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Poor Planning/Husbandry and Puffer Health - 12/13/2005 Hello - <Hi Francesca.> I noticed very recently that my Porcupine Puffer has been gasping/ labored breathing and stays around the top, as if 1) there's too much ammonia or not enough oxygen in tank or 2) some parasitic problem, maybe gill flukes? <This doesn't bode well for your tank. Has your Puffer been puffing at all (or ever). They are usually very good first indicators of poor conditions.> Just for background, I have a 30 gallon tank with a Clown, the Puffer, small Damsel and Yellow Tang. <This demonstrates extremely poor planning or a lack there of. Neither the Puffer nor the Tang are suitable here. They should both be removed to larger systems. This inappropriate stocking is a good part of your problem. Both will have stunted growth and die prematurely if they remain. The choice however is ultimately yours.> The Puffer's about 4 inches. I checked water conditions, Ph, <pH> ammonia of course, etc, and everything's fine. <I can draw no such conclusion here.> I like keeping my salinity level lower (not a reef tank) at 1.020, also hear it's good for preventing Ich supposedly, not sure? <Do read up on hyposalinity on our site for more info.> They seem fine though. <Obviously not.> Just did a water change too. I do these every 2-3 weeks, about 20% or so. <Being this overstocked you should be doing these much more frequently. Skimmer?> Every week I put in calcium supplements to maintain Ph (in particular Kalkwasser mix, and All in One Salifert). <Do you know what your doing with these? How much calcium is lost in your tank weekly? If not testing/regulating accordingly, please stop. Increase water change frequency.> I'm usually <Usually!?> careful pouring the Kalkwasser mixed with freshwater in it (I hear you're supposed to pour in slowly), <Only go on what you know and understand thoroughly. Going on what you've heard can be deadly and doesn't often apply in such cases.> but last week I may have poured it in too fast and 'burned' a bit of the puffer tail fringes. I'm wondering whether I may have slightly affected his gills too, thus the labored breathing. <Do you know the effects of a sudden pH spike? The effect it would have on any measurable amount of ammonia?> But that was last Thursday and it's already Monday. Or is it gill flukes? I hear that's hard to diagnose. <I doubt it's more than inappropriate care.> What should I do? I love this guy - his name's Piggy (aptly named of course). Great personality, good color and weight (not too fat). Even though he's acting like this, he still eats like a pig and is relatively active when I'm ready to feed him. <You'll need to start frequent water changes (at least weekly), study more on additives and their use/need and either buy a larger (100 gal. at least) system for these or adopt them out.> Thanks for your help, sorry email so long! I'm just at a loss what to do. <I know this was not at all what you wanted to hear and understand your attachment to your livestock. You must however consider what is best for them and how to best help them here. Just think how it would feel to constantly try harder (which can also hurt things if misapplied) only to watch them fade and slowly waste away (or become brain damaged, neurotic, Etc.). Besides, a little well intentioned "tough love" is what we all need sometimes.> Francesca <Josh> Puffer's Nose Has Been 'Bitten' Off 12/13/05 Hey WWM Crew! <Neil> It seems like every couple of months I find a new reason to ask you guys a question. Don't know what I would do without WWM! <Me neither... but I like to consider what I might do with all the extra time...> You might remember my last question. I was the gentleman that had purchased a Humu Humu trigger that, strangely enough, caused my Blue Hippo Tang to start attacking my Porcupine Puffer. <Displaced aggression... happens> Well, I followed your advice and the Blue Tang came out and got her own tank for a couple of months. Problem was that every time I put her back in, she would start up with the tail nipping again. Finally, I decided that the Trigger must go - which, might I add, was no small task. I eventually ended up taking a whole piece of live rock to the LFS and waiting for them to call when he had decided to come out - six hours later! <Persistence pays> Once the Trigger was gone, I rearranged the live rock and put the Blue Tang back in, and all was peaceful. I even discovered a few crabs and snails that had been in hiding! <Neat> Now, here's my latest issue. I feed a mixture (blender and some tank water to mix it) of tilapia filets, jumbo shrimp, cocktail shrimp (left mostly whole), mussels (sp?), real crab meat if I can get it, and Nori. After blended, I put the nasty mix into a large Ziploc storage bad and spread it thin on a cookie sheet, which is then placed in the freezer. <Good technique> My puffer will grab the frozen hunk and, while trying to gulp it down, keep it partially sticking out of his mouth. The other fish, naturally, are not deterred and go right ahead and eat off of the other end of the hunk. <Better to make two or more "sub-hunk" pieces> Some days ago (5?) I noticed that the very tip of Puffy's nose (really the upper lip area that somewhat extends onto his face) had been bitten off. I did not see it happen, so I can only assume that this is what happened. Since then, his nose has progressively disappeared. At this point, the wound area, where his flesh is exposed, is slightly larger than a hole punch. I am curious, have you ever heard of such a thing? <Yes, have seen> Is it likely that the Tang has switched ends - from nipping his fin, to nipping his face? <Maybe> Or, and this is my suspicion, did he likely get a small wound, and the 'begging act' of dragging his face across the acrylic 24 hours a day took its toll on the open wound? <Much more likely, common> Is this something that I should treat, as its quite a good sized wound (he is only about 5 inches total length)? I can see the skin 'flexing' as he pushes it across the acrylic. What, if anything, should I do? <Nothing overt... not likely to help... nor the rubbing to be affected> Oh yeah, I have yet to witness the Tang nipping at the Puffer since I put her back in, and previously she did it constantly. <Good> As always your insight is so greatly appreciated that I fail to find the appropriate words. Thank You and Happy Holidays! Neil <And to you and yours as well. Cheers, Bob Fenner> Re: Hungry Puffer 8/17/05 OK. I took the puffer back to the store. When the clerk introduced the fish into their tank he tried to catch it in a bag and I noticed it puffed with some air. Once inside their tank he had to a nickel size bubble near his tail. The puffer (about 5 in. in length) was upright but was swimming slightly off center and seemed to be being pulled to the top of the tank. Please tell me he will be able to expel this amount of air. The last thing I want is to return my favorite fish just to have him die. What are his chances? Chris <Good... that the fish will likely expel the air or resorb it. Bob Fenner> Unasked /Unanswered Question @ porcupine puffer 8/14/05
Hi, Bob You are obviously very knowledgeable and have answered hundreds
of questions regarding fish. I won't bore you with a duplicate
query. I have conflicting information about the longevity of my
porcupine puffer, and would like a definitive answer. The two sources
of information are from our local saltwater fish store, Shear Heaven,
in Allentown, PA, and the nationally renowned
superstore/retailer/supply store "That Fish Place," located
in Lancaster, PA. Our puffer is about 11" long. Maybe headed into
the foot-long category. We purchased him from Shear Heaven, after he
was put on consignment so his original owner could add to his
reef/anemone-friendly tank, which interested him more than a fish-only
tank. Shear Heaven estimated that he is currently around 5-6 years old,
and had reached maximum length at 10 inches when we bought him (he
grew. And, if it helps, we have a 90-gallon aquarium with five other
puffer-compatible fish). They estimated that he would live to be around
ten years old. The woman I spoke with at That Fish Place called him
"just a baby," and informed me that he could, depending on
maintenance and tank size, grow up to 2-3 feet and live 20-30 years.
