Repetative swimming in dogface

[worried puffer mom]

Our new dogface is swiming up and down the side of the tank, in one corner. He has plenty of hiding places, and no other fish to bother him. Yesterday when he came home, he was picking at the rocks a little. Today, just up and down the glass, staying in one corner. That was how I left him before work this morning, and he was still at it when I came home, and when I fed him. He is showing no interest in food at all.

The initial not eating doesn't worry me as much as the swimming. Should I be worried here or is this just first full day jitters for him?

He is just a little fella, maybe 3 inches.... He is in a 29g with live rock, crabs and snails.

[Administrator]

Welcome to the community, worried puffer mom!

I spent a good deal of time being a worried puffer dad myself, so I can relate.

We previously had a stars and stripes puffer fish who spent the majority of his time swimming up and down at one side of the tank for at least a year before he seemed to suddenly snap out of it. For the next few years we had him he was the most interesting and interactive fish you could hope for. Is your puffer swimming up and down rapidly/frantically, or just repeatedly?

Based on my own experience it is not a cause for concern so long as your water quality checks out. I would be concerned, though, for your crabs and snails, but maybe your guy isn't big enough to harm them yet.

Do you have a picture of your puffer?

[worried puffer mom]

Hi Previously Worried Puffer Dad! It is sometimes slow, sometimes really frantic up and down. He got a little more frantic when I slowed and timed out the pump to feed him. As I stare at him now, he is slow again. I did notice, which I did not yesterday when I adopted him, that his tummy is, while not concave, a little flat...is it possible I missed a health issue that, to anyone else, woudl have been a signal to pass him by? (since he is here and one of the family now, in retrospect, passing by was never an option, but maybe I adopted more than I was experienced for if there was a sign I missed?)

Over the swimming and eating, when should Worried Puffer Mom become Paniced Puffer Mom?

Hubby doesn't let me use the camera due to some 'grace issues" I have. I am still bugging him to get pictures of Luigi, our PP and first puffer so I can post them.

And a PS to know the future: Luigi and not yet named Dogface are to be the reason to knock out yet another wall, and install a 240, close enough to the TV so Luigi can watch - he seems to watch it now in his nursery 110.

[Administrator]

Originally Posted by worried puffer mom

And a PS to know the future: Luigi and not yet named Dogface are to be the reason to knock out yet another wall, and install a 240, close enough to the TV so Luigi can watch - he seems to watch it now in his nursery 110.

I recently posted about how I wanted a big tank but will likely be unable to have anything larger than a 55 for the foreseeable future, and I love puffer fish, so please don't mind the drool all over this post.

Originally Posted by worried puffer mom

It is sometimes slow, sometimes really frantic up and down. He got a little more frantic when I slowed and timed out the pump to feed him. As I stare at him now, he is slow again.

Our puffer would do this at a varied pace, too. We used to joke that he had psychological issues, because while our other fish swam around the tank peacefully, our puffer stayed at one side swimming up and down, up and down. Like I said, he eventually got over whatever was compelling him to do it. Since yours is doing the very same thing I would assume that yours will, too.

Originally Posted by worried puffer mom

Over the swimming and eating, when should Worried Puffer Mom become Paniced Puffer Mom?

In my experience, puffers are gluttons so his not eating would concern me if it were not for the fact that you just brought him home today. It's possible he's stressed and that the behavior he's exhibiting and his not eating are related to it. I wouldn't allow yourself to worry too much about it unless he hasn't eaten in a day or two, as sometimes fish take time to acclimate to their new environments.

Originally Posted by worried puffer mom

I did notice, which I did not yesterday when I adopted him, that his tummy is, while not concave, a little flat...is it possible I missed a health issue that, to anyone else, woudl have been a signal to pass him by?

Hmm, I'm not sure what you mean by flat. I've seen some puffers in stores that have a somewhat concave stomach. Our stars and stripes puffer was definitely rounder on top and flatter underneath, but that looked pretty natural and I can only assume that what you're describing doesn't or else you wouldn't be concerned about it.

I hope your husband is able to help you take pictures soon!

[worried puffer mom]

Originally Posted by Administrator

I recently posted about how I wanted a big tank but will likely be unable to have anything larger than a 55 for the foreseeable future, and I love puffer fish, so please don't mind the drool all over this post.

You too can have a larger tank if only 1) you had a macaw that has eaten part of the wall, 2) you have 6 dogs, and at least 1 has eaten part of the wall, and 3) you have a spouse that seems to think the only way to quiet a packrat under the house is to kick a foot THROUGH said wall. It has to be torn out and rebuilt anyway - may as well do it with an aquarium! Said wall has been ready for rebuild for more than a year now, and well, I needed a little incentive for him to get going on it. Enter Luigi the PP puffer. Now we are FINALLY drawing up the plans!

