It started when he began hanging out in a little enclosed area under the rocks that we made when aquascaping for the fish to hide in if they were scared. He would stay in this area all day with the cleaner shrimp. We jokingly started to call it his 'play pen' and I was just thinking that maybe he was getting old or not feeling well for some reason so was trying to get cleaned by the shrimp. This went on for a few weeks, he would come out if he could tell we were infront of the tank, but he was never out when we would walk into the room. I started to miss the big white waving puffer dancing for us when we got home.
In the last week he was in his playpen all day. He would only come out to eat occaisonally and to sleep on the rocks everynight. We noticed that he looked like he had put on a lot of weight and looked really sad and uncomfortable.
For New Years Eve we went to my boyfriends holiday house for a few days. We got a call on Wednesday from his mum who was looking after the tank to say that Diddy was puffing and getting stuck to the pumps. We were trying to give her instructions over the phone- turn the pumps off, just step away from the tank, dont scare him etc- but we got a call back a few minutes later to say he was stuck to a tunze nano- which barely puts out much so he mustve been extremely weak- and was not breathing.
We were devastated. He was the most kind and considerate fish we had ever kept. He could light up a room with his glowing white belly and personality.
We don't really know what caused his sudden decline. I few possibilities:
1) He got something caught in him. Nothing that weve fed him could have got caught, hes only been eating mysis, marine dinner and nori for the past few months. I think he mightve eaten a crab or something that got stuck.
2) We bought him from a shop that is rumoured to buy cyanide caught fish. We didn't know this when we bought him and he is the only fish weve bought from there so dont know if this could be the reason.
3) He was old and his organs were failing. Weve had him for nearly 2 years and wasnt that small when we got him so could be 4 years old.
The tank feels extremely empty without him and I wouldnt dare try another puffer in the SPS reef that Diddy let us build around him, as a new one would more than likely eat something.
Rest in peace DIddy, I'll miss you
Such a beautiful puffer!