Who is right? I'm hoping the latter source. I love
"Salty" and his personality and hope to have him around for
more than 5 more years! Plus, my husband and I are upgrading soon to a
much larger tank, and not many more fish. At your convenience, since I
know you're busy, please let me know. I'm really curious to
hear. Sincerely, Jennifer Mack <Mmm, this is likely a
Diodon holacanthus... and if you look re on fishbase.org: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=4659&genusname=Diodon&speciesname=holocanthus
They give the maximum length as 50.0 cm... some twenty inches long or
so... Am privileged to knowing of some public aquariums that have had
this fish for more than twenty years in captivity. Bob Fenner> Porcupine puffer problem... just crowding 7/18/05 Hello, I
have 2 porcupine puffers they are between 5 and 6 inches long in a 50
gallon tank. I have had them since they were 2 inches long and now they
are fighting a few times a week. Is this normal???? <Mmm, yes> Is
it a feeding issue? I feed them frozen krill everyday. can you help?
Thanks, Tony <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/puffersysfaqs.htm and on to and
through the linked files at top where you lead yourself. Your animals
need much more space... and to be separated... Bob Fenner> Porcupine Puffer Problem My Porcupine Puffer has developed a swollen and discolored area at his left fin/gill area. The area is now a purplish color, resembling a large bruise. <Might well be> I have noticed reduced activity in recent days, with the Puffer remaining among the coral until about an hour prior to feeding time, at which time it will swim throughout the tank like normal (It used to swim most of the day, resting at night). Eating (until yesterday) was normal - the fish is an aggressive eater of Krill and I have to feed it in a separate part of the 250 gallon tank to keep the puffer occupied while the other fish eat. <I do hope you are feeding it more than just Euphausiids> Yesterday the puffer did not appear for feeding and remained isolated in the coral. I also noticed at its last feeding that their appeared to be an extrusion in the rectum area, but this has since disappeared. <A prolapse in fancy jargon... happens> I am putting it in an hospital tank, but am unclear as to what/how to treat. Any advice on what this might be would be helpful and how it can be treated. The puffer shares the tank with nine other fishes (3 damsels, one dogface puffer, one wrasse, one fox face, one tang, one Heniochus, and one harlequin tusk fish). <If these other fishes appear otherwise non-affected, I would rule out other environmental causes here... the fish may have suffered a mechanical injury, compounded with nutritional deficiency... Please read over WWM re puffer health, nutrition... I would not move, keep the fish in a separate, small treatment system... Bob Fenner> Spiny Box Fish I just purchased a Spiny Box fish on Sunday, today Monday I noticed that on his underside (belly) there is a white coating, it is isolated to the bottom of the fish. Is this normal for this type of fish? <Mmm, somewhat... that is to say they are "counter-shaded", lighter underneath than above> I am new to the game and have tried to do some online reading. I know it's not ICK there are no white spots just like a white flaky undercoating.. His upper body is fine no spots or anything.. Please let me know if you think this should be a concern, I don't want to infect my tank, he isn't eating also.. I think it's stress maybe? Thanks Frank <Umm, keep reading... I do hope this system is large, well-established... cycled. Bob Fenner> Spike is sick I just found your website, hopefully in time to save my fish. I have a 6" Spiny Pufferfish who has contracted what I believe to be a parasite infection. He has what appears to be Ich, but the spots are larger, elongated, and even cover his eyes. <Mmm, not likely Ich> I even noticed it this evening on the flap right behind his teeth (the one that moves as he breathes). He has just started, within the last day or so, to swim erratically (as if he itches). His eating habits and behavior pattern hasn't changed much. He has had this for 1 week. When it first started, I believed it to be Ich, so I have medicated the tank with Kick-Ich and Melafix, as well as trying a freshwater dip. Nothing is helping, and he's steadily getting worse. He is in a 55 gal. tank with a Snowflake Eel, an Arrow Crab, 2 Olive Snails, 2 Narcissus Snails, and 3 Sand Fleas. I am running a wet-dry filter, a protein skimmer, a UV sterilizer, and a hanging filter. The specific gravity is set at 1.019. I perform a water change once a week of about 9 gal. All his tankmates seem to be in perfect condition (with the exception of the Arrow Crab, whom the puffer seems to consider his personal snack machine). I have been told that if I medicate the fish with copper, it will take care of pretty much anything. However, I have also been told that I cannot put a pufferfish in copper because he has no scales. Is there something I could use in place of copper? I don't expect you to know exactly what's wrong with my fish, but can you give me any ideas you might have? I would greatly appreciate it. I really don't want to lose this fish. Thanks for your time. Denise Logan <I encourage you to quickly read over our Puffer Disease archives: http://wetwebmedia.com/pufferdisfaqs.htm and linked above... if you have another system, I'd run this fish through a pH adjusted freshwater bath with formalin... all this is posted on WWM... and place it in another system. Bob Fenner> Bridled Burrfish I have a full grown bridled Burrfish. In the past few days, his antenna and some of his spines/burrs seem to be deteriorating or eroding. The brown skin came off first and he now has white fleshy exposed parts on the tips. The tank levels are okay. I was wondering if this is natural to shed his antenna and burrs, like the longhorn cowfish does? Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated. <Not natural... and sorry this response is so late (have been away). Do immediately check your water quality, and if at all possible move this animal to a separate tank (quarantine, treatment)... For observation, isolation. It may have a parasitic infestation, a nutritional deficiency, or there may well be something anomalous about your water. If you can't move the animal, do make a substantial water change (25%), be ready to do others in succeeding days and watch for signs of stress on your other livestock. Bob Fenner> Thank you, Lauren Sick puffer Hi, Thanks for responding. <our pleasure> My puffer is a porcupine puffer and he has been ill for approx. 6 weeks. I tried to treat him with medicines in my tank, but nothing worked so I took him to my pet store where they kept him in a hospital tank for approx. 3 weeks treating him with Maracyn 2. One eye cleared up some, but the other eye did not respond. <likely from natural healing... little or no help from the antibiotic> He is now back in my 125 gallon tank with a yellow tang and a blue damsel. There are no other fish in there, only 100 lbs. of live rock. He is eating okay, but it is difficult watching him run into everything. Water quality and parameters are right on in both my tank and the hospital tank, as well as temperature. <good to hear> I am also concerned about the effectiveness of treating such a large tank or would it be necessary to remove him to another tank? <agreed... almost never treat the display... does more harm than good. Best to remove to a quite QT tank> I hope you can help. Thanks for being there to ask questions about. It is a great relief. Leanne <I am still very doubtful that this is pathogenic at all... it is clearly not a parasite, and most any bacteria would have waned or flourished after such a long time. Compound that by the very sensitive nature of puffer eyes (our archives here are filled with puffer eye FAQs) and the nature of the ailment. With that said... if we are sure it is not water quality or parasite, I'm wondering if the fish has been held captive long enough to show this symptom as an expression of a dietary deficiency? Has this puffers diet been restricted to just 2 or 3 items? Less? Just a few months on silversides or feeder fish or krill almost to exclusion causes such symptoms and deficiencies. Hmmm... do consider and send us a clear picture if you can. What big city do you live near too? I'm wondering if we cannot put you in touch with specialists in a local aquarium club or friends of ours across the nation. Best regards, Anthony> Mystery Disease (puffer) Hi Bob, <Hi Theresa, Ananda here... I often handle the puffer questions for the WetWebMedia crew.> This is Theresa Ulrich. I don't know if you remember me, but we spoke a few times in the past. <I recognize your name from the Cowfish site...> I was hoping you could guide me on how to get information for some people in my discussion group. These people are experiencing fast die-offs of balloon puffers. Here are the systems they quote and treatments thus far. <Okay... could you send me a link to the root post of the thread?