The Puffer Forum

Hello,

Just saved a Figure 8 puffer yesterday from my LFS as i felt really sorry for this little fella that was in a stupid so called brackish tank ( no trace of salt when i brought it back home ) all by himself with the power head been too strong for even 40 tanks !! ( looked like a whirlpool ! )
Soon as i got him home i placed him in one of those breeding traps in the main tank as my hospital tank has not been used for ages and I don’t fancy placing this fish in my community freshwater setup,
The main tank is currently light brackish 1.005sg, 120Litre capacity, well planted with many hiding places, houses 3 mollies, 2 bumble bees and "Penelope" the green spotted puffer !
When i inspected him/her i noticed a lump near the back tail but looking close up it looks like a flat snail shell embedded underneath the skin !! I have never seen this before…
Currently I have divided a small portion of the tank to give him more room to swim about
And get more relaxed, he is feeding very well on live bloodworm, frozen prawns and frozen shrimp but im very concerned about the lump and not 100% sure on what actions I should do

Any expert advice appreciated or may be able to take a picture if you need,

p.s my water conditions are superb, tested weekly and using RO premixed salt water from a marine specialist, 25% replaced monthly, tank been setup for 3 months in new location and 4 years previous to that.

That gsp will need full saltwater when an adult. Most likely the bump is a parasitic crustatea, with which I have little experience.

Crustacean parasites such as copepods (at least 10 families!), branchiurids, isopods and cirripedes, are almost always attached to the the skin/fins or on the gills.

It sounds as though this is under the skin and only visible as an outline? If the appearance is that of a coil like a snail coil, then my best guess without seeing it is that it is an encysted nematode. While nematodes are bad, sometimes fish live a long time with encysted ones. I have had native killifish live their 3 to 4 year lifespan with them. However, if the fish and/or nematode become stressed, the nematode will become active and penetrate tissues and that is fatal.
The only cure for somatic nematodes is physical removal by surgery - easier said than done on a small fish (very hard to make such small stitches), followed with antibiotics. I would not panic but I would keep a close eye on it - especially if it seems to be moving.

I hope I am wrong on this one; maybe its healed scar tissue from an injury. If its a nematode, a separate tank may be advisable - at the same salinity. I do not recommend any parasite med for somatic nematodes.

Could be a nematode, not at all unusual to find in wild-caught fish such as puffers. If so, killing it will most likely result in death of the puffer as well. The good news is that many puffers with nematodes go on to live relatively long lives.

I strongly caution against placing any fish in your main tank w/o a proper QT period. What if the lump turned out to be a very difficult and contagious disease?

I would definately QT that fish! Also, if your GSP is > than 1", I'd get it into saltier water, like 1,008-12.