Dogface puffer who wont eat....

[violet puff]

Hey everyone. I have a 100 gal FOWLR with a dogface puffer, a porcupine puffer, and a few others (yellow tang, koran angel, and a gang of crabs). The dogface tends to get picked on by the porcupine but only at mealtimes when i seperate them. Anyway, they have been living together for over a year already but a few weeks back the dogface stopped accepting food, and hasnt eaten since. He must be eating algae in the tank because he looks pretty healthy but literally hasnt eaten in weeks!
The other day, I seperated the two by setting my 10 gal QT tank up, wondering if that would help tobie to eat again without the other puffer around. So far he hasnt really accepted any of the shrimps/clams/scallops/calamari i have been feeding him. I dont know what to do!! Any ideas on what the problem could be??

 

[rcreations]

I'm not sure why it won't eat all of a sudden. Is your water quality the same? I can tell you one thing, that moving the fish in and out of the tank, only stresses it more. If it's really getting picked on so much, perhaps it's time to find it a new home. Puffers don't stop eating unless there's a good reason for it.

 

[julie853]

I have to agree,if a puffer fish stops eating something is diffently wrong.
I would probaly separate the two puffers permantely.

 

[violet puff]

I have definately concitered, and even talked to my LFS about taking the dogface back, but it just breaks my heart! If thats what I am hearing here, and what I have been thinking I should just go ahead and do it. Its just sad! And I don't understand why he stopped eating. Water quality has been the same, the only possible variable might be that the water temps were running a little high this summer but it didnt stop the others from eating.
Thanks to everyone for their imput, i appriciate it with this tough decision.

 

[julie853]

It's very possable that the "bullying" from the other puffer is stressing him out enough to stop him from eating.
I have cichlid tanks where fighting and bullying has stressed my fish to the point of killing them.
I know it is hard to have to get rid of one but it will be the best for the dog puffer fish in the long run.
I also have a dog puffer fish and have allways worried that if I got another puffer this problem "Bullying" could happen in my tank.So I just have the one even though I love Puffer fish.

 

[raybetz]

I once had a porcupinefish eat the fins off of a Large Lionfish! This usually nonaggressive fish can sometimes surprise you. I do suspect there is something else wrong with your dogface. I agree with the others that promote moving him to another tank.

 

[halliho]

my dog face puffer is doing the exact same thing...... he hasn't eaten in at least 3 weeks! I have a 210 gallon tank. There are 2 Triggers, a lunar wrass, and a clown in the tank with him. We recently lost 3 fish that we have had for more than 2 years to some bacteria thing that we finally cured. But our puffer still won't eat even though the tank is cured of the bacteria. Also the bigger of the 2 triggers is bullying the puffer. I think this is why the puffer won't eat. The trigger won't let him rest where he has been resting for over a year. The trigger is not new to the tank either. What should I do? Get rid of the trigger?

 

[ebaybrad]

try rearranging the tank