The Puffer Forum

Hi all... I'm just posting because I've never ever seen this thing happening. My recently purchased SAP is in a QT for ick treatment, suddenly this thing like a rosy/reddish ball appear in his belly, close to his mouth. I don't even know what it is, how to treat and what to expect from this kind of disease. I'm really scared and I think this thing will kill my fish.

( sorry for the quality of the pictures, but I just had my cel phone on my hands) Here's the photos:









I'm doing 100% WC daily, and feeding with freezed-dried bloodworms soaked in metronidazole and praziquantel (you can see his sunken belly on those pictures). No others meds; temp = 30ºC (86ºF); 2tablespoons of marine sal for 12L (3.17 gal) for ick treatment; PH = 7.2 .

Thats odd. Is it fuzzy?

looks like a sore..melafix can treat it.

No, it's not fuzzy.

It does and doesn't look like a sore...

As a matter of fact, it looks like a tumor or a huge acne... that happened overnight! It seems that something is growing under the skin. I have no idea about it!

Definately try Melafix. Either a tumor or some sort of underskin infection.

I was looking at that weird thing, and I DID see that was a thin layer of skin forming a "bubble", just like when we get burnt by fire...

So, I noticed the heater was laid down on the bottom (I already changed the position) just in the same place where this puffer sleeps. Could that "bubble" be a injury on the body caused by high temperature in case a fish gets stucked between the glass and the heater? Could I be so stupid of being able to "burn" the puffer's skin? I do have some melafix, then it is very helpful in this case, isn't it?

This is the model of the heater I'm using in the QT:

Extremely possible.

my puffers get heater burn once in a while..usually when i do water change/vaccum they will hide under the heater. The burn mark usually appears on top of their head which turns white. Your puffer wound is turning red must be extreme burn condition then. I have never seen that before.

Oh the poor little guy, that looks so painful!

I would keep the water as clean as possible, Melafix/Pimafix and see how it goes. It looks too big to be a nematode, and those are usually lumps, not red and sore looking like that.

Sorry to say that too late, but when I went see how he was... I found him dead. I don't know why because on sunday night he was swimming as usual.
Poor guy, I couldn't even know what it was that "bublle"...

I thought you decided it was a heater burn? Sorry for your loss...

sorry for your lost but i thought you might want to no what it was as i hate to loose a fish and not no why,i had a sap that this happened to and i did not no what it was until some guy told me it was a absuse and that i should use clove oil then lance the puffer as i did,loads off puss come out and he started to feed again in a few days and was fine after that.
once again sorry for your lost but hopes this answers any questions or even helps in the future anytime.
i put this pic in so you could make your own mind up but i think it looks very much like the same thing.

dmill82 - OMG, that's exactly what appeared on my puffer's skin. That one is gone, then I decided to get another one, after a few days, the new guy is showing the same thing. It starts with a yellowish/brownish spot and becomes that rosy bublle.

I didn't understand what you did in your puffer's case! Did you do a minor surgery?
Are you puffer stil alive? How is she/he? Did he/she make it?

Sorry for so many question, but I'm getting desperate and very scared to loose the other puffer too.

Thank you very much for the advice!

yeah my puffer is still alive and it all healed up,no problems at all.
i used clove oil to send her asleep then held her in the net and lanced the absuse,this means to use a sterile needle and push into the lump just until it pops through the surfuce off the skins,then gently squeez the lump so the puss comes out but make sure you do it all as it will come back.
you dont have to long and it seems a bit nervy but dont panic as its quite easy to do.
i dont no if you have ever used clove oil or anything to put them asleep wile you trim there teeth,if not then read about it on here first.
id never herd or seen anything like this until my puffer got it,then i see the 1 you lost and thought its not just me.but then you say its happened again and that seems wierd to me.
i dont no what causes it but this is what i done to mine and she is fine.
if you do decide to use this then i hope it goes well but if not then im really sorry,it worked for mine and i was told to do this.
oh yeah also use melafix if you do this to help stop anymore infection,the hole cycle of melafix

if its only a spot of odd colouring you see on the new puffer like it started on the other one,then leave it a little wile to see what happens but start a dose of melafix to help.
if it gets big like the other 1 then lance it,but make shore it looks like it has puss in or is big enough to do as the lump would have to have puss in or be big other wise you would just be stabbing the poor little guy with a needle.
fingers crossed and keep an eye on him (if he stops eating then its effecting him as thats the first sign i got)