The Puffer Forum

Hey guys..
Yesterday at a local store i saw this strange puffer i got curious and i bought it.. but i cant id it!
I thought it was a Colomesus asellus but it doesnt look like it!

Not sure what type of puffer this is but you better start treating for Internal Parasites, it certainly looks like it has them, poor fella.

library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/

Oh really?! Thanks ill see what i can do, i definitely want to save him!

Good luck, did you read the link? I am sure someone will be along to give you a proper ID.

One of the pros will have to confirm this but that looks like a Milkspotted Puffer, ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Marine/Chelonodon+patoca/ a very unique fish indeed and an awesome find! He definitely is not healthy right now and will need some serious TLC to help him survive. From the pictures he is showing signs of internal parasites or just plain malnutrition. Get him eating decent food and make sure he's in good water. I'm going to move this to the Hospital section where I feel it belongs. Please answer all the questions in RED at the top of the page, very important info for us to have so we can help better. In addition to those questions, how long is this fish? Have you seen him eat? Have you seen him poop and if you have what is it like? Is he listless or energetic?

Thank you guys, i really want to everything to save him.

1. Freshwater. The water is half Ro water.
2. he is currently in a 11 lt tank by himself with a filter and heater.
3. I have all kind of frozen food and pellets.
4. Bought it yesterday
5. I set it up yesterday after i noticed its condition.

I tried to feed him with frozen bloodworm but it doesnt look like working.. but he goes crazy with snails..
I bought Metronidazole. But i'm not sure what is its better, to add it to some food (even tho he's not eating anything else but snails so tryin some other frozen food) or put it in the water.
what do you suggest?

I agree with the tentative Milk-spotted ID - I have not seen one of those in years. They used to been locally fairly often. I have only kept one, quite a number of years back, and only for a few months. It hd been mis-ID'd by the importer and I did not want a largish SW puffer at that time, so I traded it off. I second the suggestions on food, I'd bet that i used snails and rehydrated FD krill mainly, probably with some frozen/thawed squid. squid smells awful, but many puffers relish itand it is decent nutritionally,even if totally lacking in crunch. the fish had fast-growing incissors, so keep a high percentage of snails in the diet as long as the fish is small enough, then switch over to smallish bivalves. It was a moderately active fish, likes current but with a sheltered area for withdrawal and naps/sleeping. It will need a big tank and likely be best at full marine (FOWLR plus skimmer minimum, macroalgae refugium if possible.

I cannot remember what species it was sold as, something common like GSP - which it very obviously was not.

Pufferpunk: That fish I had for some months back in the old days of the puffer mailin list if i am not mistaken. Did you ever see any of these back them?

Well since is has been IDd as milk spotted puffer, should i add some salt in the tank? Do you think it will help him getting better?

You're going to have to cycle that tank ASAP! For now, you need to worry about that above all other things or he will poison himself with his own waste. You have lots of reading to do & lots of water changes, so don't worry about salt right now.

library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/

Here are other ideas for feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
library/feeding/problems-feeding-your-puffer/
library/feeding/feedingproblems/

You'll have to soak whatever he's willing to eat in the meds. This will probably kill the snails but if he likes them so much, he probably won't care.

I've thought about how to treat snails with IP meds before and I wonder if you could mix up some meds and inject them into the snail's flesh with an insulin syringe.

I also considered doing this with bloodworms.

Better yet, earthworms.

I got to say after have put medication in the water, he kinda looks more active, he ate like 20 snails maybe more, and he's tummy is more rounded. All the uneaten food has been removed. Should i do a small water change today because of medication? Or wait till tomorrow?

Maybe/hopefully he is just malnourished. Keep an eye on his poop for signs of IPs.



Good luck

Seeing as this fish is found through out the spectrum of water SG I would not worry about adding salt right now. They are found as yearlings in freshwater but quickly migrate in to marine conditions. Get the tank cycled as soon as possible at the current FW conditions and then safely bring the salt levels up. Read the article PufferPunk listed on emergency cycling. I wouldn't be adding any meds to the water right now, it will just complicate your problems with water quality, just feed him and get him a little fatter and more able to tolerate the meds.