The Puffer Forum

Finally found an elusive Abei puffer locally a week ago, had him in a 15 gallon quarrantine tank(getting the normal new fish in my house prazi treatment). Fish was eating, everything was fine yesterday then today he was swimming into things and just up and died within about 4 hours. tank has been running for about a year (wife normally uses it for her cichlid moms to spit their fry, always some fish in it to keep it cycled) cichlids came out the day puffer went in, params were good, ammo 0, nitrite 0, nitrate <20, temp 78 and was going to move him to his permanent tank in a couple days.

Is it possible he was eating air bubbles from the bubbler in the tank and that is what did him in? I noticed he was floating funny so I squeezed his corpse a little and 4 air bubles came out. I never had the fish out of water, made the guy at the store bag him under water, made sure to release him straight from the bag to the tank underwater, even when I took the dead guy out of the tank I kept him in water (scooped him out in cool whip container).




Some days I just hate this hobby/habbit/addiction, whatever you wanna call it.
I guess it's back to searching for another Abei.

Straight from bag to tank seems suspicious. You didn't acclimate him?

Acclimated in bag, floating in tank to match temp, gradually adding in tank water over about 30 min. Then turned bag and let him swim out on his own.

Don't think it's anything you did, just one of those days, like you say, that makes you hate this hobby sometimes.

Bubbles from a corpse are perfectly normal, just gasses released from micro-organisms that occur naturally in the gut.

I'd cut it open and see if there's anything obvious, but it's not to everyone's taste to do so

These bubbles were about the size of his mouth, was only dead four about an hour when I did this.

The $$ part sucks but not as bad as losing a fish never found locally.

Did they use a net to catch him at the shop? Did he come with a guarantee?

Chased him into the bag with a net, the guy was going to net it out but I wouldn't let him net it out of the water. Unfortunately guarantees around here are usually 48 hours. Like I said the cash sucks but nowhere near as much as not being able to find another. This is the first one I've seen locally.

Probably just the stress of it all that caused this. Puffers are so bad about not getting over things. If they were people, they would likely be the type of person that holds a grudge a really long time.

Sorry for your loss! Really sucks to search for so long and then it end so badly.

I agree, puffers are so intelligent and stress can really affect them

Sounds like he puffed in air before you got him if the LFS were going to use a net when you stopped them. I'd most certainly take issue with the LFS about this, if only to make sure they don't do it to any more puffers, but hopefully to get another one free of charge.

Sorry about the bubble comment earlier, I didn't realise it was that volume of air released

He did not puff even a little at that point in time, possible it happened when they got him in I guess, but then it is also possible he puffed in air in my tank over the last week that i didn't see as well, either air stone running or surface. It is what it is, now back to the renewed search for an abei again.
Like I said he was doing great all week, eating, exploring, etc, then Monday just not swimming right and dead within a few hours.

well, good news...
the store had a second one that they get in a couple weeks ago, I talked to them about it and they gave me this one at 50% off(which is great since they didn't have to give me anything per their policy!!!).

nzac wrote:well, good news...
the store had a second one that they get in a couple weeks ago, I talked to them about it and they gave me this one at 50% off(which is great since they didn't have to give me anything per their policy!!!).

That's really cool of them! Also total score, I have been wanting an abei puffer forever jealous..

They have one more still that just came in this week but you are on the wrong end of WI for it to help

Judging by the way this one acts and eats, the first one definitely had something wrong from day 1.