> ------------------------------- I have an aquarium maintenance biz up in Portland. Porcupine (Balloon) Puffers are very popular so I order them frequently for clients. For the last month every single Puffer I order comes in looking fine but within 3-5 days they develop a blanched area around one or both eyes that spreads rapidly and they die within a day or two. <Are there photos of this? It might help.> YIKES! HELP! I never lose fish I hate this. I know it is not a water quality issue because I have several tanks on four different filtration systems. I have tested and tried quarantining in all of them with the same results. And my wholesaler, who also has a retail store says he has had the exact same thing happen....he can't keep them alive either. <I wonder where and how these fish are being collected.> He has suggested formaldehyde...nope, no help. The usual antibiotics don't help. I don't know what I am dealing with so I don't know what else to try. Furazone? I am relatively certain that this is not injury related. Here is what leads me to that conclusion. The puffers (8 in all) were purchased over a 2 month period from 2 different suppliers, both of them very very careful with the fish. <Who/where did the suppliers get them from?> The problem does not start in the eye, rather above the "eyebrow" area always. <Hmmm. Right about where the brain is. If this illness is something that attacks the brain, that might explain the very rapid demise.> Here is the clincher. I stopped purchasing puffers all together thinking something must be going on with the Puffers at a particular collection site and I did not want to contribute to the loss of any more. <Good idea.> Two weeks went by and I took in a Balloon to "baby sit" for a client while the floors in the house were being refinished to protect their fish from chemical aerosols being used. I placed the Puffer in a tank that had previously had one of the sick Puffers in it but had sat empty a full 14 days. I also placed all of their other fish of various species in the tank. This was a perfectly healthy Puffer. No injuries...I never net and only transported about 1 mile under optimal conditions. Within 3 days the Puffer began exhibiting the same blanching of color above the eye. Within 2 days the eye turned white and the Puffer was dead despite hospitalization and antibiotic treatment. The other fish were and are fine. Same in all the other cases...only the Puffer was affected when there were fish of various other species in the same tank. I think it is some type of contagion and I would think from the behavior bacterial in nature. I have never seen anything go so fast before from on-set to death though that was bacterial??? As far as treatment I tried what my supplier recommended with the first two which was Formaldehyde at a 37% solution 1 drop per gal daily for three days with the Puffers only getting worse. Next time I tried Erythromycin 1 capsule per gal with no results continuing treatment until the Puffers died. I also mixed Erythromycin into their food until they stopped feeding. Next shipment I tried Furazone Green and triple Sulfa. The last Puffer I went so far as to give 100mg Erythromycin injection 2 times per day until loss. In all cases there was no improvement in the fish at all before death. Yes, I do also keep a copper drip on all the quarantine tanks except the invert tanks so antiparasitic agent was also being employed throughout the treatment. <Okay. So we know the bacteria or parasite can live for more than two weeks without a host. It's also specific to the porcupine puffers. It did not respond to two medications normally used to combat gram-positive bacteria, nor to an anti-microbial medication. It didn't respond to two anti-parasitic treatments -- though I usually don't suggest copper for puffers. One thing that wasn't covered is a gram-negative bacteria.> Thanks so much for taking on the dilemma. I wish I had gotten a picture for you because in 20 years and a ton of Puffers this is a brand new one on me! I was just so frantic to try and save them. ---------------------- Another member posted this link to show the progression of the disease. http://platinum.yahoo.com <There must be more to this link....> -------------- The first person indicated that her balloon puffers progressed in the same manner as the fish on the link. ------- Theresa! this is it!!! look at the pictures forwarded with this posting Gabriel found. That is exactly what keeps happening to my Balloons. A bruised or blanched looking area starting just on one side behind the eye back. ------------- Bob, I know it is hard to hard to make an exact diagnosis with a sample viewed under a microscope, but can you offer some guidance here? <I'd like to see the original thread and see what else people have tried. I'm particularly curious to know the results of any treatments that target gram-negative bacteria.> I have tried contacting public aquariums with no luck. Although some of my references indicate some possible disease scenarios that are similar to this, it doesn't account for why the disease seems specific to only the balloon puffers. <I'm not a microbiologist, nor do I play one on TV, but I've heard of things specific to a single species before.> I appreciate whatever you can do. <This has been a stumper that I've been mulling over since it turned up in my inbox. Kelly the Puffer Queen is going to be at this Saturday's meeting of the Chicago Marine Aquarium Society (www.cmas.net), so I'm going to print this out and ask her about this, too.> Thanks, Theresa Ulrich www.cowfishes.com <You're welcome. And thanks for running the cowfishes site! --Ananda> Help, our new Puffer has a problem >Hello, >>Good morning. >I have been looking through your FAQ's on pufferfish and have not found a resolution to our problem. >>Glad to know that you're aware of the FAQ's, we also should have an article or two as well. >We just picked up a porcupine pufferfish about a week ago. He/she is 5' long. Our tank is 46G, and there are also two small clowns, a 1 ½' butterfly, and a blenny. We also purchased a small lionfish at this time, knowing that a good portion of these pets would be moved to our new 72G reef that we are currently cycling. >>Not the puffer, I hope. It won't fare well in a 46 for long, either, and if the lion is a P. volitans neither will it. >Yesterday morning we noticed a white discoloration, about the size of a dime, between his eyes and just touching his nose. It was not fuzzy, or a material on the surface. The skin itself had changed colors. >>Porkies do this. >Earlier today, it looked like it went away. My wife and I went out for a couple of hours, and upon our return, the puffer was laying on the bottom of the tank and the discoloration has now spread over his entire face. The color is no longer white, it is somewhat brown. It is also on his belly as well. I am not sure if it is a fungal or parasitic infection. >>I doubt it, though he does sound stressed. Water quality issues, as you've added two new fish to a very small system at once. This is not advisable practice, nor is it advisable to put fish into an established system without first quarantining for 30 days minimum. >We are considering getting him into a quarantine tank, and then giving him some Maracyn. Is it possible, however, that he may have been stung by the lionfish? What should we do? We love your site and any assistance you could provide would be extremely appreciated. Thanks. >>It is entirely possible he could have been stung, you have put both these fish into a small system. Again, I advise *very* strongly against it. ALL the fish should be being quarantined for 30 days minimum, and mixing a pugnacious fish like a porcupine puffer with a defensive eating machine like a lionfish in tight quarters isn't wise at all. Separate them, get them into their *own* q/t's, and watch. I would wait to use the Maracyn until AFTER you've tested the water the fish is being kept in to be certain the issue isn't water quality. Good luck! Marina Dave
Porcupine puffer Hi there guys! <Hi! Ananda here
today...> I have been researching for days over our Porcupine
Puffer, "Molly" we call her. I find your articles so very
helpful & seems to be the first place I turn to research. <Glad
to be of service.> Anyway, I cannot seem to find info. on our
particular problem.... we have had the puffer about one month & she
is about 2" in size. She is in our 60 gallon tank with a Naso
Tang, a Yellow-Tail Damsel, a tiny Picasso Trigger & a Mantis
Shrimp that lives in our live rock (hitchhiker!), all water tests are
fine as they should be, temp. at 78 & lots of copepods. <Yowza.
Hope you have a much bigger tank planned; both the Naso and the puffer
could use 240 or more gallons as adults.> We recently lost a Clown
Trigger to some disease we didn't catch early enough (a deadly
fungus?). Over the past week or so, the puffer is breathing very
heavily as though she is always gasping for air. She used to be an
active swimmer & is now sleeping 80% of the day. Swims a little
more at night & is still eating well. One of her eyes is a little
cloudy & a few of her fins are frayed. <Water quality
alert. Poor water quality is the biggest single cause of cloudy eyes.
