Pufferfish not eating

[pufferenthusiast]

This seems like a no brainer.. I have two porcupine puffers living together which I have since separated for temporarily as it’s come to such desperate measures
pH: 7.8-8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0-.025
Nitrate: 0-5.00
I’ve never had this issue before and he was eating perfectly fine previously with the other puffer in the tank. He has not ate for 5 days and I’ve been trying to have him put on some weight as he’s already skinny.. I push the food to him with tongs, spits at it and backs away. I don’t understand if it’s my food or something wrong with the tank water?? I’ve been feeding from the same pouch of Sally’s krill that I was before.
Expiry date on krill April/2027

 

[Sharkbait19]

Pictures of the fish would help. How long have you had them and were they quarantined/treated at all?
How big/old are they at this point? I can’t speak to porcupine puffers directly, but most puffers are on the solitary end and don’t get along with others. One could have began to pressure the other out of food.

 

[pufferenthusiast]

All of the other fish eat just fine during feeding
Salinity is at 1.023
He usually also chases around the cup we feed him with and he will follow us back and forth along the length of the tank. He has been “sleeping” more than we’ve ever seen him do as well.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Try live foods and are you dosing any meds in the QT tank? I have found moving puffers can cause them to revert back to eating only live foods.

 

[pufferenthusiast]

Pictures of the fish would help. How long have you had them and were they quarantined/treated at all?
How big/old are they at this point? I can’t speak to porcupine puffers directly, but most puffers are on the solitary end and don’t get along with others. One could have began to pressure the other out of food.

The two puffers had been together since March, there was some bullying during feeding time so we’ve been feeding at separate ends of the tank. The one I’m talking of is about 5” and the other is around 2.5-3”. Both fish were quarantined prior to me purchasing them per my LFS’s policy when they get a new order of fish in.

 

[pufferenthusiast]

Try live foods and are you dosing any meds in the QT tank? I have found moving puffers can cause them to revert back to eating only live foods.

I haven’t moved this one in particular. He’s still in our main tank, the smaller one has been moved as he’s a little feisty during feeding. This one has always ate this krill since I bought him but I will get ghost shrimp and attempt this.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This seems like a no brainer.. I have two porcupine puffers living together which I have since separated for temporarily as it’s come to such desperate measures
pH: 7.8-8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0-.025
Nitrate: 0-5.00
I’ve never had this issue before and he was eating perfectly fine previously with the other puffer in the tank. He has not ate for 5 days and I’ve been trying to have him put on some weight as he’s already skinny.. I push the food to him with tongs, spits at it and backs away. I don’t understand if it’s my food or something wrong with the tank water?? I’ve been feeding from the same pouch of Sally’s krill that I was before.
Expiry date on krill April/2027

Bump salinity to 1.024
Is fish breathing normal or labored?
How are you resting water?
Are eyes clear?

 

[pufferenthusiast]

Bump salinity to 1.024
Is fish breathing normal or labored?
How are you resting water?
Are eyes clear?

Clear eyes, will bump salinity. Breathing is normal and has not shown any labored, has not puffed either recently.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Clear eyes, will bump salinity. Breathing is normal and has not shown any labored, has not puffed either recently.

If persists, try water change which often perks them up but they get into these spurts at times

 

[Jay Hemdal]

All of the other fish eat just fine during feeding
Salinity is at 1.023
He usually also chases around the cup we feed him with and he will follow us back and forth along the length of the tank. He has been “sleeping” more than we’ve ever seen him do as well.

The two protuberances below the mouth on either side are not normal. I can't tell if they are there because the fish is so thin that its bones are showing through, or if it has "lock jaw". Has the fish been getting other food besides krill? Krill, fed by itself can cause thamin (B1) deficiencies in fish.