The Puffer Forum

We have a Fahaka Puffer who is about 6-7 yrs old. About a week and a half ago, my husband found him laying on his side on the bottom of the tank and he wasn’t moving. We watched him for a while and when he tries to swim, he rolls around and doesn’t swim normally at all. All he does is lay there We went on vacation for a week and had our house/pet sitter keep an eye on him and not feed him. We came home and he’s still the same. His color is good, fins are good, eyes are good, he looks completely normal except he has a bulge in his belly. The bulge moves depending on which way he is laying. The bulge is always on the side that’s facing up. My husband tested the water and it was all normal. He did a water change. Today, he changed the media in the filter (didn’t dump out the filter water, just switched the media). Any ideas what could be wrong with him?? We feel so bad! He just lays there and tries to swim My husband has tried burping him but not exactly sure how to do that or if that’s even the problem since he isn’t floating at the top but sinking to the bottom.

My husband has been trying to burp him for 2 days with no change He’s tried gently massaging his belly while holding him upright and tried shaking him gently while holding him upright (something someone recommended) and nothing has worked. Not sure if he’s not doing it right or long enough. How long should it take for him to release the air bubble? Puffer also never puffed or tried while my husband has been trying to burp him either. Is it possible the air bubble will eventually come out on its own at all? We feel so bad because he’s just been laying there and not able to swim much or properly for almost 2 weeks now

Air bubble will not come out on its own. Did you shake him hard?

He didn’t shake him hard. He basically moved him from side to side in the water in short strokes. Just enough to give him some movement to try to work the bubble out. He tried feeding him a mussel last night too and puffer took a bite and spit it out. Then tried feeding him a pea and puffer spit that out too.

You have to shake him hard, to release the bubble. Only other thought is it's a tumor.

We’ll try shaking him hard. Would a tumor move from side to side though? The lump moves as he moves. If he’s laying on his left side, the lump is on his right side and vice versa. The lump is always on the side that is facing up. I’d attach a picture but, I’m not sure how to do that as I’m new to the forum. Lol

I'd say it's air. He will die if you don't get it out.

My husband just tried giving him some good shakes but, didn’t work. Puffer just got mad and tried to bite my husband. He never tried to inflate either. He’s breathing pretty heavy now so, going to leave him alone for the rest of the night. We did do a 50% water change tonight and added epsom salt in case he has a different issue that the salt may help. Just trying everything we can find through research for the poor lil guy! Would there be anything that could possibly prevent him from inflating? Just find it odd that he hasn’t inflated once with everything we’ve been doing and as often as we have been grabbing him the last couple days. We’ve never handled him or even netted him in the 7yrs we’ve had him so find it odd that with everything we’ve been doing lately hasn’t scared him or stressed him to make him inflate.

It's a good sign he tried to bite your husband. Means he still has some fight left in him! Not quite sure how he could do that if your husband had him by the tail?

He didn’t have him by the tail. He cupped him in his hands and shook him side to side. Shaking him by the tail won’t break anything?

Also, he won’t eat. We tried hand feeding him a mussel and he spit it out. Also tried feeding him a skinned pea and he spit that out too. Any ideas how to give him a pea? Thought about thawing and skinning it and mushing it with some tank water and then feeding that to him with a syringe? Is it possible he has a broken bone? I’ve tried researching it but couldn’t find anything.

Hold his tail with a net. Head upward, tail downward, with his head underwater. Shake him HARD. I've been following your post on Facebook. LAST resort is to try drawing the air out with a needle/syringe.

How the heck do you hold his tail with a net? Our puffer is 11-12in long. He’s huge! His tail is quite slimy, can barely hold with fingers without his slipping through fingers.

Is it possible he has a broken bone that is causing the bulge? He can’t inflate for some reason.

We’ve noticed now the bulge isn’t moving like it previously was. It used to move depending on which side he was laying on but the last 2 days, he has only been laying on his right side. He still rolls around in the tank but he always ends up on his right side. The bulge doesn’t look to be bigger.

My husband just got him to eat a pea!! He tried vigorously shaking him again with no luck prior to feeding the pea. When he shook him, he also took a few seconds to check out the bulge and he was moving it around with his fingers and said he couldn’t get it to go any higher up his body (towards his head) and could only move it down towards his tail. The bulge is just below his gill on his left side and he couldn’t move it passed there, only down towards his tail. Currently doing a water change and adding epsom salt.

The fish should be easier to grasp in a net. You have to hold on tight.