The Puffer Forum

We noticed this tonight when my husband was looking at the tank. He was fine yesterday. There are not any other fish in the tank that could attack him. There are no corals that could hurt him. He couldn't have gotten stuck somewhere. I am so upset, I don't know what to do. We have him in quarantine right now. I don't want him to die. Someone please help me.

Sorry about the picture quality, my camera is so crappy.

Whats a Baron?

He looks like he has either scratched himself on somethiing or has been burnt by something. Is your heater in your display?

If it's a skin problem I'd treat with Melafix

I am sorry. He is a porcupine puffer. I was so distraught in my typing I forgot to put it in. Sadly he passed last night. I am very sad because it happened so suddenly. I feel like I let him down by letting something hurt him. Today is gonna be a bad day.

so sorry to hear that

It's amazing he got hurt so fataly with nothing in the tank to harm him. So sorry for your loss...

Yeah I really don't know what could have done it. I am so upset. Do you think it was some sort of disease? Or maybe he got stuck under some live rock?

It looks like something bit a chunk out of him. It hard to imagin getting stuck would cause that much damage, and why would a fish allow itself to be burned so badly by the heater? Wow..

Sorry to for your loss.

Puffer's flesh is quite thick, even leathery. Difficult to cut even with a razor blade.

Captive porcs can have very weak muscles and connective tissue probably due to improper diet/care at some point of their lives. If they try to puff it is well possible - and me and several other guys unluckily had to witness it - that the skin cracks and the puffer dies.

ouch, that sounds awful but does make sense, that is a real shame, poor puffer

Sorry about your loss. I was so upset when my old porc died, and I couldn't imagine anything bad happening to Shelby I'd be crushed.

It's hard because it all happened so fast. I mean, the day before yesterday he was fine. He always ate well and had a great personality from the day I got him. The only tank mates he had were a peppermint shrimp, a tiny ocellaris clown and a yellow watchman goby...all much smaller than he was. He was not very big himself. Probably a little bigger than a half dollar.

I know the feeling, it's so much easier to lose something when its expected compared to completely out of nowhere.

I feel as if it is my fault though. I didn't take care of him or something the proper way.