The Puffer Forum

update:
Squishy (GSP) is doing better as far as his eye issue. I posted earlier this week about. The Triple Sulfa was working.....

but can anyone tell me what this stuff is.......on his skin....blackish-grayish stuff...hopefully the pictures help//

its especially visible on the sides of his mouth....

That's just normal coloring that usually results from stress or surprise/fear. If he's sick, it's to be expected that any white areas may turn gray or black. You'll see it on stressed GSPs in pet stores all the time.

+1 on normal coloring from stress/fear. Plus they also turn a little dark on the sides when the lights are out at night or hunting for food. I would avoid grabbing him in your hands especially if he is trying to recover from any illness. It will stress the heck out of him and any stress will weaken him and prolong his recovery.

yep you really shouldn't be handling your puff , there easily stressed and stress is one of the biggest factors in fish becoming ill and can be fatal . Only times you really need to handle them is if your burping them or having to perform dentisrty .

And during those tasks you should be handling them through a net. The touch and oils on our skin damage their slime coat which makes them even more likely to get new infections. You should never touch a fish unless your touch will save their life.

best to wear latex gloves , your hands are covered in all sorts of bacteria no matter how much you clean them ...

Ah it wondered if it was stress. Only reason my husband grabbed them was for the picture . But I'll keep yalls advice in mind. I don't want him getting any sicker:(. I'm finishing up treatment until his eye is 100% back to normality.
Thanks again