sick puffer - need help Home » Forums » 911 !! EMERGENCY Please Help Me!! Replies: 25   Pages: 2   Most recent reply posted by: Blue4beaches (Sep 12, 2003 6:46 PM)

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Replies: 25   Pages: 2   [ Go: 1 2 » ]

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 6:26 PM Reply I have a new 72 gallon saltwater aquarium that currently just contains 1 damsel, 1 porcupine puffer, and 2 snails. The pet store where I purchased the puffer was feeding him live goldfish (3-4 a day). He looked awesome! but when reading your website, I decided to change his diet to add more nutrition. Well, I tried everything frozen- mussel, krill, shrimp - but he would not eat anything except for live goldfish or crawfish. Today, I purchased some fresh mussels on the shell and some shrimp from the grocer. He just sniffed at the shrimp but did tear into the mussel (shell and all) - but only ate a few bites all together. Now he is now swimming around and looks like he is dying. It has only been about 1 1/2 hours since he ate the mussel. He is just sitting on the bottom and does not look good! I am afraid that he is dying. Is there anything that I can do?????

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 6:53 PM Reply Can anyone help me please? I think that he is choking or something.... He is looking worse by the minute~

Ananda Posts: 7,034 From: Chicagoland Registered: Nov, 2001 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:03 PM Reply Looking bad how?? He may be trying to pass the shell fragments... Wait. How "new" is this tank?? Your puffer should not be in a tank that hasn't cycled yet. Have you tested your water? Is your tank free of ammonia, nitrites, and are the nitrates 40 or less? If not, I would do a water change as soon as possible.

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:14 PM Reply New tank - probably 1 1/2 months. Tested nitrates last night - 10. Did 25% water change. Today, they are at 5.0. But he has looked good until right after he ate the mussel and shell.

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:17 PM Reply He's sitting on the bottom. His back is curved/hunched. He's not swimming around (or chasing the damsel as he usually does).

Ananda Posts: 7,034 From: Chicagoland Registered: Nov, 2001 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:23 PM Reply He's not a happy puff due to that shell fragment in his stomach. Try feeding him some shelled peas (the frozen kind) to give him some more bulk in his tummy to make it easier to pass the shell fragment. If he won't eat those, I've never heard of a puffer that turned down a piece of krill, whether it was the frozen or freeze-dried variety. Frozen/thawed shrimp (without the shell this once) might work, too, if you can't get someone to make a fish store run for you.

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:27 PM Reply Is he supposed to eat the shell on the mussel? If so (or if that is what they do in the wild), then won't this happen everytime that I feed him?

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:29 PM Reply He will not eat frozen krill - tried several times this week - he will suck it in and then just blow it back out. Also, right after I gave him the mussel, I also gave him a piece of shrimp, but he wouldn't eat it. Is he going to be all right?

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:30 PM Reply He's also having a hard time breathing now - his stomach is visibly inflating/deflating with every breath.

Ananda Posts: 7,034 From: Chicagoland Registered: Nov, 2001 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:53 PM Reply I did some research and emailed the cavalry (Kelly the Puffer Queen). Has the puffer managed to pass the shell fragment yet??

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:53 PM Reply Wait! he is swimming around a little now and pecking at the sand. I don't know if he is trying to eat something to help him pass the mussel shell or if he is looking for more pieces of the mussel (since I removed it).

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 7:56 PM Reply He's looking better! I don't know if he "passed" the shell yet or not! Was it a bad idea to give him the mussel shell??? I was just trying to find something more nutritious for him to eat.

Ananda Posts: 7,034 From: Chicagoland Registered: Nov, 2001 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 8:03 PM Reply If he's looking better, he probably passed the shell. Giving him mussels was not a bad idea -- but in the future, you might want to get the mussel out of the shell first! A variety of foods is the best diet for puffs.... did you check out the puffer feeding FAQ pages on WWM? Since he went for the mussel, you might be able to make other foods more enticing by soaking them in clam juice.

puffy Posts: 16 From: Columbus, Ohio Registered: May, 2003 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 8:08 PM Reply I read about the clam juice in the FAQs already- and actually purchased some today along with the mussels. Will try to add the clam juice to other foods - but so far he has refused krill, silversides, shrimp, and frozen mussel.

Ananda Posts: 7,034 From: Chicagoland Registered: Nov, 2001 Re: sick puffer - need help Posted: May 6, 2003 8:11 PM Reply I see you emailed the WWM crew... I get the majority of the puffer questions. I much prefer answering questions here, since if we're both online, the forum is quite a bit faster than email if I have questions!

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