The Puffer Forum

I'm new here,

I have a Bronze Pufferfish, about a few years old. He lives in a small bowl because he's too aggressive for my other fish. Normally, he's quite active and looking for food. But lately he's been acting differently. To start, his eyes seem to have dilated, his pupil shrunk, and there appears to be a white film-like material over his eyes. I have no idea why, but I noticed this just a few days ago. He also seems to swim in a straight line, mouth wide open, with his fins on his side. It may seem like he is somehow sick, but I don't what to do about his condition. Does anyone have any advice?

Welcome. No puffer belongs in a small bowl, not even the tiniest dwarf puffer. It needs to be in a proper tank with proper filtration. He most likely is being poisoned by his own waste if he's in a bowl with no filtration.

Please answer all of the questions at the top of this forum regarding water parameters and whatnot. Also, if you have a photo, that will help.

So, should I just transfer him to a larger tank? Are there any problems concerning bacterial infection or other health issues I should focus on before I transfer him? I'll be moving him to a tank with a few other fish, and if anything, I don't want them to get sick.

First, can you respond to the questions so we can try to address what's going on, and whether it might be bacterial or something else that could endanger the other fish?

Edit: If you don't have test kits, you can take a sample of the water to your fish/pet store and have them test for you for free. Tell them you need exact numbers. In the meantime, do a large water change.

You cannot kdeep that puffer with fish--it will kill them. It needs at least a 20g tank to swim around in, as they are an active fish.

Now, things are even more complicated...

So I moved him into a cleaner tank with some other fish; no initial concern. But I've been noticing that there has been a clear spot growing on his back, and this day I realized how serious it looks. It seems like some of the green skin on his back is 'peeling away', revealing a white layer underneath. This 'hole' grew significantly when I checked on the pufferfish this afternoon (now about a 1/4 inch in diameter). Additionally, I noticed that his gills are red, which automatically must be a sign of bad news. When I tried to feed him some tubifex, he was clumsy and it seemed like he couldn't really eat the worm very well; normally an easy task for him. I've no idea why these series of events have happened to my pufferfish, and the worst past is that I do not know what to do. Any help at this time would be MOST appreciated.

P.S. I couldn't upload pictures for technical reasons, so I'm going to have to do my best with my description of my puffer.

Boxermom wrote:Welcome. No puffer belongs in a small bowl, not even the tiniest dwarf puffer. It needs to be in a proper tank with proper filtration. He most likely is being poisoned by his own waste if he's in a bowl with no filtration.

Please answer all of the questions at the top of this forum regarding water parameters and whatnot. Also, if you have a photo, that will help.

Sorry, but where are the questions?

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6