Get some saltwater ready for a water change and do one tomorrow.> No
visible signs of Ich, etc. but some gray shading around her mouth that
has always been evident. We had treated the tank with Green-Ex
(Malachite Green) & recently found that it is harmful to scaleless
fish. :( <And to live rock, inverts of all sorts... your live
rock is quite likely dead rock now. That would explain the poor water
quality: your biological filtration is shot.> We are stumped as to
what this could be & just want to treat correctly. <I would
start with fresh activated carbon and several largish water changes. If
you've got significantly measurable ammonia, a 40% water change is
not unreasonable.> Also, have read several different articles about
FW dips with Maracyn 2 & Formalin, can you tell which is better to
use, or the diff. between the two? <They are two totally different
medications. I've never heard of doing a freshwater dip with
Maracyn 2. Formalin will probably not help the puffer any... and may
make things worse.> Also, do all Porcupine Puffers have teeth?
<Yup, the better to crush corals and crustaceans with! Hmmm... make
that "crush-staceans", perhaps? ;-) > There is a porcupine
puffer at the LFS with a huge set of teeth (look like dentures! ha!)
and "Mollie's" teeth are almost invisible. <Sounds
like the one at the store is not getting a sufficient quantity of
hard-shelled foods.> Sorry for the LONG e-mail, <Truthfully, I
would have preferred an even longer one: one including all of the water
parameters of the tank.> We are at a loss as to what to do & we
just adore her. Thanks so much again- The Gilmores <Repeat after me:
The solution to pollution is dilution. Now go get that water mixing.
:-) If pristine water quality does not improve the situation
significantly, I would put the puffer in a hospital tank and treat her
with a good, broad-spectrum antibiotic. My preference in this case
would be Kanamycin. --Ananda> Puffer Lockjaw - rough prognosis 1/30/05 I don't want to repeat what you have answered many times on the website already, but I'd was hoping you had an update on your research. Magnus has replied to a few people with Puffers with Lockjaw and said he, along with others, were doing some serious research in to the issue. <Anthony Calfo in your service> Mine is swimming and acting as normal. Goes to eat the food (gets excited as always) but seems to either not get quite close enough (like he's mis-judged it) or swims in to it, but doesn't open his mouth to eat, then spits the food away. I've also seem him "shake" as he tried to work open his mouth. I'm trying iodine and I've upped the vitamins I'm adding to the tank (I always add some vitamins to his food). <believe it or not... try thawed frozen peas too... many Tetraodontiformes love them> Water quality is generally very good and has been for 18 months upwards, with 0 Ammonia, 0 nitrite and nitrates varying from 20 to 40. Skimming all the time, varied diet of krill, Mysis, cockles, muscles, silver side and prawns. Tried other foods, but he's quite fussy ;-) I'm worried I'm going to have to force feed him, <this may be necessary> But I would like to know if you guys have come across any other treatment or husbandry that might help him (or if you think it may in fact be something else)? His teeth seem OK so I don't think it's this as a problem and he ate normally a few days ago. I'm going to do some water changes and cross all my fingers! Thanks in advance for any additional advice you may be able to offer. Best Regards, Andy <you did not mention much here my friend (puffer age/captivity, species, etc.) so I am going to have to make some inferences. After consulting with puffer "expert" and WWM friend Kelly Jedlicki, she stated what we have feared and hear of so commonly. Lockjaw has a very poor prognosis and is caused by an extended period of neglect in the diet (dietary deficiency... extremely common with Porcupine puffers allowed to eat krill as a majority of the staple - is this your species/situation too?). It takes many months of a limited diet to cause this (sometimes years), and is not something that can be corrected quickly. In fact, once puffers get to this point, few survive without drastic measures (force feeding). Do keep in mind too, that your puffer is not necessarily a picky feeder by preference... stress of inappropriate tankmates, worms/sickness on (new) imports, etc. can lead the fish to train you/us as aquarists into feeding only limited fave foods. But this is not acceptable... like children, my friend... they will play you <G>. To prevent this in the future, the easiest thing may be to make a prepared frozen food mix/slurry. Bob (Fenner) has recipes in his book/our archives and others abound on the web. Mix in a wide variety of meats, greens and vitamins... add B12 and fresh garlic juice (you squeeze) for an appetite stimulant, and include whatever favorite prey your fishy likes (often krill). Make it chunky enough for healthy feeders to eat without much mess... and blend some (puree) for force-feeding these next few weeks on the sick individual. Consult a local vet for force feeding advice and equipment (plunging syringe, soft tubing, etc). There may also be some other good puffer advice on www.lmas.org under articles. Please do update us with your results too. I wish you the very best of luck!> Porcupine puffer injured? sick? <Anthony Calfo here in your service> Today I noticed a small roundish area on the side of my porcupine puffer's body that appears to be injured. It happened sometime today while I was gone, as he was just fine this morning. It is covered with what seems to be white dead skin that is peeling off. I'm thinking maybe he got a little too close to the heater and burned himself or maybe scraped on the live rock. <as unusual as that might be, I'm likely to agree. A pathogenic symptom would not manifest that quickly...definitely mechanical injury in nature> His skin is a little puffed out around the area but doesn't seem to be infected, and he is acting fairly normal. The only tankmates are a sergeant major damsel (about 1.5 inches) and a blue damsel (about 2 inches). The puffer is about 5.5 inches. The tank is 80 gallons with a skimmer and Fluval canister and about 45 pounds of live rock. Any ideas of what to do besides keep an eye on him? <agreed...mostly just keep an eye on him, maintain good water quality and feed well (but do not overfeed). Look for stabilization or improvement in three days...else be prepared with a quarantine tank and antibiotics. A normal reef dose of iodine in the tank may be mildly antiseptic and will at least raise RedOx. Please follow up promptly if you need more help, but I suspect it will be fine. Kindly, Anthony> Sick spiny puffer I have a spiny puffer both of his eyes are white he can't see. What do I do? help! <Please read over the articles, FAQs files on puffers, and on to the links therein posted on WetWebMedia.com Bob Fenner> Sick fish needs help quick <Greetings, Anthony Calfo in your service> Hi I'm the guy who was telling you about the problem with my puffer breathing heavy. He is now doing okay he is eating pretty well now since I added the first treatment of Formulite in the system. But now my clown fish is breathing heavy and not eating or swimming around much. When he takes a crap its all white in color and it takes a while to fall off him. <sometimes an indication of internal parasites, but not usually. You can feed medicated antiparasitic food to help if you like> I had loss power for one day so my tank had no power. <did the temperature drop much... a sure fire way to flare up external parasites> That night when the power was turned backed on I fed him and he ate very well. The next day I did a 10 gallon water change. Then I added the Formulite 2 to the system I only put a half dose. <good for the scaleless puffer> The next day I found him breathing heavy as I described earlier. <perhaps brought on from the previous stress> My water is testing good. <what are the readings specifically> What's going on with the clown? Is it Brooklynella disease? <can't say for sure yet... fast breathing can indicate water quality issues as well as pathogens. Brooklynella is unlikely and conspicuous> I even gave the clown a freshwater dip. <please continue daily for up to eight days... an excellent way to treat fish and avoid hostile meds> Please respond back soon. <best regards, Anthony> Burping a Porcupine puffer I bought a porcupine puffer approximately a week and a half ago. He is a baby, only a little over an inch long. <scary small indeed> I have a bubble wand in my tank and am concerned he has gotten air in him. <never bubbles with puffers...they are curious and ingest them> At first, he loved the vitamin infused brine shrimp, but now the only thing he will consistently eat is frozen plankton. < a much better food than brine even enriched> Yesterday, he was partially inflated and afterwards, his eyes became opaque and remain so. <cloudy eyes have nothing to do with air bubbles or feeding... look for other signs of disease> He swims around and just checks things out. At times he will attempt to come to a rest on the substrate and he will just begin floating towards the surface. To sleep he gets under an overhang of live rock and floats up on it. He seems to have no abrasions and the other fish in the tank (a clown/fairy wrasse and a striated wrasse) don't bother him though they kind of crowd his space sometimes. I really like the little guy and want to ensure he is as healthy as possible. I greatly appreciate your quick response, as I am very concerned. <it may literally need burped if it looks like air is trapped. Use a soft nylon net to capture it and massage the creature through the net with its mouth pointed upward to see if bubbles can be burped out. Kind regards, Anthony> Sick porcupine puffer Sorry to bother you, but I need some
advice. <no bother at all> I have a porky puffer who has
cloudy eyes, and white spots on his back fins. <pufferfish are
quite prone to external parasites particularly due to fluctuations
(especially down) in temperature. Be sure home tank is not fluctuating
more than 2F daily. That explains the spots if they are like grains of
salt, but not the cloudy eyes... could be bacterial or water
quality...do test thoroughly> he also has a red "spine"
either on his back tail, or protruding from his anus ( I can't tell
which). <unrelated to Ich...treat with antibiotics if it
doesn't clear within three days> He is very young, only about
2-3 inches. I'm guessing he has ick, so I am going to put him in a
quarantine tank. <very wise move> What should I treat him
with? <Formalin and Furazolidone/Nitrofurazone (like in Jungle
brand Fungus Eliminator) for 5 full days> My LFS recommended copper,
but I wanted to ask you first. <they are very mistaken... your
puffer is a scaleless fish that could easily overdose on copper...
