My New Dwarf Puffer

[jennybugs]

He will...give it time

It's always a very good idea to have packs of frozen bloodworm in the freezer just in case you can't get live ones

 

[razer121]

well i have freeze dried blocks but they just float at the top.....and he dont want to know it

 

[lilacamy931]

Jennybugs has you covered hon! Congrats on the new puff he is adorable, he does need fattening up though. Dont worry just keep enticing him, mine were funny at first but came round. The freeze dried blocks, try soaking them?

He is absolutely adorable and can see why you fell in love

With the snails, go with what jennybug says, the small they love, the big they pick at to death and then wont eat and it will foul your water.

 

[jennybugs]

well i have freeze dried blocks but they just float at the top.....and he dont want to know it

Freeze dried isn't as nourishing as frozen foods. My puffs won't touch that either

 

[razer121]

thanks for the input guys, im still struggling to get him to eat....ive noticed he is "darting" around the tank now? is this normal for them? the last food i can think of now is the live bloodworms in that tube thing....ive just got to hope my post will come now poor little guy....

 

[Evobe]

thanks for the input guys, im still struggling to get him to eat....ive noticed he is "darting" around the tank now? is this normal for them? the last food i can think of now is the live bloodworms in that tube thing....ive just got to hope my post will come now poor little guy....

Have you tried a slice of cucumber ? its the type of thing you would feed a Corydor but its worth a try ?

 

[lesleyanndunn]

ive just bought 2 dps on friday, and they are in a 65l tank of their own.

i havent seen them eating yet, and ya try not to panic!

am used to fish eating as soon as you put in tank! but having dps is worse than having a baby!

i have ordered some live daphnia for mine to see if entices them to eat, as one of mine is smaller and very thin

im hoping to get them eating soon.

should you treat for IP as a matter of precaution?

and anyone have a link etc for ordering some small snails? i cant find any only medium sized

 

[razer121]

thanks for the replys so far guys...still cant get him to eat and he really is starting to look unhealthy now...cucumber didnt work, i dont have any garlic so i cannot soak it in that...ive no idea what to do im really starting to get abit worried now, im also going to move him over into the main community tank (spliter is there)

do you think this will be ok?? i pretty much have no other option as i moved the room around and need to make room for my 60 litre tank lol lets hope the new home is good enough...

 

[jennybugs]

With the divider there he should be fine as he can't get stressed and see the other fish What's the filtration like in that bigger tank?

He won't touch cucumber or any other veg so no point trying that - pufferfish are carnivores! You can buy some fresh garlic, crush that so the juice comes out and then soak the food in it if you don't have garlic juice to hand.
Have you wormed him for IPs yet? I think that will be a good idea if he still looks sunken bellied.

What food have you tried him on apart from cucumber? Have you been able to get live bloodworms yet? Frozen cube food?

 

[razer121]

well, ive been worried about treating him....i have the med here but im so unsure on doing it as i cannot be sure if he has any worms right?? and to be honest, he is not eating im exspecting him to be slim, but if im being a total idiot then tell me and i will take the advice and treat him before i move him over

on a side not the food.....

ive tryed

dried blood worm

bloodworm in a cube (not sure what its called)

a fish pellet (veg one)

cucumber

snails (which he is now just leaving alone!)

i do have some pellets i feed to my cichlids which i could try? or is there no point...ive no idea when my live bloodworms will get here...post has only just started to pick up again! im really hoping they get here tomoz...

 

[jennybugs]

Forget the dried bloodworm, veg pellets and cucumber. The cube of bloodworms I take it is kept in the freezer? That's ok to be fed. I tend to use frozen foods and pop a cube in a cup with tank water. Let that thaw then rinse through a tea strainer and pop in the cup again with more tank water and feed using a pipette.
You can soak this food in vitamins or garlic juice, and I urge you to try the garlic juice.
What wormer have you got? The one I recommended? If so, although it's not good to medicate unnecessarily, the Wormer Plus will not harm him if you dose his tank while he's on his own. Other meds I won't comment on as I haven't used them.

With the divider, make sure it;s tall enough out of the water for the puff not to be able to jump over it. These guys can really leap if they need/want to - I had one leap out of a big jug once and that was within two secs of it going in there!

 

[razer121]

its cube blocks of freeze dried tubifex, no i cannot find it localy im going to attempt with the treatment i use (works with all my other fish and recommended alot) will start the treatment today, ive got to keep the tank cycled though so ive got some more media in my main tank which i can use to top it all back up, how can i feed using a pipette? he just swims of and darts across the tank when i go in it

p.s divider is fine, tall enough and has a thing on the top so even if he could jump high enough he would hit the plastic cover lol

""edit""
whilst putting his med in his tank i noticed some very DIFFERENT behavour from my little dwarf.....not only did he come to the side of the tank and stay put for me...

but he let me take some pictures! now you can see what i mean by how much of bad shape he is in...i mvoed my room around last night and since then he has totaly changed, normaly when i open the tank lid he hides away...but today he was at the top of the tank!! watching every move i did, very cute indeed i just wish he would eat something, i tryed feeding with a pipette failed at first as i had no idea how to keep the food on the end but i got it! but he refused any food i offered him... and still stuck on the live bloodworms they have not arrived

 

[lilacamy931]

oh hon, he is looking in poorly shape. Have you managed to get any dewormer?? Try soaking the food in some garlic juice? Get a bulb and crush it, then soak anything you have in it and try and tempt him x

 

[jennybugs]

He needs worming asap imho. It's worth a try as he doesn't look any plumper than when you first got him.

Feeding with a pipette is as easy as it sounds, but I'd stop trying to feed with freeze dried foods as this guy needs live and frozen foods to build him up, and they are much better for him. Defrost as I described and then suck some of the food into the pipette. Put the pipette near the outflow of the filter and squirt a little of the food into the flow. Hopefully the movement will get the fish's interest and he'll chase it round the tank.
Do the same with live foods too.

If he still won't eat then you need Garlic Guard from Seachem or fresh garlic to crush up and soak foods in. This makes the food ultra tasty to the fish and will entice it to eat.

I defrost my food and keep it in the fridge in a plastic sealable container. It will keep for a couple of days like this and can also be fed to other fish too.

 

[razer121]

well, ive already started this treatment....so im going to have to wait for this one to finsh (it takes a week) im going to have to look back in the thread and find that site again lol, ive added a fake plant to dense his tank up alot more...i tryed to offer him a snail....and he put his nose up at it!! ive no idea whats up with this guy but he does come to the tank now every time im near and the top lol he also followed my hand in the tank when i was plantin! so cool....but! i have a problem....a BIG problem

no lfs near me sells live food!! there use to be one but they have stoped selling it.....im sure i can get frozen stuff but i need that live food, do you know of any decent sites i can trust to get some from?? or is there a way i can grow any myself?? thanks!

""edit""

that wormer is for discus?? is that the right stuff??? well to make it easier, is this the right one i need?

http/wormerplus.co.uk/shop/index.php?productID=5