# Dwarf Puffer not eating, now emaciated :(



## aschaal03 (Feb 2, 2009)

I have 5 dwarf puffers in a 15gallon tank, all juveniles. One of them (the smallest) has stopped eating (for the past 5 days). I didn't panic as I thought it may be eating some of the blackworms from the substrate overnight or in the mornings when I wasn't watching. Today I looked at it, and it's super emaciated. You can actually tell where the bones behind the gills are as they stick out . I feed them mostly live blackworms with a few snails thrown in once or twice a week. The skinny one has been ignoring all food, preferring to swim along the glass ALL THE TIME. Now it has started lying on the bottom of the tank, breathing rather heavily. I'm pretty sure it's dying. :icon_cry:

It went downhill so rapidly. The only thing I noticed is the lack of appetite, and now all of a sudden it's close to death. It may be too late for him, but I'd like to try something tonight if I get a response. These are my first dwarf puffers and I've had them for about 3 weeks. All others seem to be fat and happy.
Tank params:
pH:7.8
dGH:12
dKH:2
nitrate:~15

Has some live plants, including a big bunch of hornwort that takes up half the tank to make them feel secure.


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## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

It's probably too late if he's laying on the bottom. But I've had a lot of luck feeding them frozen bloodworms. 

Your nitrate is 15ppm because you're dosing N?


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## FastFly67 (Mar 10, 2009)

i feed my puffers at work small pond snails, ghost shrimp, feeder fish, freeze dried bloodworms and freeze dried krill. I would try isolating him and target feeding him. If he's emaciated he might not have enough energy to fight for his share of the food.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Frozen (thawed) mysis shrimp and also clams and mussels tend to go over well with puffers.

They're also prone to internal parasites.

I agree you should QT him and try to get him eating. If you can get him to eat, you may also want to try to treat for interal parasites.


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## aschaal03 (Feb 2, 2009)

Well, he was lying on a sword leaf near the top of the tank and I dropped a worm right in front of his face...he looked at it a few times but never made any kind of move to eat it. So I grabbed a snail from the tank downstairs and dropped it on the same leaf in front of him. Same outcome.

I will set up the QT tonight just to get him away from the other puffers. Every time he lays on the substrate, they pick at him and he has to bolt away. That has to be stressful.

He still has the energy to swim along the glass, he seems to do it in spurts now. I have some freeze dried blood worms, freeze dried krill, and freeze dried brine shrimp. I'll try those along with the snails and a couple live blackworms...wish him luck.  What's a good medication for IP when the fish don't eat flakes? :confused1:

Frosty: yes.  I do a 5gal water change once a week 75%RO/25%tap approx. so their water is clean, no worries.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You can get liquid praziquantel and metronizadole at some LFSs, and soak the food in that.

Won't do any good if he's not eating, though...


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## aschaal03 (Feb 2, 2009)

That's the issue..I haven't seen any of them take anything that isn't alive yet. I've tried all the freeze dried things listed and none of them ate it. Only snails and live blackworms.

He's in the hosp. tank now...I'll be surprised if he makes it till morning. Put about 5 snails in there, maybe he'll eat if he's alone. *fingers crossed*


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

Sounds like an internal parasite. Might want to mix your food with garlic puree from now on.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

*puffers*

u said u had them about 3 weeks.

was this a new tank?

was it already cycled?

baby puffers like brine shrimp and frozen blood worms and mine loves pond snails.

i did lose two also in the begining. i think they like to be alone(no other puffers in the tank) 

i believe mine killed his tank mates.


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## aschaal03 (Feb 2, 2009)

I would love to give them some medicated food..if they'd only eat it 
The smallest puffer died this morning. He didn't eat anything I put in that tank with him. How do you train puffers to take freeze dried foods?

Yes it was a new tank when I put them in, yes it was cycled. I took filter media and a bio wheel from my main tank, and filled it with my main tank's water. I put about 2ppm of ammonia in it to make sure it was cycled...it was. So I did a 50% water change, next day added the puffers.

