Dwarf puffer dying

Only noticed the day before yesterday he didn't want to eat.

Yesterday he went from bad to worse when I saw he was super bloated and disoriented. I did a water change and added some Epsom salt in case he might be constipated. Doesn't seem to have any effect so far.

This morning I saw him lying on his back. Thought for sure he was dead but flipped up again when I gave him a fright. Now he tolls around and lies on his back. Any ideas on what the cause of his soon to be death could be?...or is there still something I can try as a last resort?

Poop - didn't see any
Tank mates - the other 3 dwarf puffers seem to be doing just fine
Food - frozen blood worms once a day
Filter - built in filter with charcoal

 

Hi Jenny

Its really difficult to make a diagnosis with this info, unfortunately
How long have you had these puffers?
What are your water parameters like?(puffers are notoriously sensitive to nitrates and the like)
It might also be internal parasites

(out of interest, how often do you change the charcoal? IMO its not the best thing to use on a maintenance basis, rather for temporary use, like removing medications etc)

Kind regards

 

I unfortunately don't have the test kits with me at the moment to test the water parameters. I've had that dp for about 6 months. When I got them, they were treated for internal parasites. And they were fat within a few weeks. Haven't changed the charcoal in a while now. Doubt that would have caused this though.

 

Try and feed some snails to them once a week minimum. They really like to eat them. I'm talking about those small snails we find on plants.

 

I remember wanting to own a few of these little guys. The store owner advised against it. He said they are EXTREMELY sensitive to stress and water parameters.

Nitrates affect them allot from what i researched in the past.

Good luck, hope he pulls through somehow.