The Puffer Forum

I have read through a couple of the posts since my GSP became unwell and I'm worried he's been poisoned by H2S. About 5 days ago he darkened, started to hang around the substrate and stopped eating. Yesterday I thought he was dead he was floating upside down only moving his eyes. I immediately changed 80% of the water, added a little extra salt, I estimate the tank was 1.003 probably 1.004 now (GSP around 4" long) and added a little methyl blue. When I came home remarkably he was alive, very dark lying on the sand substrate (still alive today). Is there anything I can do to effect a recovery or at least speed it up if it's going to happen. The substrate is sand and when I've cleaned him out lately (I do 50% ever 5-7 days) there has been a vile smell, almost certainly H2S. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards, Dan.

Do you have a quarentine tank you can move him to?

No not really. I've done several large water changes and added new sand, the tank has no odour so I'm hopeful it's no longer posing a risk.

Are you stirring the sand when you do maintenance?

keep up with the water changes and do as close to 100% as poss. Do not add any more meth. blue.

No I haven't been stirring the sand up and that's a mistake I won't make again! I'll change the water as you suggest and leave the methyl blue out of it. Another thing I've noticed is the formation of bubbles on the surface of the water, again this is a reasonably recent thing, is that cause for concern?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, it is much appreciated...

He didn't make it. Looking at him I think it may actually have been constipation. He was a fighter all the way, it's a real shame, he had such a great temprament. Thanks for your support and good luck to you all with your fishkeeping.

Regards, Dan.

danzig wrote:He didn't make it. Looking at him I think it may actually have been constipation. He was a fighter all the way, it's a real shame, he had such a great temprament. Thanks for your support and good luck to you all with your fishkeeping.

Regards, Dan.

Sorry to hear it.

I'm convinced constipation is one of the biggest killers of pufferfish (in fact I think I lost one of my irrubesco to the same thing yesterday), and i've not known many treatments for it, or many that are frequently successful at least.

Please don't be put off by your experience, puffers are well worth the effort!

Sorry to hear it.

I'm convinced constipation is one of the biggest killers of pufferfish (in fact I think I lost one of my irrubesco to the same thing yesterday), and i've not known many treatments for it, or many that are frequently successful at least.

Please don't be put off by your experience, puffers are well worth the effort![/quote]

Thats interesting as I was going to write up something along the lines of constipation problems. I believe I have had a few go this way.

Fella, Can you remember what you fed your iirubesco prior to the problem?

Rocker wrote:Sorry to hear it.

I'm convinced constipation is one of the biggest killers of pufferfish (in fact I think I lost one of my irrubesco to the same thing yesterday), and i've not known many treatments for it, or many that are frequently successful at least.

Please don't be put off by your experience, puffers are well worth the effort!

Thats interesting as I was going to write up something along the lines of constipation problems. I believe I have had a few go this way.

Fella, Can you remember what you fed your iirubesco prior to the problem?[/quote]

Yeah, I fed Mussel, and it was a change in diet from their regular bloodworm...

Would epsom salt bath help? Does for others like betta. Peas too.

I have never had any luck with epsom salts on puffers.