The other four seem to be fat and happy. I never see any aggression between them other than at feeding time. The biggest one hovers over the food keeping everyone else away from it till he's done. lol.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

*puffers*

my bloodworms and brine shrimp are frozen. i cut a small piece off then put it in a cup with some of my aquarium water to unthaw it. then when i pour it into the tank all my fish chase the food. 


its a race...lol

good luck with your puffers.....dont give up. they are so expressive and cute.


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## aschaal03 (Feb 2, 2009)

Oh I'm no where near giving up. I love these guys, they're hilarious. It's so cute when they sleep, they all sleep in the jungle of hornwort. They have little "beds" that they rest on where the leaves are gathered.

I'm going to the LFS today, so I'll pick up some frozen bloodworms and try those. Maybe they just don't like freeze dried stuff?


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## Preeths (Jan 29, 2008)

Try feeding raw/semi boiled egg yolk. It may be able to consume this more easily than any other type of food. Better do this in a QT tank, as you will be doing a lot of WC's with this kind of food.


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## CrazyPlantLady (May 21, 2009)

aschaal03 said:


> Tank params:
> pH:7.8
> dGH:12
> dKH:2
> nitrate:~15


What are your ammonia and nitrite readings?


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## SteveMcQueen (Apr 29, 2009)

Am I the only one that thinks 5 puffers in a 15 gallon tank seems like quite a lot? I usually only see people with ten gallons putting in a maximum of two dwarf puffers, so I would image a 15 could only cope with 3 living in comfort. My 20 only has 3 and they seem to be pretty chill and even started eating dried bloodworms in addition to the normal freezed ones.


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## aschaal03 (Feb 2, 2009)

They require 3-5 gallons of water per puffer. I planted the tank pretty heavily with mostly hornwort + a couple rock caves which gives them plenty of places for privacy. I have seen zero aggression between them besides at feeding time, and then they're all talk. They spend most of their time together in a fairly tight puffer "school", actually. Going back and forth across the tank together. Only time I see them very far apart is when they're all sleeping in their hornwort beds.
Even so, I'm not going to add another. It would again be smaller than the rest and could very well get picked on. So it'll be 4 to the 15gal.

nitrite + ammonia are both 0.


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## CrazyPlantLady (May 21, 2009)

aschaal03 said:


> They require 3-5 gallons of water per puffer.


I agree its not overstocked. I've kept 8 in a 29 gallon with no issues (all from the same captive bred batch, so they grew up together) for years. I would not have added to that for space reasons, but also because the newcomer would likely get picked on.



aschaal03 said:


> nitrite + ammonia are both 0.


I think you can safely rule out anything you may be doing wrong. Other than being internal parasites, I'm not sure what else to suggest. Sounds like you are doing the best you can by the sick one. I hope he makes it.

If he does, be watchful when adding him back with the others so he doesn't get picked on. Maybe rearrange things a bit so they'd be more worried about where things are now than picking on the 'newcomer' in the tank.


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## aschaal03 (Feb 2, 2009)

CrazyPlant: Thank you for the reassurance and help. The sick puffer died the morning after I moved him to the hospital tank. I put 2 live blackworms, a number of snails, and a couple freeze dried bloodworms in the tank. When I looked in the morning they were all untouched. Still have no idea what caused him to go downhill so quickly, but the other 4 are doing great. I'm keeping a close eye on them in the meantime, and trying to get them to eat freeze dried foods.
Thanks again, everybody.


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## ILikePlants (Jun 1, 2009)

So sorry to hear about your loss :frown:. I think you did all that you could for him/her. Obviously you cared a great deal to try to find answers when things were going badly for him.

I hope the rest will be ok. Be sure to clean the hospital tank out well so nothing gets transmitted to another fish down the road.

Since you have young puffers, can you tell their genders yet? Males sometimes get into scuffles as they age and assert their dominance over territory.


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