works for some but is generally an irresponsible move> The puff is
in a 45 gal, with some inverts, and a bi color blenny. Is my tank now
infested with ick? <in a manner of speaking, yes... but all
fish carry something, so you cant expect the tank to be sterile. Not
much to worry about with healthy fish and good immunity> Are there
any "reef safe" treatments I could use? <I have
little faith in such products once an infection is fully expressed>
I have been using coral-vital by marc Weiss because it says that Ich
has trouble adhering to fish when it is being used. Needless to say, I
don't think its working. <please don't get me started
talking about snake oil <wink>> Once again, I am sorry to
bother you, but I love this little puffer and don't want to do
anything to hurt him. Besides the white spots he isn't showing any
other symptoms of Ick, like rapid respiration, or rubbing up against
stuff. <all good to hear... once in QT, I suspect that your
personable puffer will be just fine. Best regards, Anthony> Thank
you, Laura Canney Porcupine with cloudy eyes My porcupine puffer has somewhat
cloudy eyes. His vision does not appear to be affected. I am trying to
decide whether to treat him with furan-2 or to just see if the
condition can clear up on its own. <With good water quality,
most bacterial infections are slow... you can observe for another 1-3
days before medicating in a quarantine tank as above> Can he
spontaneously recover from cloudy eyes, or does this require treatment?
I can not find info on this condition anywhere on the net, and I am
wary of treating him unless it is serious. Thank you, Laura <better
safe than sorry if it progresses. Puffers are not sensitive to
antibiotics as they are copper or organic dyes. Do be well read on
their care and husbandry including diet and dental care (food for
keeping teeth filed). Do study the extensive articles/FAQs on puffers
on this site in the archives (begin with the home page). Kindly,
Anthony> Emperor Angel and Porcupine Puffer As always you guys are doing an AWESOME job! (I know it's cliche here, but its true) <awwwhhh, shucks! Thanks kindly <smile>> Anyway, two quick questions: 1. I recently purchased a young Emperor Angel and he was eating as soon as I got him home, aware of his surroundings, etc'¦ BUT he seems to swim slowly on one side or the other. Is this normal behavior for this species, or a sick fish? <hmmm... symptomatically called "listing"...indeed not normal or healthy but not indicative necessarily of a specific condition to treat. Continue to feed well until it improves or betrays an addressable symptom (spots, fin erosion, etc) 2. My Trigger and Puffer had an accident. While feeding they went for the same target, but the trigger missed and caught the puffer between his eyes. The trigger took my puffer (the first time I've seen him puff up) for a spin before realizing what he had done. When he let go the puffer had a mark on the side of his eye where he had been bitten. That mark has turned white like scar tissue over the last two days. Is that white possibly infection, or new skin? <hmmm hard to say, but infections get ugly real fast. My guess is raw skin and healing. Do watch closely though and review disease section here on WWM for injury treatments and medicants if necessary> Will it heal and return normal color? <very likely> Do I need to worry about infection, do anything to help it heal? <be prepared with a good QT tank if necessary for either fish> Thanks a million, Mark <best regards, Anthony> Spiny Box Puffer Dear Mr. Fenner: <<Actually, not Mr. Fenner, but JasonC helping out...>> My spiny box puffer is in a 55 gallon tank with a maroon clownfish and a dragon wrasse. They all get along. The clown had a few blue spots on his face and the puffer has fins that look to be shredding at the end. Upon the advice of my local pet store, I added Greenex to the tank for 2 treatments which totally cleared up the clown. The wrasse has never had a problem. The puffer's fins appear to be healing, but this is the 4th day he has not eaten. <<Not really a surprise - the Greenex is actually a pretty potent medication, Malachite Green and Quinine Hydrochloride if I can recall, and scale-less fish like your puffer are often irritated by such strong therapies. I would consider firing this fish store in favor of some better advice - would have been much better to start with simple ph-adjusted freshwater dips, and perhaps quarantine for the clown. Torn fins aren't always a sign of disease.>> He usually gulps down the freeze dried krill 4 pieces daily. He even ate while the medicine was in the tank, but now even chasing him with the food doesn't help. He seems to look at it and smell it with interest, but still refuses to eat. <<I have a theory that I'm working on that these medications, and especially the stronger treatments like Greenex actually nuke the taste-buds or sense of smell or chemical sensors that fish have. Not all fish, mind you, but have seen something very similar in my own Tuskfish when he was in quarantine and on a similar med.>> How long is too long for him to refuse food? <<depending on its size, perhaps a week, no more than two.>> I tried a live ghost shrimp and even raw shrimp from the seafood market, but to no avail. Do I need to quarantine him and perhaps try another medication? <<Hold out for a little while, puffers are known to go into a funk for a while and choose not to eat, and then just as quickly return to normal. Certainly hunger-strikes are not uncommon among the puffers. The Greenex probably just made it grumpy.>> I hate to over treat him with chemicals if it can be avoided. <<and I concur...>> He otherwise seems very active and enjoys looking at his reflection. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your time and patience in this matter. <<Ahh... it is you that will need to be patient, methinks ;-) >> Sincerely, Kelli <<Some helpful reading for you: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/treatmen.htm Cheers, J -- >> Porcupine Puffer Hi there! I have some problems with my new fish and was hoping you could help me on this regard. Currently I have a 55 gallon with 40 pounds Fiji LR and 20 pounds of aragonite and 20 pounds of crushed coral underneath it. My fish include a 3 inch Volitans a 2 inch dwarf lion a 2 inch long horned cowfish and a new 2 inch porcupine fish. <Awfully crowded for a 55, when/if they grow to adult size and live a full life.> The tank parameters are ammonia .25 ppm, <Should always be zero ammonia and nitrite.> nitrate 5 ppm, nitrite 0, pH 8.3. My question is this, I just introduced the porcupine a few days ago and all he does for the last 4-5 days is swim up and down on the back left corner of the tank. Also, he has a big white dot\spot on the top of the right eye. <Please tale a look here for general information on Puffers, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/diodontpuffers.htm and here for disease information, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisease.htm , and continuing on through the other linked files.> Please let me know how to help this new fish of mine. P.S. He eats all the time though. <The best help I can give you is to point you in the right direction to educate yourself as to the proper care/husbandry of your animals. -Steven Pro>
Re: porcupine puffer I tried the Epsom salt Thursday night. (I found some info on it on another site) When I got home from work Friday the puffer looked very stressed and seemed worse, he died a few hours later. I would like to thank you for your quick response and for taking the time to answer my questions, Georgia. <alas, I am sorry we could not help in time. Thank you for your empathy though. The hobby needs such passionate aquarists. Best regards, Anthony> Porcupine Puffer Hello WWM Crew: <cheers>
Can you please help me. My porcupine puffer seems to have a white
fungus all over his body (white cottony substance). How would you best
treat this illness. Please help. <remove the fish to a bare bottomed
quarantine tank, look here for protocol on running QT and identifying
the disease that your fish has:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm Although the
condition seems like "fungus" it would be VERY rare if it
was. Most growths are parasitic in nature (some viral infections
too)> Regards, Frank <If you'd like a good reference on hand
consider Untergasser's Handbook of Fish Diseases for an easy ref,
or Noga's new work for a technical and current ref. Best regards,
