Yikes just noticed my puffer is really skinny! he has lost his lil rounded belly, and isnt looking the best, hes looking really dark. . Iv puts some melafix in his tank (panic med'ing!)

Iv just had a search on some american sites, and it seems this could be internal parasites. Anyone had any experience, or know a product that will help?

what food are you feeding him?

they need lots!! and lots!! of food!!!!

they only go fat when they have feed , if you dont feed them for a few days the tummy looks thin.

Mine would look thin if they'd gone 24 hours between feedings. And this is after eating about half their volume in blood worms.

he was getting regular frozen bloodworms, brineshrimp and a few other goodies, but his appetite seems to have gone.

iv been looking at him over the evening and his colour has returned. he ate some bloodworms... panic over.. hopefully\

thanks for the help!

Hi Doodle,

can you give us an update on how the puffer is going now? Is he/she still eating, and has that plump little belly of theirs returned?

The dark colouring generally means they are stressed (or not well)......

I wouldnt worry too much about them being skinny for a while,I read somewhere that these guys can go for about two weeks without feeding (but I wouldnt even think about not feeding them) I WOULD however have issues with loss of appetite........

Maybe your not aware of it, but Puffers need some form of "hard" foods for keeping their "beaks" filed down...for dwarf puffers- small snails do the trick.....if the beaks grow too much they will not be able to eat at all, which could lead to what you would think is a loss of appetite, and also the stress colouration....and eventually probably the death of the fish!

It is recommended that the puffers get this "hard" food once a week.....oh yeah,and it's fun to watch them circle around a snail like a pack of vultures!!!

ChrisMack

hi there

Little puffer is doing well. that night i seperated him from the main tank and checked on him a few hours later and his colour had returned and i offered him some frozen brine shrimp which he ate readily.

He has always had snails to eat, and yes its quite a sight!!

So maybe another fish was giving him a hard time or something, but hes healthy now