The Puffer Forum

It's been awhile since I've posted on here but I recently found my lost love of puffers when I saw what I believe is a fahaka at a local pet store (they had no idea what it was)

Anyway when I first bought him his stomach was all kinds of lumpy. I noticed he was eating small MTS snails off the substrate at the store so i don't know if that could be it or maybe IPs. He does get skinny pretty quick after eating which is why I believe it is IPs.



Parameters
1. Ph 7.6 ammonia 0ppm nitrite 0ppm nitrate 0ppm Salinity should be 1.0 as no salt has ever been added
2. Tank size is 29 gallon (planted) will move to 120gallon once he gets bigger (currently around an inch) shares tank with 3 black mollies and a couple rams horns and ghost shrimp (seems uninterested or they are too big for him/her)
3. Feeding once a day when I get home from work. Change 50% water every two-three weeks. Been soaking food (frozen bloodworms) in garlic and prazipro for half an hour after thawed.
4. No changes have been made to tank except the addition of rams horns for a failed feeding.
5. Tank cycled a couple months ago with media from existing aquarium including some gravel exchange and rock as well as 5 gallons of water. Water put in tank was half RO water half well water.

I guess my question is how do I go about getting rid if them effectively. Since he isn't eating the bloodworms very well. Any food suggestions for soaking with the prazipro and I'm soaking it in aquarium water with the garlic and prazipro is that right? Is half an hour after the food thaws good or should it be longer? I really want to keep this guy for the long haul. That's why you get single tank specimens right? My friends think I'm crazy and just say that if it dies I can get a new one, but then why buy fish if you just plan on replacing them as they die. That's no way to live.

I know some of you are going to say to move him to the 120 gallon ASAP, and I know this bit that tank is currently being broken down to recondition and since I'm moving in 4 months seems like a hassle to setup again. My question is about treating this little guy for what I strongly believe are internal parasites. I've tried searching the forum for answers but nothing is as specific as what I'm looking for IMHO.

Will he eat small peices of shrimp? Those would be easier to soak in prazi and feed than bloodworms. I recommend an hours long soak in prazi/garlic solution. For his size a peice of shrimp about the size of your pinky nail, or smaller, I think would be adequate. Fahakas grow 1" a month during their juvenile period, so depsite the hassle, I really recommend you move him into the 120g right away. If you are serious about keeping him healthy and happy, the hassle will outweigh stunting... Which I can gaurantee will happen if he stays in the 29g for 4 months.

Thanks. I'll have to go but some shrimp pieces tomorrow and try that. I read that about them I wasn't sure how well the 29 would handle him, I'll have to get the 120 setup again. It sprung a leak and needs resealed so depending on how fast I get that done it may be some time. All the fish in it I donated to my friend. MTS got the best of me lol. I'll have to rush the reconditioning process of the 120 I thought I had some time, but I agree if I care about the well being of my fish, then I need to get him a better home fast.

Try live earthworms to get him eating. Then, you can inject the meds into the worms.

Where should I get the earth worms? The ones in the ground here would probably be infested with pesticides and insecticides. Out in the boonies. Is there somewhere I can buy a syringe easily?

Go to a local pet shop and get some pest snails.
Ramshorns are the best
Try and stay away from the ones that look like a tornado on the back. (forgot the name of them)

I went thru this same issue awhile back with a Fahaka we rescued.
He was in bad shape I am sure the thread is still active.

Try some kril soaked in Garlic as it should be like catnip if the snails dont work.

The worms you can get from Walmart just grab some small night crawlers in the fishing department ,

If that doesnt work and its worst case just to get him to eat try some live feeders but they are the worst.

Tripp wrote:Go to a local pet shop and get some pest snails.
Ramshorns are the best
Try and stay away from the ones that look like a tornado on the back. (forgot the name of them)

I went thru this same issue awhile back with a Fahaka we rescued.
He was in bad shape I am sure the thread is still active.

Try some kril soaked in Garlic as it should be like catnip if the snails dont work.

The worms you can get from Walmart just grab some small night crawlers in the fishing department ,

If that doesnt work and its worst case just to get him to eat try some live feeders but they are the worst.

Tornado snails = Malaysian trumpet snails I believe.
I got some ramshorns at jacks but the ones they gave are pretty big and he acts as if he wants to eat them but can't find a way lol
I got frozen krill and he was interested but didn't take it I'm thinking the medicine was why. And they are too big possibly.
The frozen bookworms he took to pretty well but wasn't able to eat them very easily for some reason. Looked like those party blower things that you blow out and it rolls back in. That's how he was eating them and it took him a bit to get one down
I'm running out of ideas I will try earthworms tomorrow

I get earthworms at Walmart.

Salmon wrote: I got frozen krill and he was interested but didn't take it I'm thinking the medicine was why.

Dexter wanted nothing to do with food soaked in meds had to go with much lower dosages to get him to try it.

Try just the food and make sure you using the right garlic

What's the right garlic? I literally took a clove of garlic and squeezed the juice into the cup the food was soaking in

Got the guy to eat some bloodworms today. No medication. Just trying to get him to eat at this point.

If he's eating than theres hope, that's always a good sign. +1 to what PP said. Any place that sells fishing bait, just buy some nightcrawlers/red worms (walmart has them year round usually).

Bought me some dillies though he didn't seem interested. Need to find smaller ones. I noticed before I went to bed that his belly was rounder meaning I think he ate a snail that's crawling around in there

Today when I fed him some medicated bloodworms, he ate one and violently shook around and eventually it came out of his mouth but it look like half of it lost its red coloration. Do you think some medication may have got in his system?