Puffer problem, he puffed and is not doing good

[mamapuff]

Ok so a friend came over last night and stuck his face in front of my puffer, and for the first time in the years that I have had him, he puffed. Kinda. He's so fat that it looked like a half puff. He's not used to big bearded people sticking their face in his home. Well, he never calmed down.He deflated, but he's been breathing heavy ever since and is super stressed. I did a 50% WC and I added a few ghost shrimp for him today which he has NEVER turned down. He wont touch them. I added Microb Lift Herbtana because I thought something was eating his tail and was told that it was safe for FW and SW. He reacted horribly to it. The shrimp all started darting around and he turned almost black and was twitching and thrashing. I did another WC this time about 80% and then just added prime and salt. He has calmed down and returned more to his normal color. But he's still breathing so hard. Earlier it looked like he had a swollen eye but when I moved him I think it was just his fat folded around his face. He is the only one in his tank besides the one ghost shrimp I left in as a tester. He's no longer thrashing about either.The others went down the drain. I have turned his lights off and left him alone. I can't think of anything else to do. Any advice?

The first pic is him puffed up.
The second is him right after he deflated.
The third is tonight after the second water change. Obviously very stressed. Big color change.
The fourth is his tail.
The fifth is him from a different angle.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Well his tail is definitly ratty. Add Melafix, it should sooth him all over. Use it daily for a week or until his tail is completely healed. Keep the lights off & keep the traffic around his tank to a minimum. He doesn't have to eat every day, so I'd not offer him any food tomorrow. What other foods do you offer him?

This belongs in the puffer forum.

 

[mamapuff]

Well his tail is definitly ratty. Add Melafix, it should sooth him all over. Use it daily for a week or until his tail is completely healed. Keep the lights off & keep the traffic around his tank to a minimum. He doesn't have to eat every day, so I'd not offer him any food tomorrow. What other foods do you offer him?

This belongs in the puffer forum.

Ok, first thing tomorrow I will grab a bottle. Do I need to do water changes everyday as well, in between the doses? Thanks for the input. Mods, can you move to the correct place? Sorry What is the difference between the Pimafix and Melafix?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Melafix is for minor skin infections, abrasions & all around better healing. Also for stress. Pimafix if for fungus. I don't see any of that. You don't need to do WC, unless the parameters are off. What are they now? You could add an airstone, as Melafix can deplete O2 faster. How big is his tank? Is he alone?

 

[mamapuff]

Melafix is for minor skin infections, abrasions & all around better healing. Also for stress. Pimafix if for fungus. I don't see any of that. You don't need to do WC, unless the parameters are off. What are they now? You could add an airstone, as Melafix can deplete O2 faster. How big is his tank? Is he alone?

He is in a 20 long. He is by himself because he tends to kill everyone around. His ph is at 7.2, his nitrates at 5ppm, 0 nitirites and the ammonia at 0. His diet is mainly guppies, rosies, ghost shrimp, snails, and sometimes bloodworms. He won't eat worms, market shrimp, krill or anything else. Thanks for the clarification on the two meds. I will add the airstone back in when I start the treatment tomorrow. He is still breathing hard right night but not nearly as bad as he was. The tail is a little redder in the pic because the ghost shrimp were nibbling on him.

 

[Pufferpunk]

The tail is a little redder in the pic because the ghost shrimp were nibbling on him.

Yeah... I'd get those creatures out of there then. I also highly suggest feeding so many fish to your puffer. This can result in fatty liver disease. Are you raising these yourself? Because if not, you have a whole ton of other diseases to worry about. Rosies & guppies are better than feeder GF but still not the best diet. You need to get him on dead foods.

http://www.**************.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Freshwater/T_Palembangensis/

http://www.**************.com/forum/library/category/feeding/

 

[mamapuff]

I no longer see the tester shrimp, so I think he ate that one. About half the guppies he gets are from my own stock, so he is prone to disease. After the melafix, (literally after about 2 minutes) he calmed a little more. His tail is no longer red. He's still huffing, but i covered his tank, and am keeping his lights off. He has slowed his breathing more than yesterday and his coloring has returned a bit more.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Did you read those articles I linked?

 

[mamapuff]

Did you read those articles I linked?

Yes, I read thru it. Thank you for them. I am still nervous that he won't accept non live. He's looking better today. His coloration is coming back. His tank is still covered with the lights off, and I will continue the treatment.