Dog face pecked at the rock a little (came in yesterday afternoon, not today BTW - not sure if the timing makes a difference). He then hid behind the overflow. He is now hiding in the rock and I somehow feel better about him being down in said rock. Crossing my fingers that he eats tomorrow.

Is there any absolutely irrisistible food that I should have on hand just in case? I train mandarins to eat frozen, so I have played the pray over feeding game quite a bit. Just not sure if there is a trick with puffers..

[worried puffer mom]

Update and rehash: The little fella came in on Wednesday afternoon. He appeared as any new fish, exploring and picking at the rocks. Thursday morning he was swimming sometimes slow, sometimes frantic, up and down in a corner before I left for work. He was not interested in food. When I got home from work, he was doing the same thing, and again, not interested in food. Later on, he hid behind the overflow box and then in the rock.

Today (Friday) he is still hidden in the rock. I got home from work a little early today and have been watching. He hasn't moved since this morning. I DID check to make sure he was still alive - and he is. Still not showing any interest in eating. No snails or crabs appear to be missing, and I don't see any new 'mysteriously empty' shells in the sand. So he isn't eating them....

An earlier response said 'if he doesnt eat in a day or two...'. well, it is now 2 and i am starting to panic for the little guy.

29g qt tank with about 15lbs live rock. Snails and crabs.

As of today:

Po4 = .001 (Hanna meter)
Ph = 8.2 (salifert)
Nitrates = >0.025 (salifert)
SG = 1.024 (Hanna Meter)
Calcium not taken - no test kit, however, Sea Lab 28 cube iin twice a week, and no Ca precipitating.

Tank takes a 3g h20 change every 2 weeks. Last qt critters were green mandarins. All survived.

No hair algae, no cyano, no indications of toxins, nothing to indicate water problem.

[worried puffer mom]

Update with a disturbing twist.

There has been no change in the behavior of the dogface. Yesterday, I couldn't find him in the 29, so i assumed he had passed and my husband disposed of him. However, when my husband got home today (away camping overnite) he said he moved the dog face to the 110, because he thought the fish wanted more room and that was why he was hiding and not eating.

Need damage control here: I can't even FIND him in the 110. It has live rock. If he were to pass away in the larger tank, will he poison the tank?

[Administrator]

Hi worried puffer mom,

I'm really sorry to hear that the situation didn't improve and sounds like it may have taken a turn for the worse.

As far as I know, while box fish and cow fish can excrete tetrodotoxin when they are near death or die, puffers do not. Somebody else may be able to confirm or refute this. That said, his decomposing in your tank certainly wouldn't be a good thing.

Hopefully it hasn't come to that, though. Ideally he's alive and well in your 110 but hanging out in some nook as puffers are known to do when you look for him. Do you spend a lot of time in front of your aquarium? Are you able to check in on it multiple times during the day? Is the rock work such that you can move a piece or two to see if you can spot him or if it drives him out?

Assuming he's alive, his still not eating doesn't necessarily mean he's sick or doomed. We recently got a blond haired naso tang that did not eat for almost a week before it finally began eating seaweed. What have you tried feeding him? Many fish keepers recommend soaking food in garlic to induce fish to eat. I use something called Garlic Xtreme myself. Have you watched closely for movement in the rocks when you put food in the tank?

Hoping you find him soon,
Mike

[worried puffer mom]

Instead of quoting you, Mike, just answering your questions:

I stare at the critters a lot, and when I am worried about the kids, even more. I found Brian (the dogface) hiding, or shall I say cowering in a cave inhabited by a neurotic orchid dottyback. He has not, at least when i have been around, left the cave. So, he is still alive, but I am still worried about him.

The food mix is enriched brine, live brine, mysis, Marine Cuisine, Emerald Entre, cyclopese, krill, blood worms, fed in pairs with the 'menu' rotated with each feed (2x). A more accurate listing is posted under my "rate my menu" thread on this forum. http://www.pufferfish.net/showthread.php?t=47693 I keep it mixed up so everyone gets something, and no one gets too attatched to anything.

Brian did poke his nose out this morning at feed time, but I did not see him eat. I am thawing dinner for the tank as we speak. Hopefully he shows more interest...

So much stress for such a little guy....

[Administrator]

I'm glad to hear that you at least found him alive and know where to find him in the future, WPM.