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If you are thinking about buying a puffer make sure you have a fully cycled tank. Ammonia and Nitrites are highly toxic to puffers. Do your research before you buy. What size tank does my
puffer need, is the puffer I want freshwater or brackish water? What food does my puffer need?
After you have done your research and your tank is cycled, then you are ready to bring your new puffer home.
When shopping for a puffer make sure your puffer is a healthy eater. Before you purchase a puffer have your LFS feed him/her. Watch the puffer's and pick the one that meets you at the glass. Look for a puffer with a nice rounded belly.
You have purchased your puffer and now you have him/her home. Here's what you do next. Give your puffer at least a week or two to get comfortable in his/her new home. Once your puffer is settled and eating well at his/her new home, it's time to start treatment for IP's. Geltek or Prazipro are two good dewormers that are safe for puffers. Some puffers are picky eaters
and do not like the taste of Prazipro. If this is the case get Geltek. I have found that even the pickiest eaters will eat food soaked in Geltek. Treat your puffer for at least 3 days in a row. Watch for stringy white pooh. This means your puffer has IP's. You can treat your puffer again in 3-4 weeks. You don't want to do too much at one time, it may cause your puffer to stop
eating.
Now that you have treated your puffer and you know what to watch for, here are some signs that your puffer may still have IP's. After your puffer eats does his/her belly look sunken in? If you answered yes, your puffer still has IP's.
Here's another sign that you will probably never hear about. You wait 3 days before feeding your puffer or your puffer has stopped eating. You notice that his/her belly has odd lumps. Did my puffer eat a snail? Probably not. Remember you have not fed or seen your puffer eat in days. His/her belly should be flat or emaciated, not lumpy. If your puffer has odd lumps on the belly area and they seem to change shape or move in any way, then your puffer may have a tapeworm. It's not something that you hear about often but it does happen. It is treatable
but it may take longer than the normal 3 day treatment. You may have to do the treatment twice, skipping one day between treatments. If this is what your puffer has it may take up to two weeks for him/her to completely pass the full worm. In order to help your puffer, treat the tank with epsom salt. Every 4th day do a large water change. No less than 50%. More is always better. Then repeat the treatment for 3 days. Once you start to see black pooh again, your puffer has passed the worm. You are now on your way to recovery.
Below is a photo of my puffer with tapeworms:
I posted this for two reasons.
1) Your puffer's belly should never look like this.
2) If you see something white coming from the puffers rear, treat it for IP's immediately.