say that his body has gained a little weight, but I'm not positive. now is there a time frame i should give him to get to a normal weight? or should i assume parasites? I also don't want to put my other dp's at risk. let me know your opinions. anything would be appreciated. thanks!

You should always quarantine a new fish, and especially if there are problems. Do you have a "hospital tank" for QT?

Good on you for saving him, but you'll have to keep an eye on his tankmates now, as if he does have some parasites or similar, he could pass them on.
However, give him a month to fill out, as he sounds like he was in a bad state. Keep an eye on the others and watch for them losing weight, just in case the new guy was carrying some nasties.
Pami.