Sick dogface puffer 05/24/08 This week my dogface, for the first time in the two years that I have had it, would not eat. I thought it was odd, but I was not too concerned. Later in the same day, I was doing a routine water change when I found my Midas blenny dead with its midsection completely gone. I know that my dogface is the only fish in the tank that could have done this. I have to assume that the blenny was alive when this happened as the day before it was swimming and eating healthily. Anyway, by the next day (Tuesday) the puffer was beginning to nibble a little, but it looked constipated as there was a bulge near its anus. That night it passed a long 12" mucus looking strand which had what looked like thousands of eggs attached to it. <Mmm, might be eggs...> The broke off and littered the whole tank. I have no idea what that was all about. As of now the puffer has stopped eating again and has assumed the darkest color that I have ever seen on it. Assuming that it ate the blenny's midsection, in what way would this cause the loss of appetite and sluggishness on display at this point? <Mmm, not likely related... at least not very directly> It often eats more that what was missing off the blenny's body so could it be sick from what it digested? Any suggestions would be helpful as my water parameters are all perfect and this puffer was extremely vigorous and healthy up to this point. Thanks in advance for your advice. <I do think the puffer passed some reproductive material... and it will likely be fine... resume feeding in a few days. Puffers do indeed eat fishes they can catch. Bob Fenner> Greg Fasano

Puffers, Feeding, Quarantine, Reading.... 10/19/2005 Hi I <Please remember to capitalize your "I"s.  Takes time to correct these.> just recently received a dog face, porcupine, and spiny puffer from a mail order site on the internet. I have a 120 gallon tank with some damsels and 2 triggers. <Far too small for this much life; and, depending upon your triggers, perhaps VERY incompatible life....  Uh, and you seem to imply that you did not quarantine these animals??> The new puffers will not eat anything. I have tried freeze dried krill, frozen krill, shrimp, crawdads, frozen brine shrimp. Nothing seems to work. I just had one death after a week. The spiny puffer died. <Many possibilities aside from simply starving....  quarantine is more than essential with new livestock....> Please help, I would like to save my dogface and porcupine before it is too late. Is there anything I can do to get them to eat or any food they can't refuse? <Might try live ghost shrimp - though I must point out that, with established aggressive feeders (triggers) in the system, the puffers may simply be outcompeted for food.  I would urge you to immediately remove the puffs to a quarantine system for feeding, observation, recuperation....> Also I did just have my water checked they said it was good. <Never rely on what "they said"....  Your next investments should not be livestock, but your own test kits; this is as essential as quarantining new livestock.> Also I heard garlic drops might initiate feeding, is this true? <Possibly.  Soaking food in garlic and vitamin supplements is often a good idea with new additions, but it will not solve your root problems of overstocking and possible incompatibility.> Please help fast, they're getting skinny.  Jeff <Please do yourself and your livestock a huge favor and begin reading; most everything you ask is already archived:   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm .  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Stars & Stripes Puffer...bloated with difficult locomotion 9-30-04 Help!! <I will certainly try> I have had my stars and stripe for over 9 months now. He is 6 inches long, 4 inches round. My tank is 135 gallons. With him are a dog face, cat shark, porcupine puffer, Dorrie, damsels and small eel. All have done great together. <That tank is small for 3 Puffers, a shark and an eel. The Puffers are big fish and both the Puffers and eel produce quite a bit of waste. > I run know copper of course and always stay up on my water changes. Stars and Stripe seems to be acting strange. He seems to look bloated and stays very still on the bottom of the tank under rocks. Almost as to hold him down. Throughout the day, his size seems to get larger, and he bobs around. Swimming looks difficult, as though he is heavy. It takes him awhile to surface, then goes back down very quickly. He looks like a beached whale. < I have seen Puffers do this after over eating. Mine worked it out on his own in 24 hours or so. If this has been going on for a few days I would hold off on feeding for a couple of days and give his GI system a chance to rest.  Epsom Salt contains Mag sulfate which is a laxative but also helps osmotic regulation in fishes... It is used to relieve some types of bloating in fishes, the fluid behind "pop-eye", and blockage from greedy fishes gulping dry foods.  It is a  very good tonic and harmless if not helpful.  Place him into a 10g tank hospital or quarantine set up with a  either a small power filter or a pump for circulation and a few pieces of live rock from your main tank.  Be generous, add 1 heaping tablespoon per 5g, so 2 Tbsp and observe him for a couple of days. If the problem persists you can add another 2 Tbsp dose. This usually works well.  If the problem persists after this there is some other more serious problem. > Although, he will rise for feeding. <Good sign, but as I mentioned please do not feed him for a couple of days. > Normal meal is frozen krill. <Your Puffer needs a much more varied diet, as do all fish and creatures. Please see the articles on feeding..... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/feeding.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pufferfdgfaqs.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pufferfdgfaq2.htm I did try to fresh water dip him in hopes that he would puff all the way up, but didn't seem to help. < I don't think in this case a FW dip or Puffing up would be beneficial. > He looks very unhappy. What do I do? <Try the above mentioned tonic. HTH and best of luck with your Puffer, Leslie>Porcupine Puffer Hiding and Inactive 9-30-04 Sorry to bother you again, <It's no bother that's what we are here for > but I forgot one thing. The porq puffer that I have is eating fine, but when he is not eating he insists on hiding in the live rock. I hardly ever see him swim around the tank. He basically lays around in the same spot all the time. Is something wrong with him? <Hard to say, as I did not see the prior email. My porcupine Puffer has quite a big appetite and when he stuffs himself he lays around. Perhaps you are over feeding your Puffer. Another possibility is that one of the other fish is bullying him. HTH, Leslie>

