Porcupine Puffer Help

[starla315]

Hey yall! My sweet porcupine puffer is sick. I'm not sure what's wrong with him. He's normally a light tan color with mostly light brown markings. The last 3 days he's been darker, spots are almost balxk, and his eyes are very cloudy/filmy. Since yesterday he has just hidden in a corner under a passageway rock, and has laid on the bottom. He is breathing heavy.

No tankmates are acting any different. Water parameters are good. Nitrates were a little high, we've don't a water change now and they are coming down a bit. Tank is 4 years old. We've had the puffer 3 years with the same Tank mates. Haven't added a fish in 3 years.

Any ideas of what could be wrong? I'd grab a picture, but he's turned tail towards the glass and behind this rock he's hard to see.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Jekyl]

Pics and a video with white light would help the experts if you can manage

 

[starla315]

Pics and a video with white light would help the experts if you can manage

I've had such a hard time getting to that back corner to where he is to get a picture of him. I was able to get one. I'm worried he may be blind.

 

[Jekyl]

@Jay Hemdal @MnFish1

 

[starla315]

@Jay Hemdal @MnFish1

thank you!

 

[littlefoxx]

@AydenLincoln

 

[LPS Bum]

To me that looks like a physical eye injury from another fish. If one eye is cloudy and beaten up, it's an injury. If both eyes are like that, it's typically an infection.

If you can put him in a separate tank to heal up and settle down, that's ideal. If it is an infection, you can treat with antibiotics. If that's not an option, putting him in a large acclimation box within the DT would be a good idea.

 

[AydenLincoln]

It does look like an injury that is possibly infected. What are the other tankmates? And does he rub against the glass regularly/chase his reflection? I ask this because it looks like his skin is peeling around his eye and his skin is red above his mouth. If he does then that wouldn’t be helping and can be the cause. Since you mentioned you’ve had him for a few years and since their eyes are so big they can go blind from old age but also from rubbing and while it isn’t reversible especially if he is blind. I would still quarantine and treat him for a bacterial infection with something like kanaplex to prevent further damage/spread.

 

[starla315]

To me that looks like a physical eye injury from another fish. If one eye is cloudy and beaten up, it's an injury. If both eyes are like that, it's typically an infection.

If you can put him in a separate tank to heal up and settle down, that's ideal. If it is an infection, you can treat with antibiotics. If that's not an option, putting him in a large acclimation box within the DT would be a good idea.

thank you! It's both eyes. He actually came out briefly from behind there and ran into everything...he cannot see I will try to get him and separate. I can do the acclimation box. We have an extra tank we had for quarantine, but it set up for so long with no use we took it down, so I'd have to restart it.

Thank you for the input. Is there anything I can try to give him for the eyes?

 

[starla315]

It does look like an injury that is possibly infected. What are the other tankmates? And does he rub against the glass regularly/chase his reflection? I ask this because it looks like his skin is peeling around his eye and his skin is red above his mouth. If he does then that wouldn’t be helping and can be the cause. Since you mentioned you’ve had him for a few years and since their eyes are so big they can go blind from old age but aLeo from rubbing and while it isn’t reversible especially if he is blind. I would still quarantine and treat him for a bacterial infection with something like kanaplex to prevent further damage/spread.

Tank mates are a Blue Hippo Tang, a Blue Faced Angel, a Flagfin Angel, and an Emporer Angel. He hasn't been rubbing on anything or on the glass. He was his full normal self a little over a week ago and last week he got a little darker in shade, and spots darkened, and then the eyes clouded up, then he hid in behind that rock for 2 full days without coming out. He hasn't eaten in 4 days. He did come out finally tonight and appears to be blind he ran into everything. I tried to hand feed him his favorite shrimp, but he wouldn't eat it. The Hippo tang (who is super chill and normally afraid of her own shadow) kept attacking him ...never seen her do that until today, and she only did it the few minutes he was out. She has left him alone since in hiding.

They have all been tankmates the whole time. I've had the puffer since 2020.

Do we know what would be considered old age in a domestic puffer?

Thank you for your input!

 

[AydenLincoln]

Tank mates are a Blue Hippo Tang, a Blue Faced Angel, a Flagfin Angel, and an Emporer Angel. He hasn't been rubbing on anything or on the glass. He was his full normal self a little over a week ago and last week he got a little darker in shade, and spots darkened, and then the eyes clouded up, then he hid in behind that rock for 2 full days without coming out. He hasn't eaten in 4 days. He did come out finally tonight and appears to be blind he ran into everything. I tried to hand feed him his favorite shrimp, but he wouldn't eat it. The Hippo tang (who is super chill and normally afraid of her own shadow) kept attacking him ...never seen her do that until today, and she only did it the few minutes he was out. She has left him alone since in hiding.

They have all been tankmates the whole time. I've had the puffer since 2020.

Do we know what would be considered old age in a domestic puffer?

Thank you for your input!

How big is he and how big was he when you got him? Porcupine average lifespan in captivity is said to be about 10 years or so although it isn’t an exact science and can vary. But assume he is at least a quarter to halfway through his life give or take since they are usually a few years old when you get them unless he was teeny tiny. The fact that you say it’s happening to both eyes makes me suspicious to the fact that it is from aging. But again it could be an infection in both eyes especially since you said his behavior is off. And the fact that you see some aggression. But if it is flukes a freshwater dip can confirm it. I would test all of your parameters again. Here is a similar thread. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/porcupine-puffer-cloudy-eyes.635652/ Interested in what @vetteguy53081 has to say. But these are my thoughts. How is he now?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I've had such a hard time getting to that back corner to where he is to get a picture of him. I was able to get one. I'm worried he may be blind.

Yes, if both eyes are that bad, the fish is likely unable to see very well, if at all.

This looks like physical damage to the eyes (and a few of the spines) along with secondary bacterial infection. I'm not sure how that would have happened to a long term captive though.

I cannot think of any in-display tank options to treat this. It really needs to be treated with antibiotics in a treatment tank. I would try Maracyn ! (Erythromycin).

Jay