The Puffer Forum

Hi I have just recently bought a porcupine puffer fish from my LFS, and have had it for only 2 days, it has been swimming around fine and eating normally, he is about 3 inches long and a right little character. however just as I was looking at my tank, one minute everything was fine, then I noticed that the puffer had a red wormy coloured "thing" hanging out of its buttocks, its not very long, but the other tank mates are seeming interested in what it is, and not pecking at it but swimming very close as if they would have a go at it.
I was just curious as to what this is as I have never owned a puffer before, and didn't really want to lose mine after such a short time of owning it. have tested the water and all is well, and it has been feeding on prawns the last couple of days.
Is this a normal thing being only just introduced to the tank? or is it something to worry about? or does it need treating?
thanks in advance for any 1 who replies, James

Would it be possible to get a good, clear pic of this thing?

I hope this picture is clear enough to see what is wrong with my puffer? am very concerned as to what this is and why it has happened?

OMG What the? Looks like he was injured or deformed.
Just to be clear this just happened or was he always like this? It almost looks like his guts are hanging out. I can't seem to see his caudal fin (tail) either.

Often, IPs cause prolapsed rectum. He does look quite thin. Try adding 1 tbsp Epsom salt/5g, to reduce swelling & treat for IPs: library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/

he keeps pointing his tail fin either left or right, it is there, just the angle he was at when I took the picture, and he may look thin, but I have only had him 2 days and he has been feeding fine, until today when I noticed this red thing coming out of his anus, how much Epsom salt shall I give, and can I put that directly into the tank? as I don't have a QT unfortunately , and how would the fish get internal parasites if I have only just purchased it? I'm sorry if I sound a bit dumb with all of this but I have never had any problems with my tank before until this puffer and my tank has been running for over 2 years now. some might say I have been lucky so far considering all of the trouble my friend has had with there's. thanks for replying and helping me out, James

Puffers are wild caught, most puffers have internal parasites when purchased.

Argh ok then well I better treat him then, is it better to treat him or is it possible he could of infected the rest of tank mates? Can Epsom salt be put straight into the display tank? And how much are you supposed to put in? ??

Treat everyone's food with IP meds (read my link) & add 1 tbsp Epsom salt/5g to the tank.

Thanks. Am now going to add some Epsom salt to my tank, seems like a lot to add as I have a 150 gallon tank, just hope it works:) and will mix a little bit in with food and leave it soaking for a while, will treat for internal parasites aswell. But will have to treat the whole tank as no QT but I'd rather be safe than sorry, hope it works, thanks for the help, I will let you know how it all goes

Not to worry--I add more than that to my reef tank. Be sure to figure the water volume, minus LR, sand, etc.

Went to put some Epsom salts in the tank a lil while ago and puffer still had the red blob out of his anus, then all of a sudden a bit white stringy thing came out of its buttocks and broke off, but stil some attached to it but very bitty, is this normal? All the other fish are nibbling on the white string that came out of it, but have not been able to get it out of the tank yet as everytine I go to get it it goes behind the rock, I have put Epsom salt in main tank and have taken the puffer out of the tank into a big container with Epsom salt in aswell and leaving him in there for 20-25 mins, just wondering is this a good thing? Ie is it clearing itself out?

Perfect example of IPs. Please read the article on this.

In the link it sais:

"The following day, you may notice your fish purging dead or dying “worms” from their anus. They may not eat right away, as the dying parasites will likely be affecting their digestive system. However, they will likely recover quickly and be back to their normal selves within a day or two. Most fishkeepers that have dewormed their fish report a noticable growth spurt in the following weeks and months — even in adult fish that were thought to have been fully grown!"

is this what is happening with the puffer now with the white stringy bits hanging out the back of it? I take it this is a good thing and it is 'clearing itself out', I will try and get a pic of the puffer now and post it on here, he is not taking any food at all today so I'm hoping will start soon, but will put it in a container again tomorrow with the Epsom salt for a longer period if needed, thanks for all your help!

this is how my puffer looks today...