Anthony> Porcupine Puffer - Help Dear Mr. Fenner, I'm new to saltwater marine keeping and I purchased your book, "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist". It is a very informative book! I like it very much! :-) I know in your book to specify not to lift puffers out of the water but to scoot them into a small container. I needed to move my puffer quickly without access to such a container. I thought if I netted it and let it inflate with water first there would be a problem with it swallowing any air. Unfortunately it did swallow some air and now it has trouble getting rid of the air. You mentioned that it was stressful on the fish to swallow air but you never mentioned whether it was fatal or not or what to do about it. What can I do to save my Puffy? Please help! Thanks, Alec <<Arggghhhh, no container? What? Not even a jar you could give a quick wash and rinsing? If you and your puffer are fortunate it can/will discharge the air on its own... if not, you may be still lucky to be able to catch it (underwater) and tilting the fish up (be careful to not be bitten) gently squeeze the air from its stomach...Bob Fenner>> Injured Fish Question I have a 110gal fish only. I purchased a 4-5 inch Spiny Box puffer from the LFS about three weeks ago. About a week ago I noticed he got ruffed up, probably by a 12 inch Banded Moray Eel. Of the three fins near his tail, one is down to flesh, and the other two are 80%gone. He also has a lot of trauma near his tail. He still eats like a pig. I soak his food of choice (raw shrimp) in Vita-Chem every day, and Iodine twice a week. Is this too much iodine? Is he going to be OK? Is there anything else I can do? He's a cool fish and I don't want to lose him. And thanks for the great column! <<Hmm, do you have another tank to move the puffer to? Is anything still chewing on it? I would only add some iodine to the food once a week. If the areas where the fins are growing back (they will if not chewed all the way to their bases) look reddened... do contact me and I'll tell you how to make an antibiotic laced food. Eating heartily is a good sign... and I've seen puffers recover from much worse injuries. Keep your water quality high and stable, and s/he should get better. Bob Fenner>> Eye Growth I have a small Porcupine fish (about 4 1/2") that has been doing well for 4 months. Now he looks like he has something around one eye. It looks like a growth, but it's not puffy. It's a major change in coloration, but it's localized around one eye. I never noticed this before. Please help! <From reading your missal here, I suspect this damage is due to a physical trauma... maybe the Puffer bumping into something in the night... and would not add to the animal's stress by handling, treating it per se... just keep it fed, happy in place and it should heal> I have a 90 gallon tank that has been set up for about 4 months. I let it cycle with damsels for about two months everything was great( although I had 15 damsels when I started and ended with 4). I have since added 2 yellow tangs (Zebrasoma flavescens), a clown fish ( Amphiprion ocellaris), and a Long-Spined Porcupine Puffer (Diodon holacanthus). I understand that the puffer is not good with invert's. I would like to start adding live rock and corals is this a good idea, if so how much rock should I add and how fast should it be added. <<Adding the live rock is a great idea on several counts... You won't regret it... better livestock health, easier maintenance, never ending fascination with what comes out of it. The Puffer will likely chew on bits of the live rock... and in all likelihood your corals, other invertebrates. Do start with a few hardy soft corals if you want to try your Puffer with the non-vertebrates. Maybe a leather, toadstool... Bob Fenner>> Sick Puffer I have a porcupine puffer who has white spots on his fins, breathes heavy, doesn't move much, looks bloated, and is just floating against something or lying under the coral. My trigger and sweet lips show no signs of disease. What can I do? Is this a parasite? Will copper do the trick? Do I need to buy another tank to treat him? Ben Ventura <Much to say here... It may be that the spots are not parasitic... but if it were me, I'd start on environmental manipulation and likely copper treatments... and treat the other fishes at the same time. Do read over thoroughly the sections on marine parasitic disease, copper use, puffers and FAQ files on all these posted on the site: www.wetwebmedia.com Bob Fenner, and soon!> Porcupine Puffer question I have a porcupine puffer (about 7 in long) in a 35 gal long tank, shared with a small lion fish (about 5 in long)...nothing else in the tank except for a crab to clean up the substrate. My puffer has one eye that is the translucent blue coloring which is normal...the other eye does not. and reveals the large dark iris in the back of the eyeball. My water parameters are fine, from what I can tell (salinity good, no ammonia). Both fish eat well .... no hesitation. Behavior is fine (no change from when both eyes were blue). Any ideas on what would cause this...and how it can be corrected ? thanks... Jeff McFadyen <Hmm, could be nutritional in part... perhaps an internal parasite of some sort... maybe the result of a mechanical injury that didn't quite heal... Other than placing these fishes (and crab) into a larger system, I wouldn't do anything else to try and "cure" the one dark eye... As far as I know, there is little that COULD be done. One note re: I fully suspect that the Puffer is fine, "happy" otherwise, and will live a good time, even if the one eye should be inoperable. Be chatting, Bob Fenner> Puffer Time! Hi Bob, I recently bought a 3-4 in. long-spine porcupine puffer to add to my 55 gal. tank. I have a blue fin damsel, maroon clown, yellow tail damsel, and a lawnmower blenny. when I first introduced him into my tank he was up and swimming around., but the next day he way really shy and stayed in the corner of my tank all day. he had more than enough swimming space, for there is only about 30 lbs. o live rock. he also hasn't been eating anything, I tried feeding it frozen brine shrimp, he didn't eat that, and also tried to feed him beef heart (frozen) he didn't eat that. what is wrong with him? please help! <<Actually probably nothing is wrong with your new Puffer... these intelligent animals just get sort of depressed at times... particularly when being moved about... Do have patience, and I'll bet it will be up and eating like a veritable pig in a week or so. In the meanwhile don't worry about it starving. These fishes often do go on feeding strikes, sometimes for weeks at a time. Try feeding it something like krill or an opened shellfish every few days. Bob Fenner>> Porcupine Puffer My name is Chris Paul and I have encountered a problem with my porcupine puffer and would appreciate any advice you have. He has developed a case of Ich and is not eating, to battle it we have been adding Kent's RxP and Poly ox and we are in the process of lowering the salinity and raising the temperature. We have also added a UV sterilizer to the system that is running 24-7 and have added cleaner shrimp on the assumption that he will either eat them or they will clean him, both positive outcomes. I have also freshwater dipped him in a bucket of pH adjusted freshwater and Aquatronics Dip A Way. He has not eaten any of the shrimp, but we have included some freshwater fiddler crabs (bright colored and crunchy) and they have been found missing limbs, but not anywhere near a full puffer meal. At this point, he hasn't eaten in about a month. <Doubt if this is "Ich", just some sort of manifestation of undesired water chemistry... Would stop (never have started) with the "medicines" you list... STOP using them if you haven't already... And puffers do go on feeding strikes... Give yours time, it will very likely "self-cure" and recommence feeding> At this point the Ich seems to be in remission (at least that which is on his body). He seems to be "less" visibly infected, although I know the Ich will remain a problem for a long time. Two questions: 1) In the question included below you mention catching the puffer and turkey basting "one of the aqueous garlic remedies offered on the market to your puffer," I know you are not a fan of the garlic oil, so what product are you speaking of? <"Just" chopped garlic in water/aqueous solution... best made fresh (by you)> A brand name would be great. 2) Am I not doing something that could help/What would you do to try to remedy this situation? (I know about dip and quarantine, unfortunately I had to learn the hard way and I am paying for it now.) Thank you for any help you are able to give, Chris Paul <Only time needs to go by. Patience my friend. Bob Fenner> Sick porcupine Hi Bob....Wonder if you could help with
something. I have a Porcupine Puffer that I've had for about 4
months. He has always been healthy and happy. Suddenly last knight he
would not come out of his "cave". This morning he is listless
swimming around slowly, after I encouraged him to come out to take a
look at him, and he will not eat. His coloring is darker than usual I
think his belly is a little swollen and his underside that is usually
white has turned brown as well. His eyes are also a little darker than
usual. I can think of three factors that may have caused some reaction.