Crowded Puffer Tank 4/17/04  Hi gang, <Hi. Pufferpunk here>  have a problem with my dog face puffer. We just bought him about a month ago. We have 50 gal tank with a porcupine puffer,4 tangs,2 clown, Valentini puffer, and just got a snowflake eel about a week ago. The dog face has been fine up until today.  Last night we were gone all night and left tank light on. Today he ate shrimp fine and then tonight when I came home, turned on light, he was all dark brown and eyes cloudy. He did turn light colored for a bit, I could see black thin circular lines on him, then went brown again. The porcupine is not picking on him and I don't know what to do. Pls help!  <Well, the 1st thing I can tell you is that tank is way over crowded!!! The porc along will be needing at least a 100g tank. When you purchase fish, you must consider their adult size. That many fish in a 50g tank has got to be a huge stress on your bioload. What are the water parameters? I highly suggest you consider returning many of those fish. ~PP>

Porcupine puffer with Ich (08/28/03) <Hi! Ananda here tonight...> I have been reading your puffer FAQs.. but yet to find any help for my problem. I have an 80 gallon tank w/a porcupine puffer fish, a lionfish, a trigger fish and a yellow tang (the latter have been moved to a non-infected tank).  my puffer has had Ich for about two weeks now...other than the obvious visible symptoms, and heavy breathing and sometimes twitch- like movements he is eating and functioning fine. <So you have just the puffer in the 80 gallon tank? I would put him in his own hospital tank and let the display go fallow for at least a month.> After calling my local fish store as advised I turned up the heat to around 82 degrees, kept the lights off and have done a few water changes.  The levels test fine.  My boyfriend has gone several dips that while clearing the fish up a bit...still has not gotten rid of the problem. We were advised not to do anymore for fear of stressing them out even more. <Dips alone will not get rid of Ich if you're putting the fish back into an infested system.> We treated the tank with Marisol (I believe that was the name) for a week daily, and it seemed to have no helpful effect.  The lionfish has gotten worse w/one clouded eye now, and the puffer's white patches are getting more dense in some areas (make sense)??? <Cloudy eyes are usually a symptom of poor water quality. You might want to check your test kits.> We are trying to stabilize a hospital tank to put them in...but it probably won't be ready for a month. <Good grief, don't bother trying to cycle a hospital tank right now. Get the infected fish in there ASAP. Then you'll do daily water changes to keep the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates under control and bring the specific gravity down to 1.010. And keep the tank temp up.> I really don't want my fish to die...please please please email me back with any suggestions...I will appreciate it indefinitely!!!  Thanks again,  Bonnie <Do check out the Ich articles and FAQs on the WetWebMedia site, starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm. --Ananda>

Problems with Puffer ...But I think it's too late Hi there I'm looking for any insight you can give.  I purchased a Black Puffer ( nice specimen ) about a month ago.  When I put him in the tank I think my Niger Trigger may have nipped at him.  Anyway a week or so later he started getting little white dots all over his body that would not rub off. I figured it was Ich. About another week went by and the spots were still there.  I read about Fresh water dips and started to do those every night. ( about 5 minutes each night) on one of the last dips I used Kent Marine RxP which I thought might help as the spots were still present. <This product is garbage... worse than a placebo. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/martrtmtfaqs.htm and the linked files (in blue, above)> a couple of days later his eyes started clouding up real bad and he was becoming more recluse,  Another day later and I noticed his back fin had been 1/2 ate off ( Niger Trigger possibly ).  I moved him to a 10 gallon QT ( all I had ) and started treating with penicillin. Both of his Eyes Burst and now he is blind. I am now giving him Maracyn and feeding him by hand.  My question is can he live like this or is it just a matter of time. <Everything is "just a matter of time", but this fish may live a good long while in your care> Any help would be greatly appreciated. <My real advice is to study, ask the people who suggested RXP what they think it's made of, if they've ever used it to their satisfaction... to seek out better advice, learn to judge for yourself what to use when your livestock are sick. Bob Fenner> Thanks Mark Gutshall