Dead Blue Spotted Puffer

[Jeffc1527]

Hello everyone. I have had a blue spotted pufferfish in one of my many at home aquariums for about 6 months now. He was in a tank with a baby snowflake eel and a undulate trigger fish. The tank is a 60 gallon. It was my small/ baby fish tank until they got big enough to move up into my 75 and 150. Just recentley I had a nitrate spike and moved all of the animals to qt until I got the nitrates under control in the main tank.
I put the undulate and the blue spotted puffer in the same tank, 30 gallon qt. Not thinking at the time how aggressive and territorial a undulate can be.
Today I came home from work and to my horror the blue spotted puffer was dead. I was at work all day and it was very clear that decomposition started to kick in. Not only was the blue spotted puffer decomposing but I believe the death was caused by the undulate. I think it got territorial in the smaller tank and killed the blue spotted puffer. Unfortunately the undulate was also tearing the skin off and eating a good portion of the blue spotted puffer. It completely ate the stomach and ripped about 70% of the skin off the puffer fish and ate it. Now to my knowledge this blue spotted puffer is a wild caught and I am aware they carry a very dangerous toxin in their skin and organs.
I am unsure what to do. I immediately removed the puffer using a net and wearing heavy rubber gloves, I used a older bucket as well. I then threw all of it away in the trash can, gloves and all and immediately went and washed my hands for a good 2 minutes. My question is, am I worrying too much. I've heard how extremely dangerous and toxic pufferfish toxin is and this pufferfish if it had any definitely released it imo. I do not know what to do now. I immediatly cut all filters except for the heaters. Can I expect the undulate to die now too. It is acting normal and still eating. I don't have another tank available to put him in as he is already in qt. I did a 30% water change. Should I throw away my siphon now? Is it contaminated? Is the tank contaminated? are the filters? so many questionsssss. How carful should I be with this water. I DO NOT WANT TO GET POISONED!

 

[dedragon]

I dont think you really need to panic here. You are probably fine as no one has ever really reported this as an issue before and it would have most likely been if it was an issue. Pufferfish have been in the hobby for a long time so some info would be out there if they were killing aquarists.
Tetrodotoxin can be absorbed through the skin though so if you are concerned you could do a 100% water change with shoulder length rubber gloves and add carbon to the tank as well, but i dont think it is necessary (though I would still do a water change and add carbon if any fish died more for ammonia or added nutrients and not poison).
It should have also killed the triggerfish pretty fast if tetrodotoxin was either eaten by it or released into the water as I dont think they have immunity too it.

Will loop in @Randy Holmes-Farley who can hopefully share some information here just to be sure
No fish toxicologists here to my knowledge so hes prob the best bet

 

[Jeffc1527]

I dont think you really need to panic here. You are probably fine as no one has ever really reported this as an issue before and it would have most likely been if it was an issue. Pufferfish have been in the hobby for a long time so some info would be out there if they were killing aquarists.
Tetrodotoxin can be absorbed through the skin though so if you are concerned you could do a 100% water change with shoulder length rubber gloves and add carbon to the tank as well, but i dont think it is necessary (though I would still do a water change and add carbon if any fish died more for ammonia or added nutrients and not poison).
It should have also killed the triggerfish pretty fast if tetrodotoxin was either eaten by it or released into the water as I dont think they have immunity too it.
T

I dont think you really need to panic here. You are probably fine as no one has ever really reported this as an issue before and it would have most likely been if it was an issue. Pufferfish have been in the hobby for a long time so some info would be out there if they were killing aquarists.
Tetrodotoxin can be absorbed through the skin though so if you are concerned you could do a 100% water change with shoulder length rubber gloves and add carbon to the tank as well, but i dont think it is necessary (though I would still do a water change and add carbon if any fish died more for ammonia or added nutrients and not poison).
It should have also killed the triggerfish pretty fast if tetrodotoxin was either eaten by it or released into the water as I dont think they have immunity too it.

Will loop in @Randy Holmes-Farley who can hopefully share some information here just to be sure
No fish toxicologists here to my knowledge so hes prob the best bet

the trigger fish ate a good amount of the puffer, basically all of its belly side and skin. This occurred about 3 almost 4 hours ago and the trigger is still swimming around and acting normal

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I’d b more worried about putting my hands in an undulate tank then the dead puffer. They don’t play well w others and various pieces of aquarium equipment. Seen many a return at the LFS w that fish.