Porcupine puffer not eating.

[puffdaddy2]

Hi all. My porcupine puffer isn’t eating. I’ve tried krill, half clams, shrimp, and silversides. I’ve added garlic guard and a supplement that I give all my saltwater fish. I’ve tested water parameters ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate .5. I’ve had him for around 6 months. He has no visible signs of illness, no spots or fungus. He’s been tired and has gotten really skinny. I got his teeth trimmed 2 weeks ago and he still hasn’t eaten. Any ideas?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Welcome to Reef2Reef and sorry for your trouble!

It definitely sounds like something is going on with the puffer - I'd suggest at a minimum posting the info suggested in the quote below, and if possible reading through the link below that (particularly the "Aquarium Parameters," "Water quality," and "In-depth Information" sections) to figure out what info you can share here with the #fishmedic crew to get the best diagnosis and treatment advice possible:

Please provide as much of the following as you are able:

• Brief description of the issue you are observing and answers to the following questions:
  • How long have you had the fish with the condition?
  • Did you quarantine with medication when you first acquired the fish? (If Yes, which medication?)
• Current water quality measurements
• Clear photos of the issue taken using WHITE light and/or a short video of any behaviors (post in your response or on YouTube).

If you can help us by providing as much of the above info as possible, it will make diagnosing and providing recommendations for treatment MUCH easier! The Fish Medic team will get back to you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, other members of our community may also share their experience with similar situations and advice that they may have regarding your situation.

You may also feel free to provide a more detailed description of the condition if you wish to share more info than the above list.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...sease-treatment-and-diagnosis-section.775547/Also, for future reference (don't make a post/thread there this time, as I've already alerted the fish medics to this thread) with these sorts of issues, posting in the forum linked below can get you help faster:
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-and-diagnosis.771/

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi all. My porcupine puffer isn’t eating. I’ve tried krill, half clams, shrimp, and silversides. I’ve added garlic guard and a supplement that I give all my saltwater fish. I’ve tested water parameters ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate .5. I’ve had him for around 6 months. He has no visible signs of illness, no spots or fungus. He’s been tired and has gotten really skinny. I got his teeth trimmed 2 weeks ago and he still hasn’t eaten. Any ideas?

Did it stop eating BEFORE the tooth trim? How long has it been since it ate? Any other fish in with it?

 

[puffdaddy2]

Did it stop eating BEFORE the tooth trim? How long has it been since it ate? Any other fish in with it?

It’s been about 2 weeks. He got his teeth trimmed 3 days ago. The other fish are 2 lionfish and a snowflake moray

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

That’s a long time. I can’t say why the fish isn’t eating, but you might consider tube feeding it in order to buy it some time:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/tube-force-feeding-fish.808/

 

[puffdaddy2]

That’s a long time. I can’t say why the fish isn’t eating, but you might consider tube feeding it in order to buy it some time:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/tube-force-feeding-fish.808/

Thank you. I’ll see if there’s a vet near me willing to do this

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you. I’ll see if there’s a vet near me willing to do this

You may have difficulty finding a vet to do this. I don't know where you are in NC, but there is this:
https://cmast.ncsu.edu/programs-at-cmast/aquatic-animal-health/