The Puffer Forum

Hey guys,
I tried posting my question on Reef Central and also posted to Wet Web Media, but I didn't get any responses. I figured maybe you guys might have an idea!

My yellow-belly dogface puffer has these small white circles on his body (I know it's not ich). Anyone have an idea of what they are? Here's some pictures for clarification:







They don't seem to bother him at all, and almost resemble "freckles." I just want to make sure they aren't harming him in any way--he eats fine and is very active and inquisitive. He had them when I purchased him (I work at LFS), occasionally we get puffers who also have these "freckles." I've always wondered what they are.

Thanks!

That's the oddest thing I've ever seen! I'm going to forward you to one more site where Kelly Jedlicki, the top SW puffer & fish disease person, has her forum: http://forum.marinedepot.com/Forum10-1.aspx

Please post back here what her response is.

No disease in my opinion, given on the regular distribution and distance to each other it's just the spines or what is visible of them in unpuffed condition. Spines on tetraodontids are what is left of scales their ancestors had. Here the bases obviously have a white color. I don't know if you need treatment, but if it was my puffer and no other symptoms occured I would do nothing. I've seen that a number of times and don't recall any of the puffers to be "sick", "dying" or "healing" from this type of "spots".

Also, you should have a WWM answer.

That did cross my mind... Darn, so many times I'm afraid to guess & then Corvus proves my guess to be correct!

So, let's hope that's true. Bob suggested treatment in contrast to me.

I take most of what Bob says about puffers with a very small grain of salt. What treatment did he suggest? I'd still be interested to see what Kelly had to say.

Well, I did not mean treatment (which is what I wrote above)... but improvement (of water chemistry in this case)...
Not a bad guess either in my opinion, although I don't agree. Let's wait what the queen has to add.

cited from http://www.wetwebmedia.com/daily_faqs3.htm
<Some sort of skin irritation (not Neuromast/HLLE trouble)... likely something to do w/ water chemistry... which you proffer no data re. Could well be summat that there is no simple measure of. Do put the string
"puffer skin trouble" in the search tool here: http://wetwebmedia.com/Googlesearch.htm and read some of the cached views for the saltwater queries. Bob Fenner>

Well, he's right about the parameters. Please answer all the Qs above, in red.

maybe should be moved to the hospital?

Does he still have it? Or has it dissapeared

ive noticed the same thing a few times and it used to panic me... But i think its when they inflate themselves randomly it pushes the spines out as corvus have sggested

they remain to be seen for a while but it eventually sinks back in..

But if t doesnt dissapear then it could be something else