Puffer acting funny

My Puffer fish is acting very lethargic.  He won't eat and sleeps all day.  He hasn't moved in 24 hours.  Usually he gets very excited when I feed frozen food and even swims around my hands and plays with me.  He did not come out to eat, so I brought the food to him.  I "picked him up" and put the food right in front of him and nothing.  He didn't fight or eat.  I let him go and he just slowly sank back to the bottom of the tank.  He just sits on the substrate.  I have not had him but maybe a month.  I know he's alive becuase I can see him breathing and his fins moving a little.  About a week ago I added an anemone to the tank.  

55 gallon tank, been established almost 10 years.  Sand as substrate.  About 40 pounds of live rock in the tank.

Water parameters:

nitrites:0

nitrates: 0

Alkalinity: 300

PH: 8.2

Salinity: 1.026

water temp: 79 degrees

Feeding: flakes twice a day- once a day soaked in GVH(garlic, vitamins, and HUFAs) and once a day soaked in Selcon.  Feeding algae on the clip once a day and then either frozen food or live food once a day (night).  Frozen food is either: Krill, myesis shrimp, squid, brine shrimp, or live brine shrimp.  

We started the soaking with the selcon and GVH just last week.  

Tank mates:

clown fish pair

Koran angel (juvenile)

damsel

inverts:

anemone

hermit crabs

cowry snail

bumblebee snails

everyone else is happy (except the Koran has HLLE since we got him, hense the supplements)  

I use carbon in my filter as I have an emperor filter system.  I have a power head that circulates water that I turn on about 6 hours a day 750 gph (only one)  Reef lighting, but no corals.  Light is on a timer from 10am-8pm

Any help for my puffer would be greatly appreciated!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shells1525 

My Puffer fish is acting very lethargic.  He won't eat and sleeps all day.  He hasn't moved in 24 hours.  Usually he gets very excited when I feed frozen food and even swims around my hands and plays with me.  He did not come out to eat, so I brought the food to him.  I "picked him up" and put the food right in front of him and nothing.  He didn't fight or eat.  I let him go and he just slowly sank back to the bottom of the tank.  He just sits on the substrate.  I have not had him but maybe a month.  I know he's alive becuase I can see him breathing and his fins moving a little.  About a week ago I added an anemone to the tank.  

 

55 gallon tank, been established almost 10 years.  Sand as substrate.  About 40 pounds of live rock in the tank.

 

Water parameters:

nitrites:0

nitrates: 0

Alkalinity: 300

PH: 8.2

Salinity: 1.026

water temp: 79 degrees

 

Feeding: flakes twice a day- once a day soaked in GVH(garlic, vitamins, and HUFAs) and once a day soaked in Selcon.  Feeding algae on the clip once a day and then either frozen food or live food once a day (night).  Frozen food is either: Krill, myesis shrimp, squid, brine shrimp, or live brine shrimp.  

 

 

We started the soaking with the selcon and GVH just last week.  

 

 

Tank mates:

clown fish pair

Koran angel (juvenile)

damsel

 

 

inverts:

anemone

hermit crabs

cowry snail

bumblebee snails

 

everyone else is happy (except the Koran has HLLE since we got him, hense the supplements)  

 

I use carbon in my filter as I have an emperor filter system.  I have a power head that circulates water that I turn on about 6 hours a day 750 gph (only one)  Reef lighting, but no corals.  Light is on a timer from 10am-8pm

 

Any help for my puffer would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks for the response.
He's never inflated nor has he ever fought with the other fish or seemed stressed.  He picked at my fire shrimp a little and I had to move the shrimp to another tank, but that is to be expected.

He has a lot of variety alreay, squid, shrimp, krill.  I will definatly add some shelled food for him! 

I never said he was a cat nor do I make a habit of "picking up my fish".  He needs help.   

I haven't had him very long (month) and the pet store was only feeding Krill and flakes, which I know is a terrible diet for a puffer.  I use krill with him about once a week and stick to the squid and shrimp (myesis and brine) the most.  I will add some other selections though today if hes still alive.  Maybe make frozen food variety the option twice a day? 

How do I know when it's time to trim his teeth?

Thanks so much!  I will do a a water change.  That is always a good idea and my test kit could probaby be replaced!  We do use RO water thank goodness!  I will try all these things and hopefullly he will pull through.  No sign of him this morning.  Hopefully he is just hiding or sleeping. 

no problem.  I know what you meant.  Gotta look out for the little guys.  no bloating, ich, or red areas.  This was all of a sudden.  He was fine one day and not the next.  What's the chance he swam into the anemone and was "stung"?  Still no sign of him.  :(  I will update his status as soon as I know it.  Thanks for the suggestions!