Help-Is this Dogface Puffer pregnant?

[Dundermifflin]

I've had many Dogface Puffers before, but never I have I seen them puff up like this. They usually are more round and symmetrical. This one looks to be expanding in a more specific area and more defined. Could this one be pregnant?

If so, how do I handle this? Do I put the Dogface in a QT? What if she drops eggs-do I put those in the QT as well?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Have you wormed it? Puffers are known to be full of intestinal worms.

Also how long has your tank been setup? Your rocks sure are white.

 

[Martini5788]

Yeah I would definitely do a couple rounds of food soaked in prazipro. What I normally do with my puffers, is get some clams or oysters from the store and inject them with 0.5 ml of prazipro. Some of it will be expelled during the chewing. But I would definitely deworm first. And I would probably do it in a qt, so you can remove the worms as they come out. While it is possible that the puffer is pregnant, I would rule out a large parasite
Load first. And it's really important to do that with all puffers regardless of how they look

 

[cloak]

Has it always looked like this or just recently? A puffer looking a little puffy doesn't sound that odd to me. Is it eating well? Is it behaving normally otherwise?

There should be all kinds of information regarding puffers in the link below.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/puffcareinfo.htm

 

[Dmorty217]

Not pregnant BTW

 

[heathlindner25]

I have no idea what is wrong, but something is definitely wrong with that fish

 

[Martini5788]

When my brackish water puffers have parasites, they can carry the weight that way. After thinking about it,
My main concern is going to be impaction. Is it pooping normally? Because of their diet, puffers get stopped up pretty frequently. I would try feeding it some peas to help
Move everything through. But it may need a more serious intervention than that.

 

[Dundermifflin]

Tank has been up for a year. It's a pretty clean tank. Very good flow, Vertex Omega 150 skimmer, Empire Aquatic 40W UV, water changes every 2 weeks. I also QT everything for at least 4 weeks and treat with at least Prazi.

I took video and slowed it down and it didn't look to be round eggs. What's coming out looks like it may be crushed rock. Which would be consistent with the non-symmetrical shape of the bulge in the belly.

The puffer is eating and moving around like nothing is bothering him/her. Puffer might be chewing some of the rock. I feed the tank clams every so often, but haven't in a while. Need to get some in there again.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

If you've never wormed your puffer you really need to do so! You can use Prazipro, it's completely reef safe and effective.

 

[Martini5788]

Tank has been up for a year. It's a pretty clean tank. Very good flow, Vertex Omega 150 skimmer, Empire Aquatic 40W UV, water changes every 2 weeks. I also QT everything for at least 4 weeks and treat with at least Prazi.

I took video and slowed it down and it didn't look to be round eggs. What's coming out looks like it may be crushed rock. Which would be consistent with the non-symmetrical shape of the bulge in the belly.

The puffer is eating and moving around like nothing is bothering him/her. Puffer might be chewing some of the rock. I feed the tank clams every so often, but haven't in a while. Need to get some in there again.

Yeah they will chew on the rock to trim their teeth, probably just got stuck. Frozen peas will really help move things along. I usually deworm my puffers 2-3 times a year. They seem to have a constant parasite load, so that's why I deworm multiple times to keep it low. I also feed oysters all the time( I live in South Carolina, so I can collect 24 a day), but they scrape their teeth along the shell of the oyster trying to get the meat which really helps as well.

 

[Dundermifflin]

What is the deworming process? Is it more than just a treatment of Prazi? Do they need to be removed from the DT and put into a QT for this?

 

[Martini5788]

Help-Is this Dogface Puffer pregnant?

What is the deworming process? Is it more than just a treatment of Prazi? Do they need to be removed from the DT and put into a QT for this?

For intestinal parasites, treating the food is much more effective. Praziquantel is a very safe medication and its lethal dose is very high. So you can soak mysis shrimp in a few drops of prazi, or you can inject a clam, oyster, raw table shrimp, with a few drops of prazipro in it. The method of action for praziquantel is that it initially works as a paralytic for certain types of worms. So the worm is no longer able to maintain its hold on the gi tract and is passed out in feces. BUT unless the worm is submerged in a solution of praziquantel for 48 hours, it will not die. So if you want to just treat the food, I would put the puffer in a qt tank and treat the food of your choice with prazi. Do that for 3 days and then place back in dt. Another option is fenbendazole, levimasole. These meds actively kill the worms instead of just paralyzing them. You would also treat the food with these meds. I usually flip flop between fenbendazole and prazi. So initially I do prazi, a few months later I do fenbendazole, and so on. Keep in mind that fenbendazole is probably a bad idea to use in the main because it could kill off beneficial worms in the substrate, rocks, etc.

In addition, if you move to the qt tank( which I would recommend) you can add some Epsom salt, which I have read can also help move the rocks and stuff through. Definitely feed some peas though, you want to get that stuff out
Of there before it impacts and you are forced to do an enema.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I would think it a good idea to also treat the tank with Prazi so to kill any worms or larvae that are in the water column that would be reinfecting the fish.