The Puffer Forum

My Abei has been off his food, by that I mean he normally attacks anything I offer with a passion, but the last few days he just stays in his corner on the bottom of the tank.

I put two pond snails in yesterday which he ate, but just added one today and although he crunched it he spat most of it out and left it.

The snails are being fed to my F8 and there’s no problem, snail tank is clean with 80 percent water changes weekly, no ammonia/nitrite and nitrate is 50ppm, (not changed this week) hardness is high because of cuttlefish bone.

I have tried melafix/pimafix and epsom salts yesterday but still no improvement, any ideas or am I worrying unnecessarily?

Water parameters are zero nitrite/ammonia, nitrate 30ppm, ph 7.8, temp 27 deg

Tank is 125 litres with two pumps giving 1600 lph, last water change was last week when I changed half the water.

Why are you using Melafix, Pimafix and Epsom salts? The first two are for bacterial and fungal infections and aid in healing wounds, while Epsom salts are usually for constipation. Doesn't sound from your description that any of those are a problem or did you forget to mention something?

Sometimes it seems puffers just go through phases like this. Several of us have experienced it recently. They can go for a week or two without food and are fine. If he appears otherwise to be normal, is acting normal, and the water parameters are good, then I would guess its just one of those phases. I equate it with my kids. They go through periods when I can't get them to eat anything at all for weeks, then they'll eat everything in the house for several weeks. It seems to coincide with growth spurts with them.

Give it a few days with no feedings and try him with something like a Mussel. Mine has never refused Mussel.

Tried the meds as a precaution, couldn't really see him where he was hiding.

Will give him a few days without food and see how he does, its just a bit frightening when they change like this.

UPDATE

Well it’s been three days since I first posted my concern with little or no change.
I have trawled the hospital forum for ideas, with no luck. I thought from what I read it could be constipation or parasites, but I treated with no success.
He is still sitting on the bottom, heavy breathing and not eating, I added 3 snails and they are still alive after 24 hours.
He is keeping his side fins close and his top fin has dropped, occasionally (seen twice in 3 days) he will get up swim a few inches then return to the same spot.

I just don’t know what to do for this guy, HELP PLEASE!

When was your last water change?

I changed 50% water on sat 17th, I have not done this week as I didn't want to stress him, water is 7.8ph, 30ppm nitrate, zero nitrite and ammonia, temp 27 deg.

Unless you haven't been doing them regularly, the very best thing you can do for a fish is large WC! Especially if something is off. Your nitrates should be <20.

I do a 50% weekly, what sort of volume should I be doing?

I will do 75% now.

If 50% is not getting your nitrates <20, do more. I do 75-90% on all my FW tanks.

What is the cause or more to the point long term solution?
I have him in a 125 litre tank with over the top filtration, keep vacuuming the debris out and not overfeeding.
Would RO be better?
Sorry for all the questions but I thought I was looking after him better than it appears.

RO is not the proper water for a FW fish. The fact that your nitrates are 30, means there is some unremoved wastes in the tank still. No biggie, just do larger WC, that's all.

Are you vacuuming whenever you do the water changes, too?

He said he is.

Oh, sorry, missed that.