Golden Puffer acting oddly?

[PacsAdmin77]

Hi All,

Since changing out the activated carbon (Chemi-Pure) in my DT two days ago, I’ve noticed that my Golden Puffer hasn’t been himself. He’s been more lethargic than usual, he’s breathing harder, refused to eat, and now he’s sporting a swollen abdomen. I’ve had him for almost 3 weeks and he’s been eating/swimming fine prior to the carbon swap. Is this cause for concern??!

 

[Thomashtom]

How long is he not eating?

 

[PacsAdmin77]

How long is he not eating?

He hasn’t eaten for about 2 days

 

[AlexG]

Any updates on this puffer? I have had mine go up to a week without eating before. I at least once case I knew the puffer swallowed part of a shell which took some time to work its way through their system.

 

[PacsAdmin77]

Any updates on this puffer? I have had mine go up to a week without eating before. I at least once case I knew the puffer swallowed part of a shell which took some time to work its way through their system.

I finally noticed it eating some regular mysis and scallops (from LRS Chunky) a few days ago. So in total, it had gone over 2 weeks w/o eating. Which is totally crazy, because my moray eel is the only other one that would go w/o eating for so long. In any case, the poor puffer is really skinny so I have to do my best to bulk it up again. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to feed a puffer that’s gone without food for so long?

 

[AlexG]

I generally feed my puffers whole uncooked, unpeeled, deveined shrimp. I just thaw them out and feed with tongs so I have some control over who is eating the shrimp. I also rotate feeding live clams and squid in addition to the other foods I feed. It is important that your puffer is eating some harder materials such as exoskeleton from a shrimp as it helps with their digestive system. My porcupine puffer will always eat the tail of the shrimp and swallow it down after some chewing. My dogface puffer will also happily eat exoskeleton. I have even had them eat pieces of clam shells. Its also important for their teeth to be worked with some harder foods as they never stop growing. If you can't wear their teeth naturally they can over grow and eventually the puffer will not be able to eat. The only other option with overgrown teeth is to do a surgery to grind them down. Another trick I learned was if they are not eating you can get some freshwater crayfish and declaw them before feeding them to the puffer. Its a nice once in a while treat for them.

 

[Feet4Fish]

Sorry to revive an old thread. Did you ever determine what was wrong with him? Why the swollen abdomen. Mine looks and acts the same way starting yesterday.

 

[Feet4Fish]

Mine this morning

 

[Feet4Fish]

Intestinal blockage? Epsom salts?

 

[PacsAdmin77]

Sorry to revive an old thread. Did you ever determine what was wrong with him? Why the swollen abdomen. Mine looks and acts the same way starting yesterday.

Unfortunately, mine passed away in December 2019 without a clear cause of death. I’ve tried Epsom salt and green peas to treat a potential intestinal blockage but they didn’t do much. Eventually, I’d made an appointment with a fish vet but they only offered me several syringes of antibiotics to administer as treatment. I was about to give the 2nd dose when the GP expired. I’d waited too long to consult this fish vet. My only advice is for you to seek professional veterinarian help who specializes in fish care ASAP. Best of luck!

 

[lion king]

Sorry to revive an old thread. Did you ever determine what was wrong with him? Why the swollen abdomen. Mine looks and acts the same way starting yesterday.

How long have you had him and what are you feeding him? Maintaining reef levels of mg and boosting up to 1400ppm is a safer way to help with digestion. Mg is the reason people recommend epsom salts. Puffers do suffer from blockages caused by diet and them crunching around the substrate and such. They also come in with internal parasites frequently, so if you've had him for even as long as a couple of months, this could be a contributing factor.

 

[Feet4Fish]

How long have you had him and what are you feeding him? Maintaining reef levels of mg and boosting up to 1400ppm is a safer way to help with digestion. Mg is the reason people recommend epsom salts. Puffers do suffer from blockages caused by diet and them crunching around the substrate and such. They also come in with internal parasites frequently, so if you've had him for even as long as a couple of months, this could be a contributing factor.

thanks so much for the information. Will do just that to Mg levels in DT. Moved him this morning to a 55 for easier dosing. Does general cure this morning in water column as no interest in food. Will redose Thursday.