dead puffer

[DN530]

I had a dwarf puffer... it seemed really healthy. it ate snails and bloodworms daily. i found it dead today. it was puffed up and floating. i heard puffers can die when they puff up because its unhealthy for them. is this why it died? just curious.

 

[Teelie]

They puff up when stressed or scared so it's more a sign of a problem than a problem itself.

 

[Stryker]

They generally fear for their lives when they puff.

 

[myenigmaself]

More than likely you had an internal infection, rather than the fish actually puffing (it wouldn't be puffing if it was dead). Bloodworms regularly carry disease. I've learned this the hard way. Stick with a diet of snails, treats of brine shrimp, and if you are going to feed your fish bloodworms keep the worms isolated in a clean environment for as long as possible before feeding them to your fish.

EDIT:
Puffing water isn't a terribly bad thing. It's puffing air that's harmful. In most cases the stress that causes the fish to puff will be much more harmful than the puff itself.

 

[GP]

What about feeding the dwarfs just brine shrimp?