What is wrong?

Kelso

Again. Another one of my puffers had to be put to sleep today. First it was my one Dwarf Puffer, now my Amazon puffer...exact same symptoms...he was absolutely fine yesterday...turned on the lights today, lethargic swimming, darkened coloration, wouldn't eat. Few hours later, hovering near the surface. Come back home, lying on the ground belly up. I grab him, he's still breathing. I had to put him to sleep. No physical signs of trauma, all my water params are the same as usual - 0, 0, ~25, pH 6.2. I did a water change of about 33% on wednesday and I put the temp down about a degree and half last night. I don't get it. I don't get it at all. What did I do wrong? How can the exact same thing happen in two different tanks to two different species? Am I stupid?

Angel079

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that!!!

I'm not sure about their avg age when kept in tanks but could it be simply a matter of them both being too old???

Kelso

Well, I know the Dwarf Puffer was VERY young when I got him because he wasn't much bigger than my pinky nail, and I saw him grow up to be the one and quarter inch monster that he was. He couldn't have been more than a few months old.

The amazon puffer was full grown when I bought him, but they live up to ten years in captivity. Granted he is wild caught so we don't know his age, however if the fish was old, how could it be perfectly healthy looking one day to dying the next?

Angel079

You know like 3 months back where my pleco was swimming around neighbor gal was watching him for ever here and BAM next thing you know he was floating dead just like that no external signs nadda......There's sooooooo many possible internal sicknesses that we won't see nor able to test for on a fish much like in a human for all we know all these cases had a heart attack or stroke or whatever.

Unless you'd be able to take them both to a place that does indeed to fish autopsy (sp?) you won't ever know what caused it.

Kelso

Oh yeah! I do remember you telling us that story! Well, whatever it was was causing him a lot of stress...his color was so dark and splotchy. =( Poor guy. I really loved him.

Romad

Sorry Kelso - that's a tough one. But sometimes you just never know and it sounds like you're doing everything right. That's all you can do.