puffer ate too much - couldnt swim....

[indie]

well i put a cube of frozen bloodworm in the tank this morning and cos i was in a rush, i just put it in, rather than doing a bit at a time. Anyway, one of the puffers must have eaten more than his fair share and i found him resting on a plant leaf, just sitting there. i had to go to work for a couple of hours and when i came back he was swimming a bit. he keeps disappearing behind all the ornaments and plants, so im worried hes still struggling to swim as he is normally begging at the front of the tank.

is he gonna be ok? he looks huge.
i guess i just shouldnt feed him tomorrow at all

[Hilly]

You're just gonna have to wait it out now, if he's just sitting there he'll be digesting his big meal. Leave the feedings for a while and perhaps shift the feedings to the evenings when you have more time to feed em.

[Nick]

The local petland once tossed a few night crawler earthworms into their brackish tank, and the GSP's got more than their share, since their beaks let them tear them up much more easily than the mouths of the other fish... one had a belly so large it was bigger than the rest of him in mass, and it couldn't get any lift, just rotate in place to face different directions. It was the worst case of overfeeding I ever saw, and he was just fine today, I saw him while buying blackworms. I'm actually happy for him, he is sold and waiting for pickup, to move into a 55 gallon tank just for GSP's.

[Peregrine]

A day off wouldn't hurt...especially after a big feeding.
Hilly makes a good point about feeding them in the evening when you have more time to observe and control the portions

[Pufferpunk]

Could be, he was having problems from eating frozen food. Always thaw & pour thru a brine shrimp net. Rinse out that juice--adds unnessary nitrates to your water.