Giant porcupine puffer with trapped air!

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Jesse Gassaway

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Can you post a photo of him, showing his current condition?
Yea absolutely, this is where hes at now, from all three angles, the bubble is kinda just inflating his entire body rather than just one end or the other just because of how I have him situated, you can see his bloating alot from the top! the discoloration has come along with all this as he usually isnt patchy/unhealthy at all! If I let him go he floats away instantly!
IMG_7916.JPG
IMG_7914.JPG
IMG_7915.JPG
 

melypr1985

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Yea absolutely, this is where hes at now, from all three angles, the bubble is kinda just inflating his entire body rather than just one end or the other just because of how I have him situated, you can see his bloating alot from the top! the discoloration has come along with all this as he usually isnt patchy/unhealthy at all! If I let him go he floats away instantly!
IMG_7916.JPG
IMG_7914.JPG
IMG_7915.JPG

Poor guy.
 

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@Jesse Gassaway the way I burped mine was similar to the video he was about 8 inches long and this was before I started using forums so I winged it. After seeing @Humblefish idea with the critter carrier that is most likely what I would do. They will eventually discard the air on there own the only reason I did mine is when he had the bubble the way it made him float he just kept catching more air.
 

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I'm sorry, but I've never encountered this. The reefsquad might have some answers for you and I would certainly advise you to listen to @Lionfish Lair and @Humblefish on this one along with the others that have experience with this. I'll follow along and see what i can learn from this situation. I can honestly tell you that the best thing you can do is to stay calm. Panic will kill more often than anything else.
yup +1
 
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Jesse Gassaway

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Well, Im so incredibly bummed to admit this, but my puffer didnt make it... I am more upset than I ever imagined myself being this upset after loosing a fish but this guy was more like a dog or a human than just another fish! His personality was as mighty as his size and Ive never seen one that big and I dont know if I ever will again! I am very thankful for all of you that helped me try to make it through this, the tip off to try reef2reef was so beneficial, I had no Idea Id have so many many people come to my side to try to throw out solutions! You are all a very kind community and your support was driving my positivity all day yesterday, even today feeling like I lost a friend, I feel so thankful and blessed to have the ability to give this hobby and my fish the best chance at success! I wish I woulda gotten to share him with everyone! RIP my friend the Pupper, Cheers to an awesome fish! (medical info down below for learning purposes)
9xrwr8D.jpg




So I was never able to burp him no matter what efforts were made until the very end right when he died. Right before he passed he seemed to stop breathing completely through his gils and then all of the sudden started puffing all the way up to his complete form (similar to above, then he seemed to not be able to release any air himself to deflate. I ended up having to turn him vertical while puffed up and the burping actually worked and got alot of air out. But some air was still stuck and never ended up leaving as he slipped away. Im not sure what the red spot was as it appeared yesterday during all this stress as well as the miscolor. Im wondering if he had some sort of internal issue that was blocking a pleat of skin from releasing that air! For future reference for anybody trying to burp a puffer, I recommend watching it until its able to puff itself all the way up and then see if the burping is more effective then! I never ended up getting a syringe to last ditch effort suck the air out as CVS said I needed to have a prescription but that might be another option for emergency situations! I hope this helps someone!

@Humblefish Ive always heard the worst about sergeant major damsels as well but he came with the puffer as his best friend when we got them and they would never leave eachothers side! one time we decided to pull the damsel out to try to add a couple more docile fish and the puffer didnt eat or move around the tank at all until we went back to the LFS and picked his buddy up and brought him back, it was an honest and true friendship, they slept in the cave together and all, never aggressive toward eachother!

Again thank you all.
-Jega
 
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saltyfilmfolks

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Well, Im so incredibly bummed to admit this, but my puffer didnt make it... I am more upset than I ever imagined myself being this upset after loosing a fish but this guy was more like a dog or a human than just another fish! His personality was as mighty as his size and Ive never seen one that big and I dont know if I ever will again! I am very thankful for all of you that helped me try to make it through this, the tip off to try reef2reef was so beneficial, I had no Idea Id have so many many people come to my side to try to throw out solutions! You are all a very kind community and your support was driving my positivity all day yesterday, even today feeling like I lost a friend, I feel so thankful and blessed to have the ability to give this hobby and my fish the best chance at success! I wish I woulda gotten to share him with everyone! RIP my friend the Pupper, Cheers to an awesome fish! (medical info down below for learning purposes)
9xrwr8D.jpg




So I was never able to burp him no matter what efforts were made until the very end right when he died. Right before he passed he seemed to stop breathing completely through his gils and then all of the sudden started puffing all the way up to his complete form (similar to above, then he seemed to not be able to release any air himself to deflate. I ended up having to turn him vertical while puffed up and the burping actually worked and got alot of air out. But some air was still stuck and never ended up leaving as he slipped away. Im not sure what the red spot was as it appeared yesterday during all this stress as well as the miscolor. Im wondering if he had some sort of internal issue that was blocking a pleat of skin from releasing that air! For future reference for anybody trying to burp a puffer, I recommend watching it until its able to puff itself all the way up and then see if the burping is more effective then! I never ended up getting a syringe to last ditch effort suck the air out as CVS said I needed to have a prescription but that might be another option for emergency situations! I hope this helps someone!

@Humblefish Ive always heard the worst about sergeant major damsels as well but he came with the puffer as his best friend when we got them and they would never leave eachothers side! one time we decided to pull the damsel out to try to add a couple more docile fish and the puffer didnt eat or move around the tank at all until we went back to the LFS and picked his buddy up and brought him back, it was an honest and true friendship, they slept in the cave together and all, never aggressive toward eachother!

