The Puffer Forum

Help/advise please.
I know someone who's mbu puffer has suddenly become ill.
It is laying upside down & has developed what looks like a lump in it's stomach.
Has anyone come across this before & what are his chances of survival?

Please read this post and get all this information from your friend to add to this post. Also what size tank is the Mbu in and how big is he.

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5

Sorry.

Tank size 5x2x2
4 silver sharks -3"
3 gourami - 3"
1 angle
1 elephant nose
1 plec 9"

& he's 13" the tank has been established for 18 month,
Regular water changes & nothing new added to the tank.

How large are thew water changes & how often? What has it beeen eating? What kind of filtration? Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH?

You should let your friend know that Mbu's get to 3' long, and will require a 1000 (yes, one thousand) US gallon tank to keep it into adulthood.

Now, is there any chance it make have puffed/swallowed air?

http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/ ... rpuff.html

While a 150g tank may hold the fish for a little while, it will definately need to be upgraded to at the very least, a tank 2x that size.

"Silver" (Columbian) sharks each grow tup to 18" & are brackish water fish.

Pufferpunk wrote:While a 150g tank may hold the fish for a little while, it will definately need to be upgraded to at the very least, a tank 2x that size.

"Silver" (Columbian) sharks each grow tup to 18" & are brackish water fish.

Silver Sharks is often a name I've seen given to bala sharks as well.

With regards to the Mbu in question, sounds like a blockage, probably forcing on the swimbladder. I'd call a vet in the circumstances.

For some reason I was thinking balas to begin with.

Pufferpunk wrote:For some reason I was thinking balas to begin with.

Either way, I'd only be happy seeing bala sharks in a 6x2x2 as well, they might not get huge, but they do school, and they do swim constantly.