I have a porcupine puffer that I have had since September. About 3 weeks ago it quit eating. Fish food consisted of freeze dried krill, fresh krill, squid, and silversides. It was in a 180 gallon marine aquarium with a Picasso Trigger, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Regal Tang, Sargent Major, and Lawnmower Bleeny. The fish all seemed to get along except at feeding time when the triggers are more aggressive. The puffer looks healthy other than it's tail fin which looks a little chewed on. I have never seen any of the other fish show aggression to the puffer.

   I moved the puffer to my hospital tank 2 weeks ago. It is a 10 gallon tank kept 79 deg, pH - 8.0, ni - 0, am - 0, na - 20ppm with salinity level 1.021 sg. I have used prazipro twice and put vitamins 2 to 3 times a week. The fish still looks healthy and shows intrest in all the food presented to it, it just doesn't eat. I have used live food as well, guppies and ghost shrimp.

  I will attach pictures, thanks for all your help.  William

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Welcome to Marinedepot.com and this forum.

Nice pictures of your diodon holocanthus.  What camera do you use?

Your puffer doesn't look malnourished and looks healthy.  How much of its diet was krill - frozen and freeze dried?

Does it bite or chew at any food?  Does it act like its mouth is stuck or locked?

    I use my Sony DCR-VX2000 video camera and shoot the pics to the memory stick.

    I am sorry to admit the puffers diet was all freeze dried krill until mid January. That is when I posted a message about my lionfish not eating (sound familiar), and read advice on what I should be feeding them. Since that time I have changed the fishes diet to a mix of krill, squid, and silversides. I also mix some kelp in for the tangs.

    The puffers jaw seems to be moving a little as it swims around the tank and is breathing. Could this be the problem and what is the cause? 

    For the first few months I would almost overfeed the puffer because it would bump all the other fish out of the way to get to the food first - even the lionfish.

Thanks for your help,  William

The freeze dried krill is the "culprit" here.  When fed exclusively or mainly, the fish can survive for several months to year before it suddenly stops eating.  Dr Frank Marini call freeze dried krill as "fish crack" as once fish taste it, they want more....  I am not saying that puffers can't have any krill - but very limited.  Mine get a small feeding every 10 days.

Often times symptoms such as "lock jaw" are seen with puffers fed krill for a prolonged period.  Once this develops, reversal/cure is dismal.  This krill diet leads to mineral/vitamin deficiency which causes organ damage.

Early recognition is the key.

What is the status of your lion fish?

I would recommend adding vitamins, espcially B12 to the tank daily.  Maintain pristine water conditions/parameters.  You might also try adding beta glucan to the tank as well - couldn't hurt anything.  I did have a fasting puffer go off fasting when offered frozen peas - crazy, but worth a shot.  Otherwise, do not feed krill.  Continue to offer squid (especially the tenticles), gut enriched ghost shrimp or shrimp with the shell & tail on.  Another option may be the introduction of a clean fish that is eating and not overly aggressive.  Puffers will often eat if others are eating and they are not challenged.

Best of luck.

Please keep us updated.

  Tried the peas, no intrest. I will try the squid w/tenacles tomorrow. Would try a gut loaded ghost shrimp, but the puffer has had one swimming around with it for a week. I guess it has become a tank mate!

  The lionfish died mid February.

  Thanks for your help, and I will keep you informed of changes.

William

Do you have access to live brine shrimp ?  Try gut loading them with beta glucan, enriched flake food.  I have seen large puffers chase the little ones around.

Another option might be PE (piscine energetic) mysis or gamma's cockles in a shell (might have to open one as some puffers are lazy in captivity - believe me, I have my share of lazy ones) 

Still might consider a healthy tank mate (can you move any from the display - blenny?) to see if the puffer would eat if he saw another - might be worth a try.

Thanks for the update.

Best of luck to you & your diodon friend.

    Well my little puffer is still not eating. The food is placed right in front of its face and it just tries to blow it away. I have tried chopped fresh shrimp, fresh ocean perch, squid (w/tenacles), with and without garlic and live brine shrimp. The water parameters are good, I change 25% of the water every three to four days, and keep vitamins in the water.

    I did add a tank mate, a maroon clown. The clown eats well, but the puffer just swims around looking.

    The puffer has also developed a habit of swimming with its right pectoral fin out. Any thoughts are helpful.  Thanks, William

Are you adding "straight" vitamin B12 to the tank.  At this point, I would try "large" doses (1000 mcg plus) - it can't hurt.  Are you adding beta glucan?

Another option is crabs - if you can get a LFS to save you some that come in often on live rock shipments.  Oriental markets often have "walking" or "split" frozen crabs.  They are whole or split med-large crabs (~$10 - $15/box).  They are always a hit at my house but they do foul water quickly & after they are digested/past.

Cyclopeeze feedings for the clown might stimulate the puffer as well.  When I add it to various systems, my puffers always go wild & pass through the water column with mouth open - don't think they ingest enough to matter but worth a try.

William, I am hoping your little diodon takes a turn around.....just don't offer krill as this is the cause of the problems.

Sending positive thoughts - please keep us updated.

Best of luck.

Any updates?