Again thank you all.
-Jega
So sorry to hear, losing a pet is never easy. It doesn't matter how big that are.
 

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Man sorry to hear about your puffer when we lost ares my wife pretty much was done with the tanks. Porcupines are some awesome fish
 

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I'm so sorry you lost your loved fish. I myself adore porcupine puffers, and empathize with you. Take solace in knowing you tried your best to save him.
 

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So sorry, I just lost my adult emperor angel the other day after raising him from a 1" juvenile over 4 years. Still can't figure out what got him sick.
 

redfishbluefish

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I've been following this thread and hoping for the best. So sorry for your loss.
 

jasonrusso

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So sorry for your loss. My Sean is my buddy and only people that have had one know what that means. I just bought him a new 225 gallon tank this weekend.

A couple years ago he got spooked by something and he puffed up on air as well. It was very scary as he couldn't balance himself. I held him underwater with a wooden spoon until he deflated on his own.

IMG_20170219_182626093.jpg
 

JaimeAdams

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Sorry for your loss. We had a dogface puffer that sucked in air. I tried everything trying to get him to expel it. Unfortunately he only made it til the next day until he has passed away too.
 

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Sorry for your puffer loss
I too know first hand how great these are as water puppies in our homes, so full of personality.
Mine had this happen a few times while he was young mainly from going after small snails or other foods near the surface.
Once or twice my porc was startled by one of my kids or guest viewing the tank and he would gasp at the surface and inflate with air.
This can be deadly for the fish if the air is not released in a reasonable time with minimal stress.

I'm sure that this will work for you as it did benefit me with mine.
First is a critter cage on hand as @Humblefish and a few others have suggested.
Second is for when you get another little porc make sure to shop around for a very small juvenile.
Mine was two eyeballs and a tail tiny. While they can be somewhat difficult to get feeding on prepared foods at smaller sizes there are great benefits to this.

For example
I had to hand feed my porcupine puffer for the first few weeks, basically surrounding him loosely with one hand like a small cage and rubbing the bit of clam , snail or what ever on his snout and mouth to make or provoke a bite.
( no this isn't cruel it's a form of force feeding that works )
My little porcupine got comfortable in my hand and would swim over to me during tank maintenance. Usually would inspect my hands and fingers for signs of food with is fiber optic eyes and if nothing was available he would swim around to my palm hoping I would cradle him and offer food. It was special to me that my porc was comfortable with being handled and helped when things went wrong like being air bound.
Holding or touching this spine ball was normal and comforting to the fish so this helped him relax and release the air much faster.
Less stress equals less time the air stays trapped.
The critter cage will offer some comfort during this process as well.

On another note, the diet of puffers like other predatory fish is super important for their health and the health of their organs.
Keeping multiple sources of nutrition mimicking their natural diet is a must.
Clams, crab, squid, shrimp and some cut marine fish is crucial to their diet.
Small live snails and clam on the half shell are essential foods as well for their health internally as they will consume the shells of these critters to some degree.
Puffers like triggers benefit from crushing and munching on the shells of clams and snails to help keep their beak like teeth / tooth from growing too long and interfering with feeding or causing damage to their own mouth.

Some of this is probably known by you and others already I just wanted to share some information and experience in hopes to help anyone reading

Good luck and happy reefing
BluewaterLa / Mike
 

Benny Gyger

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Well, Im so incredibly bummed to admit this, but my puffer didnt make it... I am more upset than I ever imagined myself being this upset after loosing a fish but this guy was more like a dog or a human than just another fish! His personality was as mighty as his size and Ive never seen one that big and I dont know if I ever will again! I am very thankful for all of you that helped me try to make it through this, the tip off to try reef2reef was so beneficial, I had no Idea Id have so many many people come to my side to try to throw out solutions! You are all a very kind community and your support was driving my positivity all day yesterday, even today feeling like I lost a friend, I feel so thankful and blessed to have the ability to give this hobby and my fish the best chance at success! I wish I woulda gotten to share him with everyone! RIP my friend the Pupper, Cheers to an awesome fish! (medical info down below for learning purposes)
9xrwr8D.jpg




So I was never able to burp him no matter what efforts were made until the very end right when he died. Right before he passed he seemed to stop breathing completely through his gils and then all of the sudden started puffing all the way up to his complete form (similar to above, then he seemed to not be able to release any air himself to deflate. I ended up having to turn him vertical while puffed up and the burping actually worked and got alot of air out. But some air was still stuck and never ended up leaving as he slipped away. Im not sure what the red spot was as it appeared yesterday during all this stress as well as the miscolor. Im wondering if he had some sort of internal issue that was blocking a pleat of skin from releasing that air! For future reference for anybody trying to burp a puffer, I recommend watching it until its able to puff itself all the way up and then see if the burping is more effective then! I never ended up getting a syringe to last ditch effort suck the air out as CVS said I needed to have a prescription but that might be another option for emergency situations! I hope this helps someone!

@Humblefish Ive always heard the worst about sergeant major damsels as well but he came with the puffer as his best friend when we got them and they would never leave eachothers side! one time we decided to pull the damsel out to try to add a couple more docile fish and the puffer didnt eat or move around the tank at all until we went back to the LFS and picked his buddy up and brought him back, it was an honest and true friendship, they slept in the cave together and all, never aggressive toward eachother!

Again thank you all.
-Jega


Very sorry you lost your puffer... I'm debating getting a porcupine puffer and just curious how you moved him to your tank. did you net him or use a bucket? How did you not pour any store water he was in in your tank?
 
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