The Puffer Forum

Anyone have any experience dealing with this? Doesn't seem to be much info on where it comes from besides stress. My Datnoid who is constantly hiding has developed HLLE on both of his sides. I am reaching out and seeking any possible help before I must return him or set up his own tank(Not optimal). Do you RTR, have any advice as to what to do?

HLLE is a complex disease, very likely to certainly "environmentally" induced. But "enviropnment" there is very broad - it includes:1) Diet (nutrition is very impotant, boosted care in diet corrects many cases by itself). 2) Stress from other fish. 3) Stress from less-than good water conditions or improper water conditions (as BW fisf in FW). 4) Stray electrical currents (shorts in the sytem such that the water is "live"). Doubtless there are more but those are the ones I have read about or experienced myself as subject to correction with resulting "cure" of the condition. Only #4 is short-term easy - find the fault and correct it, plus add a grounding probe.

The bugs commonly associated with the condition tend to be opportunistic infections, essentially taking adavantage of a pre-existing situation.

For all SW fish I have heard about or experienced, diet is key, and that key is algae. Boost the algae content in the diet, especially if cultured/grown in the system with the fish, and the condition clears rapidly.

For most FW fish with the condition (most frequently predators fed with LFS feeders), the cure is a more nutritious and balanced diet. This entails training to a prepared diet rather than feeders, or if feeders must be used, QTing the feeders and maintaining them long enough that they are super-healthy and then gut-loading with greens immediately before they are fed to the predator (you are what your prey eats).

In the case of your fish it is hard - the fish is not eating and is stressed - two strikes.

He does come out to eat, but only stuff that falls in front of his hiding spot. (Shrimp, worms, etc) He definitely isn't eating enough, but he seems afraid to come out. He is 5 times larger then any other fish, and no one goes near him. The other fish are F8's, Knight Gobies and a dragon goby and 2 tiny stonefish.