The Puffer Forum

Regular Habitat:
Species: Green Spotted Puffer "Gordon Puff"
Tank: 55 Gal
PH: 8.4
Ammonia: 0.00-0.25
Nitrite: 0.00
Nitrate: 0.00
Salinity: 31%
Temp: Raised to 80.5 degrees 2 days ago. Temp had been at 74-76 over the year. But fell to 72-73 in the past 2 weeks with cooler house temps.
Diet: Variety -- Rod's Food Predator Blend (Shrimp, Scallop, Oyster, Clam, Squid, Octopus, Perch, Green Nori (porphyra sp), Red unroasted nori (porphyra sp) Krill, Brine shrimp, Golden pearls, Garlic, Selco, Astaxanthin (Haematococus pluvialis), Pond Snails (bred at home); Frozen Krill
Water Changes: 25-50% Every 1-2 weeks.

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I own a green spotted puffer named Gordon Puff. He's been in the family for nearly a year December 2013. He is a hearty fish and has even made a 2-day trip cross country from New York to Florida riding in the front seat of our moving truck.

As a tiny puffer, he was raised in a 10 gallon fresh water with live plants and sand. We graduated Gordon to a 20 gallon with a sand bed and rocks/plastic plants after a few months when we decided to make the brackish tranisition. Live plants remained in the smaller tank, in which we began breeding feeder pond snails for him. Just 3 months ago, Gordon graduated to a 55 gallon bow-front tank. With a crushed coral bed and stacked live coral to hide in.

His appetite over the past year has been great! But just in the past 3 weeks, Gordon has become lethargic, laying around on the bottom of the tank, not displaying that puppy-like behavior. And just in the past week, he has quit eating all together. His belly is well-rounded even whith his lack of appetite, and it changes from shades gray/black speckled back to white throughout the day. I have not seen him poop at all really in the past few weeks, but i have noticed that his anus was open a couple times when he was swiming around the tank. Once I did see two very small white granule size poops that looked like the rock coral. But that was it.

We did change up the feeding technique. I use to defrost his frozen food then drop in "bite" sized pieces. But just in the past month, we started breaking off half-inch to 1 inch pieces and dropping it into his tank. Gordon devoured it happily.

So, I figured Gordon might be constipated. I tried to feed him garlic-soaked peas. He was not interested. I tried to feed him peas shoved in pond snails. That did not work either.

So, I moved him to a 20-Gallon quarantine tank last night and put in two table spoons of Epsom Salt. (I don't know if this is the proper dosage). I also tried to apply more heat, but that also has caused a major problem, making temperature too high overnight and removing oxygen to critical.

Current Situation: Gordon is hanging out/ floating very still near the top of the quarantine tank trying to get oxygen, and I belive trying to cool down as well. His belly is white and he still looks well-fed. The heater, which I suspect is broken, that I put in raised his tank temperature to 86.3 degrees. I put in a bubbler 3 hours ago to help circulate. I'm currently trying to lower the temperature by 1 degree per hour via crushed Ice cubes.

Gordon has never been wormed.

Quarantine Tank Parameters

Tank: 20 Gal
PH: 8.4
Ammonia: 0.00-0.25
Nitrite: 0.00
Nitrate: 0.00
Salinity: 30%
Temp: 85.5 degrees -- trying to bring it down to 82, by reducing temp 1 degree per hour by pouring in crushed ice.

UPDATE: Quarantine tank temperature has reached 82.2 degrees. Puffer is resting on the tank bottom with a gray belly. His eyes appear flat/sunken. Is this because he was floating the top of his head out of the water for a long time? Did the Epsom Salt impact his eyes? He won't even look at me. They are just "frozen." Can I expect them to normalize.

Things that could have impacted him overnight: Magnesium, increased temperature, reduced oxygen though his main pump was operating (stupid mistake).

I am currently working on a 20% water change. I'm bringing this water to the appropriate temperature right now.

Sad picture as of 3 minute ago:

He does look stressed, any ideas why your tank is showing ammonia? Over what time frame did you convert the salinity? He looks tubby enough to cope without food for a while so no need to panic over him refusing food

Was he alone in the 55? I don't see any need to QT him. That can stress him out. You can easily add the Epsom salt to his main tank.

