Dead puffer - no idea why :(

[sueandherzoo]

I purchased a sharp-nosed puffer on Sunday and lost him yesterday. The first day I had him home he seemed shy, but healthy. The second and third days he was eating, not voraciously, but eating. The fourth day I noticed he was very lethargic and just curling up on rocks a lot and looking kind of "weak" and thin. I tried several types of food to entice him but he wasn't interested. When I checked on him during lunch yesterday he looked all of a sudden EMACIATED.... very shriveled up and sunken. After work I went right to the LFS to buy whatever I possibly could to try and save him.... I got medications and dips for internal parasites, some "cure all" stuff, some live brine shrimp, etc. By the time I got home with the stuff, he was dead.
There were no obvious signs of any injury or external stuff. He was just "shrunken". The only thing that haunts me now is that when I bought him Sunday I said to the guy at the LFS - his abdomen looks kind of "bumpy" - what's that all about?" He said the fish had probably just eaten. Being a newbie, I bought that.
Any clue as to what killed the poor guy? My water parameters have been PERFECT all week long, I even brought a sample to the store last night and brought the dead fish to see if they could help me figure out what killed him. They were clueless, or at least weren't telling me.
Anyone ever seen little internal bumps on their puffers? Are there any visible signs of internal parasites? I was so routing for him and really getting attached. I feel like if I had left him where he was at the store he'd still be alive - I feel like a murderer.

 

[grue]

Think your beating yourself up too much. Only time my puffer had a lumpy belly is when he couldnt help himself. Went to ocean beach in SF was surf fishing found a ton of these 2 to 4" crabs. Ended up putting 20 in his tank. Well the next day there were only 5 left. And Simon was engorged. Even had 3 dead (He had bitten in half but could not swallow). I would suspect that the fish had parasites. I would think about dealing with this store 2X as i think they sold you a dieing fish. (Just my 2 cents as I didnt see the fish) Puffers are incredibly tough fish.
Grue

 

[rcreations]

The bumps on its stomach can certainly be from eating. Puffers get like that. After I feed my dogface some chunky foods like krill or shrimp, his stomach gets like that. I read all puffers do this.
As to why yours died... maybe it was sick to begin with. If your water parameters were good and no other fish were bothering it, it was probably sick at the LFS. Don't be too hard on yourself, it happens.
One thing comes to mind... when you put it in the tank, did you at any point take it out of the water? Like when you transfered it from the bag to the tank. Puffers should never be exposed to air because they can inhale it, then they have a hard time expelling it back out.

 

[srfisher17]

Accepting the fact that fish die, often without us ever knowing why, is a tough part of this hobby. It happens to everyone. BTW,many more fish are lost in transit, and at the various stops between the reef, and our tanks than by us.

 

[stdreb27]

I wouldn't worry about a bumpy belly, when they eat their belly fills up. And it is visible.

 

[sueandherzoo]

Thanks everyone. I'll try not to blame myself so much but I just always have this need to FIX everything and if I don't know why it was broken I can't fix it -- very frustrating. I'm kinda relieved to hear that the bumps might have really been food because I don't want to think this LFS is as bad as most of them. I really don't want to think he was just feeding me a line.
No, puffer was never exposed to air - I drip acclimated him for two hours and then put him in a plastic container from the acclimation area and floated him in the tank for 30 minutes. Do everything right - still comes out wrong.
The fact that I'm so new makes me automatically think it's something "I" did. I guess I'll try and try again and hope to learn a little more each time.
Sue

 

[unleashed]

it sounds like this fish wasnt in the best of health when you purchased him..i always ask how long they have had the fish fo.. i wont take home b4 they have had it minimum of 2 weeks..normally would put it on hold till that time to get it adjusted to that first..2nd is ask to see the fish eat anything other than brine shrimp..normally i have found if they wont eat prepared foods in the store after 2 weeks ..they are in a weaker state and may not be strong enough to adjust to the new permanant home..thios def does not sound like something you did wrong i think he was just too weak for the changes.

 

[sueandherzoo]

Thanks. Those are great suggestions about asking how long they've had the fish in addition to asking them to feed it something OTHER than brine shrimp. I've developed a good rapport with lots of the staff at this LFS (since I am in there almost daily lately) so I will certainly be much more inquisitive and thorough before buying anything live again. Getting to know the staff at a store or two (and having them get to know you) seems to be very important in this hobby. I'm guessing there are probably two groups of customers in their eyes: the ones who don't know much yet and just buy blindly and the ones who they know are serious about the hobby and will be back (the ones they need to take care of to KEEP them coming back). Quick sales versus long-term relationship sales. I think most employees at the LFS (at least this one) really WANT to see us succeed at this hobby. I'm now starting to feel like this is more of a "team" project rather me against them. Onward and upward, learn from mistakes, and keep doing the best we possibly can. And of course, make this forum our main source of help and information.

Sue