Reticulate Puffer Worrysome Behavior Changes and Mouth Sore

[MikeSC]

PH:8.0-8.4
Salinity: 1.022
Temp: 76
ammonia/nitrite/nitrate: 0/0/40
Spectrapure RODI water with Tropic Marin Bio-Actif Salt Mix
Cycled while curing live rock 18 months ago.

Tank: 120 gallon 60"x18"x25" - FOWLR - CPR Overflow with dual drains. One feeding wet dry filter which holds skimmer pump(Mag Drive9.5) and return pump(Mag Drive 12) and the other feeding 20g Tall DIY Refugium with caulpera, and additional biological media(marinepure). Return pump also feeds a BRS Duel Carbon/GFO reactor. System is hard plumbed. Skimmer used is AquaC Ev-180. PH and Temp monitored via reef keeper elitesystem. I use 2 Hydor Evolution 1500 pumps on opposite sides for additional flow. Nitrate has been hanging around 80 until recently due to heavy maintenance and water changing. It is sitting around 40 at the moment. Normal water change schedule is roughly 25 gallons per week.

Tank Mates: 10" Reticulated Puffer(Ticules), 4" Niger Trigger, (2) 1.5" Reef Chromis, (2) peppermint shrimp, a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp(lives on Ticules, rarely leaving his side), tons of snails(Mexican Turbo/Astrae/Banded Trochus/Cerith/nassarius)/hermit crabs(dwarf blue leg/zebra/orange). No noticeable aggression towards puffer at any time. Puffer accidentally bit Niger during feeding due to Niger literally swimming in his mouth. Niger recovered well. It made puffer very sad and he refused to eat any more that day.

I have had Ticules for over a year and he has always been amazingly resilient. When I first purchased him from blue zoo he had anchor worms which are typically fresh water parasites. I was able to acquire dog flea medicine(program or sentinel) that resolved the problem. Even with a dozen worm looking parasites dangling from his body, he has always been very friendly and happy...until recently.

For about a month now, as soon as the lights go off in our aquarium, he starts swimming frantically against the glass rubbing it to the point where he now has a red sore on right below his lower lip. He also is not eating as much, and is turning down seaweed which he loved above all else. He is still eating a variety of fresh local clams/shrimp/blue crab/muscles/(not locally caught)squid which I dose with Selcon, Vita-chem, Vitamarin-C and Garlic Xtreme(rotating the supplements separately). He is not eating as much as he use to however and stops after about 1 large shrimp or the size equivalent of other food. Previously he would eat as much as was offered and beg for more very effectively. He also use to cherish sleeping and give a very big grump face if anyone turned on a light when he was sleeping.

During this frantic swimming he becomes unresponsive with very little regard for the rock and equipment in the aquarium. I was advised to put a background to prevent this and it stopped him from swimming at the back glass, but now he does the same thing in the front of the tank and one of the sides not covered. I was worried with the behavior when it started, but now with the red sore(pic attached below) I am even more worried.

Any advice or info that you can share will be greatly appreciated, and thank you.

Mike

[eieio]

stress from overstocked tank

[Pufferpunk]

How is he relating to the trigger? I'd get the temp up to 78 degrees. Add Melafix to the tank. But most importantly, you need to get that nitrate <20 & keep it there.

I use vitamin C as a carbon source to lower nitrate & keep my fish/corals healthy & disease-free: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13501
I actually have 2 bottles here I'm looking to get rid of, as I recently got out of SW.

[MikeSC]

The puffer has no problem with the niger directly. The niger keeps his distance, especially since ticules accidentally got his stomach. Ticules pretty much ignores him and everything else but his cleaner shrimp and anyone who might've willing to feed him. However indirectly he seems a bit put off by some of the aggressiveness that the niger shows the two chromis. He is a very passive and friendly. Even takes food so politely . It is nothing new though and doesn't result in any biting, just basic territorial stuff when the fish go in the nigers cave.

I raised the temp and it is holding steady at 78. Is there any danger adding melafix to the invertebrates? I have some already from a prior treatment but it was done in a hospital tank.

I am very interested in the carbon dosing with vitamin C and was reading your post earlier. I am currently doing 60 gallons a day until the nitrates are gone. Is the vitamin C dangerous at all like vodka or is it easy to calculate and add without much risk?

[Pufferpunk]

VC is much safer than vodka but should be ramped up slowly. Add it to your sump. I'd start at 1/4 tsp (2x/day) for 3 days, double that every 3 days & keep doubling, until you get to 1 tsp/2x per day. If a brown slime develops (the result of nitrate/phosphate removal), 1/2 the dose for a week & then start ramping up again. You'll have to adjust your skimmer to a drier setting & probably won't need macro algae in your fuge anymore. Mine totally disappeared & I replaced it with rubble, for the pods to live in there.