Hello everyone,
We have a large salt water aquarium in the office I work. Since I started (3years ago) I have taken the responsibility of feeding the fish. There has always been a dog faced puffer in the tank. Very happy and the cutest little guy. About 6 months ago, the company that takes care of the tanks, brought in another puffer. He is not a dog faced puffer. He is large and dark green with yellowly spots and very aggresive towards all the other fish. Last week, he attacked the dog faced puffer. I had him removed from the tank immediatley. But the dog faced puffer has a huge spot on his side that his skin is missing from the other puffer biting him. (the man who takes care of the tanks said it is like bruising?) Anyway, the dog faced puffer began to hide under the coral and things to keep away from the other fish. I noticed today they are starting to "pick" at him. the man, came and said he has a hospital tank he is bringing him to until he gets better. I want to know if anyone has gone through this and the possible outcome for the puffer fish? We all love him at the office, he reminds us of a little puppy dog. Thanks for any info.
Dog faced puffer was bitten by another puffer?
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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LilGreenPuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 5301
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:26 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Dwarf puffer - Thumbelina (only mine in my heart now; she lives in CT with my friend)
RIP Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Vizinni.
RIP James Bond. - Location (country): United States
- Location: Kentucky
Re: Dog faced puffer was bitten by another puffer?
Welcome to the forum! This is the perfect place to get help for your puffer. We'll do our best to help you out.
Different species of puffers usually don't get along together. Is the new puffer gone for good now?
Melafix is a great treatment for cuts/scrapes/bites. Also, keep the water super-clean while he's healing to prevent infections. Change the water in the hospital tank - almost 100% every day. Make sure it's heated and that it has hiding spots for the puffer - a big terra-cotta pot would be great. If you see anything fungus-y or strange-looking on the wound, you may need to use a stronger antibiotic, but Melafix will probably keep most infections at bay, and it will promote speedy healing.
There's a species profile in the PufferPedia (under the Learn tab at the top) on dogface puffers. It'll help you learn a bit more about your "puppy."
Different species of puffers usually don't get along together. Is the new puffer gone for good now?
Melafix is a great treatment for cuts/scrapes/bites. Also, keep the water super-clean while he's healing to prevent infections. Change the water in the hospital tank - almost 100% every day. Make sure it's heated and that it has hiding spots for the puffer - a big terra-cotta pot would be great. If you see anything fungus-y or strange-looking on the wound, you may need to use a stronger antibiotic, but Melafix will probably keep most infections at bay, and it will promote speedy healing.
There's a species profile in the PufferPedia (under the Learn tab at the top) on dogface puffers. It'll help you learn a bit more about your "puppy."
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
-
pufferfreak
- Mbu Puffer
- Posts: 1012
- Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:26 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): U.S.A.
- Location: San Siego, CA
- Contact:
Re: Dog faced puffer was bitten by another puffer?
Usually for puffers it's one spiny and one softy i.e. porc and dogace (sometimes mixing puffers just doesn't work). However this sounds more like a triggerfish you are talking about (the attacker).
I would use melafix as LGP said. Make sure you buy the marine kind to.
I would use melafix as LGP said. Make sure you buy the marine kind to.
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LilGreenPuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 5301
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:26 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Dwarf puffer - Thumbelina (only mine in my heart now; she lives in CT with my friend)
RIP Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Vizinni.
RIP James Bond. - Location (country): United States
- Location: Kentucky
Re: Dog faced puffer was bitten by another puffer?
If he's in a hospital tank without a skimmer, he can use the regular stuff, which is easier to find.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
-
pufferfreak
- Mbu Puffer
- Posts: 1012
- Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:26 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): U.S.A.
- Location: San Siego, CA
- Contact: