Hermit attacked puffer! (See Photo)

[dean1969]

This is what happened to my puffer today. Luckily he's fine except for his left eye which is clouded over and swolen. I had no idea hermits would do that. Needless to say I traded both of them in tonight for feeders at my lfs.
Here's right after he got him:

Here's "Puff Daddy" freaking out.

 

[mopar9012]

wow..thats crazy. My hermits havent done anything like that to my fish they take over and eat my snail though. One has servived by staying on the glass 24/7

 

[mandarin w]

This is exactly why I don't put any type of crab in my tanks. There are plenty of different types of snails that can and will do what ever any crab could do without attacking any other livestock.
I hope your puffer will be ok. Watch the eye for infection. and make sure the fish isn't stressed out.
It might be best to put the puffer in a hospital tank for a while so no one can bother him while he tries to heal.

 

[xnikki118x]

Oh jeez, I hope Puff Daddy is okay!

 

[alfieferenzo84]

thats why i only have a few myself but whatelse you going to use with a puffer?
Maybe it was pay back for eatting the little crabs?
I hope he is okay!!!

 

[azfishgal]

WOW! Those pictures are unbelievable!!! :scared: Hope the puffer recovers.

 

[sepulatian]

First off, hermits do not jump up and grab a puffer. He was laying on his side to begin with. What is going on in your tank? What are your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, kh, SG, and temp? How long had you had this puffer?

 

[renogaw]

i'd say 1) the hermit's too big for a tank and 2) the puffer was probably trying to eat the hermit and got a nasty surprise.

 

[promisetbg]

Puffers often lay on the bottom to rest. It does'nt necesarily mean there is anything wrong in the tank. Looks like the wrong type of hermit perhaps. I would suggest Mexican red legged hermits, they learn to hide when kept with predatory fish, and come out at night. There are some real nice large, black & white turbos from Belize. They are often referred to as Zebra turbo snails. Depending on the size of your tank, these may help. They also learn to only come out at night.