Hi,

There is a Mexican Turbo and a fairly big hermit crab that also reside in his tank to help with grass algea. I did not know that I could treat the whole tank with Epsom. Should I try to return him to his home tank? Also, was the dosage 2 tablespoons in a 20 gallon tank accurate Does Gordon look extra large to you? Have you ever seen eyes that flattened out? Should I treat for parasites?

UPDATED: 20% water change completed. Tank temperature is at 80 degrees. Gordon is swiming around the parameters slowly. Belly is still whitish gray. He's looking quite large. Eyes still look flat to his head <-- Most concerning.

Here are two more pictures taken just this instant, sorry for the blur on the side view, but you can see redness around his eye.








Thank you for your quick response,

Lisa

*Salinity changes were very gradual over the past 9 month. Only recently raising him to 30% 5 days ago. Sorry to Spam, but I just went to check on him and he has floated back up to the top again. I took a close up so you could see his eyes.

Look here: library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/
As far as Epsom salt for BW/SW fish, 1 tbsp/5g, is the recommended dosage.

I am very scared to try this solution. He's such a small puffer.

Regards the temp, u could use a fan to blow it across the surface. It can bring down the temp by about 2degree Celsius. I think its better than dropping in crushed ice. Which requires constant monitoring.

GORDON UPDATE: He made it through the night! Thank Heavens! I love that fish. I decided not to burp him. He was super stressed and so tiny, I did not want to further aggrivate the situation, especially with his eyes "sunken" and not tracking my movements.

I did however decide to treat for parasites and swollen abdomen with 250mb Metronidazole and 75 mg Praziquantel per 10 gal. I'm very glad that I did. Gordon is not longer floating with his head poking near the top of the tank, and he is resting in a makeshift "cave" area I've created for him using a deep ceramic mug. His belly is whiter now; however, his eyes still have that scary sunken appearance -- as if his little face is swollen. I have no idea what in the world could have caused that, and his eyesight is now my main concern. I have seen his eyes move a little to track my movements late last night, and that gives me hope.

In regards to parasites: Two hours after applying the medicine to his quarantine tank, a white strand appeared from his behind, which appeared to be a worm.

I am hoping Gordon can hang in there a couple more days, then we can start doing water changes again. Its very sad to have a sick fish, especially one as loved as he is, at Thanksgiving.

Thank you everyone for your support in this thread.

--Lisa

Internal parasites need to be treated internally: library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/

Hi everyone. I hope you had a splending Thanksgiving holiday and that your weekend is going well. I wanted to pop in and update about Gordon and ask a few more questions.

Sunken Eyes: SOLVED -- I searched hi and low to find out what was wrong with Gordon's eyes and I came across this paragraph at the advanced aquarium website:

This is a condition known as enophthalmia, and is the reverse of exophthalmia. In captive fishes, it is almost always caused by severe dehydration experienced by fish exposed to a sudden rise in the salinity of their water. In this case, the problem is always bilateral - affecting both eyes equally. Rarely, mechanical damage resulting in the puncture of the eye globe itself will result in the deflation, or enophthalmus of just one eyeI could not find additional information about enophthalmia as a result of dehydration. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/3/fish#section-10

So over the past few days, I did 50% water changes and slowly brought Gordon's hospital tank salinity down to 25‰, from 30‰. Given his length of 2-3 inches, we will probaly work to maintain his salinity at 1.015. His eyes are returning to normal. They are rounded and protruding and no longer freakishly sunken in. He is following my movements.

Gobbling Air: Gordon is still not eating though. And he is purposely swallowing air throughout the day to make himself float at the top of the tank. When he wants to swim, he released the air and swims around a bit, and often bumps into things here and there. After a little while, he swims back to the top of the tank and gobbles more air. This is not normal. I'm not sure what to do about this.

Fraying Fins: Gordon's fins have begun fraying terribly. He is not eating and not healing fast enough. It's very upsetting.

IPs: I could not get Gordon to consume medication as he is not eating at all. We have been treating the water with 250mb Metronidazole and 75 mg Praziquantel after every 50% water change. After three days of this treatment, he has not expeled any worms. His belly is still very round and fat and mostly grayish white. Only once did I see him return almost completely white bellied while he was swiming around the tank on Thanksgiving.

Here is a picture taken this morning of Gordon:

Gordon didn't make it. I believe it was the bouyancy problems.

I'm so sorry

You certainly tried. I'm sorry you couldn't burp him.

As far as your 1st diagnosis for the sunken eyes. I think it's incorrect, as BW fish can easily move from FW-SW & back, in a day.