# Puffer



## Rogergolf66 (Dec 24, 2006)

I just got a puffer fish it has some black spots on it. That is not the problem that was so you know what kind it is. Well I think he is blind. He hasn't eaten anything is 4 days, so I put some food on a long tool to hand feed him. I had the food inches from his mouth and nothing. Finally I tuched his mouth with the food he opened his mouth and eat all of it with one bite. Before this he had made no attempt to eat anything in the tank. a couple of min. later he tryed to eat a turbo snails shell on the glass. it was the same color as the food I feed him. I don't know maybe He can see. but then last night he landed on the anemony I have in the tank. It sure seems like he can't see. What do I do?

Roger


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

It sounds to me like it is emaciated. Do you know it's history? I'm wondering how stressed it was during it's ordeal from capture to sale. It probably hasn't eaten in weeks and is close to death, therefore it doesn't put out much effort to live. Some say adding a garlic additive to the food can help. As you probably already know, fish like yours should always be seen feeding in the store before coming home. They aren't finicky and should attack most anything with zest while at the LFS.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Also, you should know, that if the puffer recovers, the anemone and snails and any crabs in the tank are all food for the puffer, so it is likely to eat them once it feels better, even if it is blind.
Do the eyes appear to have a white haze over them at all? Is the tummy area sunk in?
It is common for a puffer to take up to 2 wks to begin feeding once moved to a home aquarium. They stress a lot, so be sure to have a lot of hiding places. Formula 1 frozen cubes would be a food to try. It has garlic in it, which is an appetite stimulant and also will help to strengthen the immune system. Be sure to thaw it completely in a cup of aquarium water before feeding to the fish. This will take about 15 - 20 minutes minimum.
Is it possible for you to post a pic of the fish so we can determine the species correctly, and look for other illness issues? A pic always helps a lot!


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