Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => General Fishkeeping advice => Topic started by: Littlefish on April 25, 2016, 08:12:09 PM
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Has anyone ever seen this before? ???
One of the dwarf puffers I got a few weeks ago is slowly swimming around, generally investigating the plants and doing puffer stuff. Then it points itself nose down, continues turning on its vertical axis until its tail has gone all the way over, so it's basically upside down, then twists on its horizontal axis, so it's the right way up again, and continues on its was to the next thing to look at.
Is this a sign that the puffer is ill? :yikes:
Is it a sign that my puffer is going mad? :o
Is it a sign that I'm going mad? :P
Seriously, I've just watched it do three somersaults with a half twist in less than a minute.
Or is he just practising for the Rio Olympics?
:-\
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??? I'd love to see a video ... ;D
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I have just sat by the tank with my phone for 15 minutes and the sneaky little puffer is just pottering around like nothing happened. ???
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Hopefully it's not this but I've witnessed what you describe in severe cases of swimbladder malfunction in fancy goldfish. The fact that he seems to have recuperated so quickly is reassuring, though.
Keep an eye on him and, if it occurs again (or even if it doesn't), then I'd advise ensuring that the diet has a bit more of something in it that might induce a clearout of any potential intestinal blockage which can often press on the swimbladder. Chopped peas, spirulina and bloodworm is good for that in some fish - unsure about dwarf puffers, though.
Hope that helps, LF.
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Some of my fish do something similar - swimming with the nose in the substrate looking for food then spotting something interesting, investigating so that the head stops but the body carries on till the fish has turned on its back, then flipping over sideways to get the right way up. The honey gouramis used to to this regularly.
So the question is, was the puffer just swimming about or stopping to investigate something?
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...I've just watched it do three somersaults with a half twist in less than a minute.
Or is he just practising for the Rio Olympics?
:-\
(http://i.imgur.com/dMMgj3o.png)
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Thanks all for the advice and scores.
The puffers have bloodworm at least once a day, but I will see if I can get them interested in the other suggestions as well. Recently they have also had baby snails (apologies to those who have posted snail pictures), and live daphnia.
The first and second somersaults were while the puffer was looking at different plants, but the third was in open water.
He is still just pottering around the tank, I'll keep an eye on him, and attempt to film any more strange behaviour if it happens.
;D
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On a serious note I hope your puffer is ok, and it turns out to simply be a quirky sign of character :)
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Well, just before the somersaults said puffer had been surfing through the filter outflow wave, so perhaps he'd just given himself a surprise enema and was tying to use centrifugal force to clear out the excess water from the uncomfortable areas. :o
Well, it's possible. ???
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Male or female Donna? TBH I've seen my puffers go through some amazing acrobatics, I wouldn't worry too much. The tail bending is associated with mating so maybe you've a adolescent puffer just limbering up. The males literally turn on their tail to chase off a potential rival. For little aerodynamically challenged fishies, they can move very fast
Don't both with peas in this case, they'll just give you a what the heck look :)
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The problem with having 11 dwarf puffers in one tank is that it can sometimes be difficult to tell them apart. In a tank with lots of hides, it's also quite difficult to find them all. Breakfast time soon, so I'll check them all then.
The acrobatic one was either the littlest one from the first batch, or one of the second batch, because it wasn't big enough to have matured, so couldn't tell you the sex.
As the puffer seemed fine for the rest of the evening I'm hoping it was just investigative acrobatics, like Sue's honey gouramis.
Fiona, there has been a lot of tail bending from fish in the tank, and some chasing & nudging of females by the mature males, so I'm guessing that they are all limbering up for Spring. :)
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Our puffers haven't stopped dancing round the maypole ::) If I had a spare tank I'd be tempted to try and rescue the eggs. I know the female is laying but I've yet to see an egg, I'm guessing they're falling between the gravel.
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Well, I've never heard it called that before, but another one to make me laugh this morning. ;D
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All located puffers seem ok today.
Acrobatic puffer was at the front of the tank waiting for food and behaving impeccably.
I will be keeping a closer eye on these little ones for a while. :)