1. Despite repeated attempts he has never shown any interest in eating
anything except feeder minnows. Recently I have gotten him to eating
frozen "silversides" from the pet store. I noticed yesterday
that he was sort of farting with a cloudy stringy discharge coming from
his butt. (Sorry to let you in on this). Possibly indigestion due to
the change in diet? <Maybe... or the whole situation due to a
nutritional deficiency... just like a child only eating s/he's
favorite food> 2. He got into an altercation with a piece of live
rock (stupid fish) as he tried to squeeze his body into a two inch
crack between two pieces and caused some damage to one of his fins.
Possibly a opportunistic infection? <Very common and maybe> 3. I
introduced a brain coral last knight. I know Puffers and coral
don't usually mix but In his infancy since about two inches I
watched him grow up in a tank at the LFS with a tank full of corals as
well as hermit crabs ( he was sort of the pet stores pet and
wouldn't sell him for the longest time ) and I Have both in the
tank with him . He has never shown any interest. I was very careful
about not dumping the transport water from the coral into the tank and
it was almost 100% tank water when introduced. <Unlikely here...>
So there you have it. Maybe with some of the symptoms described you
could shed some light and advice on any action I might take. Thank you
in advance. J. Currah <And thank you for writing... Actually suspect
maybe some/all of the above may be/have contributed to your puffers
retiring behavior... but having dealt with many such anomalies, I
encourage you to "keep faith" that your fish will
"change" of its own accord. For whatever "reasons"
puffers just "do this", go on feeding strikes, hide out, sit
on the bottom for days, weeks, occasionally months at a time... who can
say why? Perhaps internal parasites? Maybe a mechanism to prevent
starving in lean times? To fool potential predators? I don't know.
But am aware that these situations almost always resolve/solve
themselves... with the puffers/Burrfishes (see
www.wetwebmedia.com re
more) just as quickly deciding to "join the living world".
Just keep your eye on this specimen. Bob Fenner> Parasite? Dear sir: I have a porcupine fish. I noticed a small flat translucent worm about 2/16 long and 1/16 wide crawling on my fish. When I came home from work I did a fresh water dip with Meth blue. I dipped for about ten minutes and brought him out and back into the tank. He had a lot of these that I hadn't noticed because the dye had turned them blue and they are falling off. My question if you would be so kind is, what are they and what is protocol to rid the fish of them. I'm hoping quarantine with copper will not be called for. Any info you could provide on life cycle, etc., would also be appreciated. <There are a few possibilities... likely these are some sort of "Fluke"... mono- or digenetic Trematode species... and are likely best treated by way of a freshwater and formalin (ten drops per gallon of 37% solution) dip of about five minutes duration... and then placed in a new setting... lest this is a worm with direct life cycle (the ones that entail another one or two intermediates are likely to not have those other transient hosts in place...). See if this works... and if you're so inclined, search about for "Fish Disease" works by "Yamaguti" or "Noga" for tremendously more detail... Or write me back for more if unclear... Bob Fenner> Porcupine puffer with a swollen eye I wonder if you can help,
I recently acquired a Porcupine puffer about 3 inches in length. he
currently shares a 180L tank with a small Volitans, a 3 inch Clown
Trigger fish, a 5 inch Pink tail trigger, a Powder Blue Tang, and an
Imperator Angel. All the water parameters are in very good shape, but
about 1 week after being added to my tank, he suddenly developed a
very, very swollen eye. The eye enlarged in the space of an hour just
after feeding. It's now about 3 weeks later and the situation has
worsened, the swelling is massive and looks very uncomfortable, a
significant amount of air is clearly visible behind the eye cover and
in front of the eye itself. The poor creatures buoyancy is clearly
affected yet he feeds enthusiastically. have you ever experienced
anything like this before? <Yes... first hand and otherwise. Popeye,
aka exophthalmia is a condition... that has several
etymologies/causes... If it's one-sided typically this is resultant
from a mechanical injury... a bump in the night or some other organism
bruising the animal... likely one of your triggers or the Angel...>
do you know of any treatments? <For advanced cases like this? Best
to just "wait, hope, see" what happens... Please see the
"Popeye" and related sections on our site:
www.WetWebMedia.com for more here> Thanks in advance for your help,
I've been very impressed with the words of wisdom you have offered
others. Regards, Ian <Thank you for your kind words... don't
know about wisdom, but collective experience, yes. Bob Fenner> Healing puffer I think I had mentioned this fellow to you before, asking questions about resilience, etc. Anyway, he [Holocanthus] had a tank mate at the LFS who chewed his tail fin, pretty much down to the base. He had been separated for a week or so when I bought him and was definitely on the mend from times previous. Anyway, now that he's "under observation" the tail had always a thin filament of [what I assumed to be] bone around which tissue is growing back. Now after a week, that filament, which was at one point bleach white (like the tissue around it) is now red-ish brown... the other tissue looks the same as before, and is still growing. <Okay> My question(s): is the redness blood supply or infection? What can be done to stave off infections? Vitamins? <A good idea... more likely re-growth than infection> Tank finished cycling about two weeks ago and since then have had a small ammonia spike due to chunk of live rock bailing out, but things are now as normal as they can be, but I was concerned that an antibiotic or similar treatment would behave like copper and wipe all cultures without discrimination. <Hmm... depends on antibiotic type... and more> Silly me, don't have a quarantine tank yet [got to your site after the tank was going] but will have one completed by tomorrow evening. <Now you're getting smarter> Could treat in there I suppose, or should I just keep observing. Fish is quite healthy otherwise, and is quite active/animated. <Don't move it> TIA. <You're welcome as quickly. Bob Fenner> J -- Porcupine Puffer with swollen spot... I've had my
porcupine puffer for about a month, and he has been doing great. This
morning when I got up and turned the light on for the tank I noticed he
had a swollen part on his left side ... up towards his back. It has
made it so that he can't use his top fin. I'm wondering if he
may have swallowed some air during the night or something.
