AydenLincoln
Pufferfish lover!
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2022
- Messages
- 7,144
- Reaction score
- 10,461
- Location
- Easton
- What state or country do you live in
- Pennsylvania
In the event anyone was wondering about Hewbie.
He is my porcupine pufferfish who I posted a few months back who got sick and went to the vet and was treated for an internal infection. He is eating and his energy is up which are both good things. But…he is still skinny which is super unhealthy for his size. I have over the past few months since the beginning of August tried to fatten him up. Feeding him multiple times a day did not seem to help appease his appetite and led to a decline in water quality. And if I overfed him he just sulks in the corner in a food coma and gets super unhappy. Like when you are stuff on Thanksgiving Day.
The vet really wants me to weigh him once a day for a week. I have not done this…yet because I think it would be too stressful for him to take him out of his tank daily especially being a pufferfish. I am still on the fence about whether or not if or when I do this because it would be a better comparison rather than me just looking at him and comparing photos. That being said…I am doing an experimental test of probiotics meant for fish. It is my opinion/evidence supported in aquacultured fishies that prolonged sickness and antibiotic treatment can lead to malnutrition/malabsorption. And it could have killed the good bacteria in his gut similar to what happens with humans. Even though it cured or seemed to have cured/fixed the issue that caused him to go upside down which I/his vet team will never know the exact cause. My biggest fear is he is actively dying or in a deficit or has some other unknown disease or factor then all of this would be for nothing and he could just end up dying anyway. I hope not! He is a fairly young puffer only guesstimated to be around 6ish…3 and a half of which I have had him for the rest of his time was in the big blue sea. My plan is to continue to use these probiotics it has only been a few days. I also will be sending his water out for sequencing to get a better idea of the microbiome and what is living in it as a whole. A better picture than what an ICP-OES or standard aquarium testing can reveal which was insignificant. I may send his DNA sample out too simply for my own curiosity. Thank you for all those who are invested in and adore this fish. He truly is the best little guy!
He is my porcupine pufferfish who I posted a few months back who got sick and went to the vet and was treated for an internal infection. He is eating and his energy is up which are both good things. But…he is still skinny which is super unhealthy for his size. I have over the past few months since the beginning of August tried to fatten him up. Feeding him multiple times a day did not seem to help appease his appetite and led to a decline in water quality. And if I overfed him he just sulks in the corner in a food coma and gets super unhappy. Like when you are stuff on Thanksgiving Day. The vet really wants me to weigh him once a day for a week. I have not done this…yet because I think it would be too stressful for him to take him out of his tank daily especially being a pufferfish. I am still on the fence about whether or not if or when I do this because it would be a better comparison rather than me just looking at him and comparing photos. That being said…I am doing an experimental test of probiotics meant for fish. It is my opinion/evidence supported in aquacultured fishies that prolonged sickness and antibiotic treatment can lead to malnutrition/malabsorption. And it could have killed the good bacteria in his gut similar to what happens with humans. Even though it cured or seemed to have cured/fixed the issue that caused him to go upside down which I/his vet team will never know the exact cause. My biggest fear is he is actively dying or in a deficit or has some other unknown disease or factor then all of this would be for nothing and he could just end up dying anyway. I hope not! He is a fairly young puffer only guesstimated to be around 6ish…3 and a half of which I have had him for the rest of his time was in the big blue sea. My plan is to continue to use these probiotics it has only been a few days. I also will be sending his water out for sequencing to get a better idea of the microbiome and what is living in it as a whole. A better picture than what an ICP-OES or standard aquarium testing can reveal which was insignificant. I may send his DNA sample out too simply for my own curiosity. Thank you for all those who are invested in and adore this fish. He truly is the best little guy!
