Constipated Figure Eight Puffer?

[thetmaxx]

I had a Figure Eight Puffer for 4 Months. When I first got him and fed him, he was on brine shrimp... his belly got kinda puffed and bloated looking... My friend had aquired a figure eight puffer 2 days before,and said his did the same thing, so i thought it was normal. After two months of feeding him brine shrimp, i fed him blood worms for about a week, and then back to brine shrimp... then one day i noticed he would be swimming and then just flip over uncontrolably. and it got worse, to the point that he was belly up at the top of the tak, but still alive. I talked to a guy at petco who i have trusted for a year now with fish advise, and has always been rght, he said it might be constipation, and not to feed him for a week. the next morning i found him dead at the bottom of the tank puffed up really big. I have since noted that my friends puffers belly gets big when he eats, but through the day it receeds back to the normal shape, as well as the others at the pet store. but my puffer always had a big belly. I was also informed i shouldnt have had him on a all brine shrimp diet. could anyone here verify that this was constipation, and why wasnt his belly ever going back down in shape? was he doomed from the begining?

the loss of my puffer has caused a great sadening with me my mom, and my girl friend who named him "Puff Daddy" as 2 prior fish she named died. thank you!!!

 

[Menagerie]

[center:cd233d7af0] Welcome to AA, thetmaxx! [/center:cd233d7af0]
Oh dear, my condolences on the loss of your fish.
I don't keep puffers, but that just doesn't sound right. From what I know, their bellies should go back to normal after eating a meal. I have incorporated cooked, peeled peas into all my fishs' diets (those that will eat them ), which are great for bloat. Also, many people on this board do not believe brine shrimp are very nutritious, sort of like eating candy bars all the time. Blood worms have more protein than brine shrimp. All fish should be given a variety of foods. Most puffers would happily eat snails as part of their diet and it helps their beak.
Hopefully puffer owners will pop on and give their advice.

 

[sillyfishy]

I have 3 figure 8s and just rescued 5 baby leopard puffers from petco. I feed them brine shrimps, cocktail shrimps, and some times haddock, I have a saltwater tank they get that as a treat, but all my puffers get really fat after they eat. They are pigs! With the cocktail shrimps I can lift them out of the water with it cause they won't let go. The babies eat like the adults do. PIGS! 2 of the 8s are 2 years old. One has a large tumor on his head and its been there about 6 months but it just started getting bad, I don't give him long. so I got another one so the origanal wont get lonely when tumorhead goes. thats when i found the babies!! I don't think it was anything you did. puffer seem pretty tough. Try to rescue some from petco!
sorry about yours

 

[iheartmyfish]

i have a green spotted puffer, tequila. and as all puffers go- he is a piggy-piggy-pig! (but my columbian shark keeps up w/ him- its like an eating contest on feeding days) for his diet i have live snails, ghost shrimp, bloodworms, and plankton. he doesnt like the brine shrimp, go figure- he wants the fatty foods. and im going to be trying fresh clams in the half shell, theyre good to keep the beak worn, plus puffers love clams. i also want to try flakes at some point, ive heard that some puffers will eat them, though i doubt mine will. he doesnt eat the sinking shrimp pellets (broken up real small for him) or the 'spectrum' that the lfs told me he ate. and yes, while hes eating his fat tummy expands and makes him look that much cuter- but as the day progresses it shrinks back to normal.
i agree w/ sillyfishy, you did nothing to cause this and im sorry for your loss.