<Perhaps... but much more likely a resultant symptom from the
collection, handling processes from the wild...> Yesterday at
feeding he had an altercation with an eel over some food but I
don't think he got bit. He seemed fine after the feeding.
<Hmm> What should I do with him??? <Really "nothing"
other than the "usual" of providing consistent, high quality
water, a stable environment, food... These fishes (puffers in general)
are quite "changeable", "adaptable" but do go
through marked changes in behavior (feeding, sitting about,
swimming...). Please read over the various "Puffer FAQs"
posted on our website: www.WetWebMedia.com for much more here... that
will inform you, place your mind at rest. Bob Fenner> Thanks for any
help, Nathan Best Porcupine puffer sick? hi bob, I've recently introduced my porcupine puffer (3 inches) into my 125 FOWLR system one week ago after a two-week quarantine. now I've noticed that it has a speckled white coat on the upper half of both eyes. what is this and how do I treat it? the puffer is otherwise healthy, very active and eats well. <Hmm, just on the "upper half of both eyes"... I would likely not treat it... Do read over the entire section on "Marine Fish Disease" posted on our site (www.WetWebMedia.com) however> tank conditions: temp 81 1.022 nh4 0.25 (doing partial h20 exchanges weekly) nitrite 0 nitrate 0 thanks again, Knef <I would "wait and see" at this point... the spotting may very well likely not be parasitic, infectious per se, but environmental/stress markings. Bob Fenner> Question about puffer fish Hi Bob, I've got a porcupine puffer fish who I have had for almost 2 years now! But I noticed a strange marking on his belly recently. It looks like green algae. Its green and splotchy all over his white belly.. I never noticed it until today.. I'm wondering if it could be algae? <Actually, yes. It could be> Or is it more likely some other kind of disease? In any case is it dangerous? How would you recommend curing it? <Improved water quality, change of foods/feeding, addition of vitamins and iodide to the food, water...> BTW, my tank does have some algae growth but I try to keep it under control so its not THAT bad. Your help is appreciated, thanks! Steve Weatherly <Perhaps related issue (algae in tank, on puffer) in that water quality, conditions dictate both... Do you have live rock? Macro-algae growing in the system or sump? These would help indirectly to vastly improve conditions, health. Bob Fenner> Lifespan of Diodon holacanthus Hi Mr. Fenner, <Hello> I
have been a longtime reader of your material, and your knowledge has
helped me tremendously throughout the years. Thanks a lot for that!
<Glad to share> My girlfriend and I had a porcupine puffer for
about 5 years. He had his battles with illness here and there, but he
always recovered brilliantly. He was a remarkably healthy fish. I
recently tried adding a new fish into his tank (100g), and
unfortunately I did not quarantine this fish previous to adding it to
the system. The new fish (Kole Tang) did not show any symptoms of
illness other than heavy breathing. One morning I looked at the tank
and saw a dead tang, with much of its rear body bitten off. I have no
doubt it was the Pufferfish that did this, while the tang was still
alive. I saw the tang swimming happily the night before. <Mmm, just
as likely that the Tang perished and was partly consumed thereafter>
The next day the Pufferfish started acting ill, his eyes looked a bit
cloudy and he was showing white spots on his fins. Instead of removing
him and hospitalizing him right away, I figured he'd recover much
like he always did. That was my biggest mistake ever, as 3 days later
he died. My girlfriend is devastated, and I feel completely
responsible. I am surprised this fish did not recover to tell you the
truth, considering how well he's done with illness in the past. I
attributed the illness of the puffer to the introduction of the tang,
since there had been no disease in this particular tank for over 2
years. <Mmm... a likely possibility... would like to know "what
else" is alive in the system... could well be that whatever the
root cause/s of mortality are/were that they might have been
environmental> This is my question: Is this considered an
"old" Pufferfish for tank life? <Well, not really...
members of this species have been kept in captivity for more than
twenty years (Public Aquariums keep records)> Was his immune system
weak perhaps due to old age? I can't find reference on the internet
about the natural lifespan of this particular fish, although my best
guess would be about 10-12 years in the wild, and about 7-8 in
captivity? Thanks a lot for your time, I really appreciate it.
Sincerely, Chris George <Take a look on WetWebMedia.com's links
pages to Public Aquariums. Some list longevity records for the animals
in their care. Bob Fenner> Please help w/porcupine puffer- swollen spot I have found a treasure trove on info on your site- Thanks! I bought a Porcupine puffer Saturday. I was extremely careful handling him, but we did feed him two large dried shrimp before he was bagged. <Before? Oof!> I poured him into my net and then placed him in the tank. He has a swollen spot on his right side about 2/3 way back. It obviously makes it hard for him to swim as it causes him to be very buoyant. I was misinformed by the LFS that this transfer method would be ok. I think he has swallowed some air. He has come out a few times briefly, but mainly is under a ledge of rock, probably to keep from floating up. Is there any way to tell for sure or anything I can do- I really want to help this little guy make it. I tried to offer some food down to him but he puffed up so I left him alone. I have noticed that my clown is hovering by him, like he is guarding him or something. He also rubs his back fin on the puffer. Have you ever heard of such behavior? <Yes> He is in a 29 gallon (I have a 50 just for him, long term, haven't set it up yet), with a clarkii clown, yellowtail damsel, coral beauty. I have a flower anemone, cold water anemone, curlicue, and Sebae have 4 or 5 snail, equal # hermits, couple of emerald crabs. Thanks Pete Schmitz <Please try to be patient here... the absorption or expulsion of the trapped gas will take a few days to weeks... but should work out over time. In the meanwhile not much to do but wait. Don't be discouraged if this specimen doesn't feed for the duration. Bob Fenner> Porcupine Puffer Skin Tags Bob, I recently set up my first Marine Aquarium and just finished reading The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, awesome book. I was just admiring your website when I thought of my own question. I have a 75 gal tank and have only stocked a Yellow Tang and a Porcupine Puffer to date. My Porcupine has little white skin tags (for lack of a better description) mixed in among his spines. <A good description> The 7 or 8 "tags" seem to be normal, but do cause a little concern. They seem to be mostly on the lower half of his body (below his eyes) and they are not real long, NOT as long as the spines at least. I looked at the pictures you had posted and thought that I could also see them, but I'm not sure. Are these normal, will they grow, go away, gain more, and what are they? I appreciate you insightfulness and willingness to help. -Mark <As I do your participation. These tags of skin are what the terms define... and do occur in the wild and on captive Diodontids, especially ones that are growing quickly as young. Nothing to worry about. Be chatting. Bob Fenner> Sick Puffer? <Greetings Puffer Person... Positively
Pleased to Peruse your Post. Anthony> I've had a porcupine
puffer for over a month now. For the past two weeks he's been
breathing heavier than he should. He's been eating good during this
whole period of time of breathing heavy. However during the past couple
days he has not been eating as good as he's usually does. Instead
of eating 4 silversides a day he only goes for one. When I try adding
other silver sides he will grab it chew on it then spit it out and not
return for it. He does this to krill too. Why is he not wanting to eat
as much? <check water chemistry (low pH, high Ammonia, etc.) and
look for signs of disease (scratching/glancing, closing one gill while
pumping the other, excess slime/mucus, spots> I have him in a 120
with a 4 inch Percula and 3 damsels. The puffer is only three inches
long. The water is testing good. <what is it specifically?> I
have a lot of filtration. What's causing him to breath heavy when
he doesn't have any visible signs of disease? I check through your
site and I haven't found the answer to this problem. So please I
beg help me. Thank you. < if not a biological water quality issue,
that leaves toxin in water (unlikely) or the pre-cursor of a disease
not showing symptoms yet. Review the above and post again if necessary.
Anthony> |
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