# Pufferfish HELP!!



## Lucas339 (Nov 9, 2008)

ive had this atlantic sharp nose puffer for about 4 years now. always been healthy and a great eater. in fact, like most puffers, he will eat anything. just recently i discovered that he was acting strange. when he "sleeps" he partialy inflates and pushes himself into a corner of the tank. well the other day, during daylight, he was still in the corner. this is extremly unusual for him. the next day i found him at the bottom of the tank next to the over flow (i have a 75 gallon with a built in overflow). at first i thought this was in inflation/deflation problem but now im not so sure. all my levels check out so its not a matter of water chemisty.

i should mention that i am a marine biologist and at work we grow algea. i brought some ulva home to feed them (awsome stuff if you have tangs!) and this started a few days after. i highly doubt it is some kind of parasite and im wondering if it is a digestive problem. there are no external abnormalities except that after further inspection i noticed that his gut looked extremely full which makes me think its a digestive problem.

im also unsure of pufferfish reproduction cycles. could this be a female full of eggs? i know that some animals can produce a clutch of unfertilized eggs and go through all the ovulation and other process associated with egg development.

any ideas on this?

sorry so long and thanks for any help

Lucas


----------



## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

hmmm... is it eating still?


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Did this fish EAT the Ulva, and if so how much, and has it ever eaten it in the past?
It could simply be constipated if it's not accustomed to a veggie rich diet.

The Ulva came from an algae culture tank, yes? Is anything else in that tank besides algae? Are there any toxic algae species in the culture system?

As for eggs, has anything ( temperature, chemistry, photoperiod ) in the tank, or diet, changed enough lately to cause ovulation? I don't think that's the problem, but it could be, I suppose.


----------

