R.I.P. Mr. Dwarf Puffer

[Big Vine]

Mr. Dwarf Puffer had a pinched belly and may have been suffering from internal parasites. We will never know for sure, because he was found dead today; his tail stuck under the operculum of a mystery snail. When I found him, his head was pointing straight up, and he was as white as a ghost.

Big Vine

 

[Limi310]

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that It really stinks when you lose one.
He did look like he might have been sick in that pic you posted the other day.
How are the other 2 doing?

 

[tubbs24]

I am sorry for your loss . It sucks when you loose a very cool fish like that

 

[cakelady204]

Sorry to hear that. Are you going to get another one to replace him?

 

[Smalltank3]

sorry for your lossI'm sure if I had a dwarf puffer and it died it would be pretty sad.

 

[Big Vine]

Thanks guys.
The two female puffers seem to be doing fine---even despite all the changes that have gone on in their tank as of late. All the bloody plants keep dying (I'm thinking maybe the bulb that came with the hood isn't all that great...maybe I'll pick up a new one ), so I've had to pull a bunch of them out. It looks a lot more bare than it did before, but so be it. There are only two puffers in there now anyway, so they should be just fine sharing that space together. I don't plan on replacing the male anytime soon, if ever.

I'll post pics in the "Rate My Tank" section.

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[MOsborne05]

Aww, sorry to hear you lost him. It probably was internal parasites and they are hard to treat because by the time you notice that it is IP, its normally too late. That's why I treated my puffs when I first got them as a preventative measure because most puffs have them. Luckily mine were captive bred, so that cut down the chance that they might have them. Wild caught puffs almost always have IP. If you do get another one, I would suggest treating it right away, as well as the two females that you currently have. It won't hurt them to treat them for IP even if they don't have them.

 

[Lotus]

Sorry to hear that

 

[Big Vine]

Thanks guys.

It probably was internal parasites and they are hard to treat because by the time you notice that it is IP, its normally too late.

Hehe...thanks for the tip. Actually, he may have eventually died of IP. In this case, however, he got stuck when a mystery snail closed its trap-door on him.

If you do get another one, I would suggest treating it right away, as well as the two females that you currently have. It won't hurt them to treat them for IP even if they don't have them.

Absolutely! I'll keep treating the two females for about a week or so.

Big Vine

 

[MOsborne05]

He was probably already dead when the snail got him, unless you witnessed it. Snails normally won't bother fish until they are dead or dying, then they are all over them

 

[Big Vine]

He was probably already dead when the snail got him, unless you witnessed it. Snails normally won't bother fish until they are dead or dying, then they are all over them

Could be...seems strange that the snail(s) wouldn't have been feeding on it though.

Then again, I would think the odds of a reasonalby-healthy DP (which mine may not have been, despite swimming just fine) being so slow as to get caught partially inside of a snail would be quite slim.

All I know is that the DP had its tail clamped shut just inside of the snail's shell, and his head was facing the ceiling. I had kinda figured that the DP was nipping at the snail right as the snail decided to close shut, and then the DP turned around (to swim away) just in time to have his tail end clamped into the snail's shell...maybe that is a little far-fetched though. Now that I think about it more, you're probably right MOsborne.

Big Vine

 

[MOsborne05]

That's normally what happens. My last betta started acting a little lethargic a few months after I got him. I went to check on him the next day and couldn't find him anywhere. Then I noticed a pile of snails on the bottom of the tank, and my beloved betta was underneath them. They had already devoured his fins and were starting on his body I know that they wouldn't have killed him but they definitely took full advantage once he was dead.