My dogface has some weird bumps on his body. What could it be?

boohbahbah

boohbahbah

Member
Here's a picture...he only started looking like this today. They were more dark/bumpy looking before meal time. They went down a bit. He's acting normal and eating his food.
All water levels were okay, except for nitrates. We did a 20% water change and will check the levels again later.

 
small triggers

small triggers

Active Member
i see what you are talking about, i dont think there is any reason to be alarmed... make sure he is eating properly,, are you giving him a good mix of food? and just make sure they dont get larger or change colors...
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Fish looks fine to me too. That isn't an ich spot at the middle/top,( just above the orange fin) of the pic, is it? BTW. how high are your nitrates? I assume this is a fish-only tank and I've seen lots of folks panic over a moderate, but harmless to fish, nitrate level. But a W/C never hurts anyway. I don't know what the magic number is, but if your nitrate is 60 ppm or less, I wouldn't worry. (Assuming fish-only)
 
boohbahbah

boohbahbah

Member
Our puffer usually has a smooth texture & his base color is usually perfect. No dark spots besides the obvious black markings! I noticed the difference (right off the bat) when I woke up yesterday. The hubby asked about him as soon as he looked at him too (I hadn't said anything yet). The bumps were way more visible before I took pictures. They seem to had gone down after we fed him...I wasn't too worried, since he was eating normal. He has some weird markings/scars now, where the bumpy bumps were. My hubby instantly thought "rash" & "liver spots" when he saw it.
Nitrates went down today, salt level was 15 according to LFS when we did our routine visit. Though our floating hydrometer was 19...I know the floats are known to be inaccurate at times tho...only added half the amount of salt than what the LFS guy told us (had never seen him before, so was a little iffy!). Out of town until tomorrow night, hopefully all is well.
And yes, it's just a fish only tank. I am aware that the nitrates are different for such a tank. But, it was keeping a steady number until recently...which I don't know the numbers, because I make the hubby do it.

Yes, we give him a variety of foods. Before we adopted him (may 09), he fed on small pellets all his life...so he's enjoying himself now! :)
One last thing, he poofed out for no reason before we left town today. Do puffers puff out even when they're not being threatened by another fish? He did it far away from everyone else...
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
when you say your salt level was 15 at your LFS and 19 at home- are you referring to the salinity or specific gravity? either way you cut it, those are low readings. i know some people like to keep their FO systems a little on the low side, but if that is a salinity reading, then thats really low. are you doing hypo for ich?
 
fretfreak13

fretfreak13

Active Member
I don't know anything about pufferfish, but I have seen them. I think people are missing what you're trying to point out, cause it looks wierd to me too. Is it what I circled in the picture?
 
boohbahbah

boohbahbah

Member
The LFS did it by salinity. He said to add 5-6 cups of salt to the water, which I was fine with...until I tested it again before I went to do it. I tested it about 5 times, before & after I rinsed out the hydrometer, tapped the hydrometer, etc. Our hydrometers always read correctly with one another before. We usually keep ours at about 21-23. So I don't know if our hydrometer is failing on us or if the guy didn't do it right. Because like I said, I had never seen this guy before, he was younger & he didn't seem too keen on chatting much. He was too busy trying to watch South Park.
I probably would of went ahead and added the 6 cups, but I was going out of town like 5 minutes after, so I wasn't comfortable leaving them after adding that much salt. I added about 3 cup to the aquarium. We'll be home tonight, so will update then.
@fretfreak13: Yes! That was a good idea to circle the marks. :D
Those marks were once the bumps I speak of. And if you look below the black spot you circled, there's more faint blue spots. They honestly remind me of a rash or something, like allergic reactions. %%
What'a hypo? I've never dealt with ich before, I know what it is though.
 
fretfreak13

fretfreak13

Active Member
Thanks, lol. I didn't see them at first either. Hypo stands for Hyposalinity. It means dropping the salinity in your QT to a point where the fish can survive, but the disease/parasites/whatever can not. I've never done it before so I couldn't tell you a good number to put it at, let someone else chime in there. Before you start treating though it's always best to actually findout whats wrong, meaning with the bumps. If you're treating for ich, the Hypo is how many people do it.
 
boohbahbah

boohbahbah

Member
UPDATE: Well, the spots are still on him. He's still acting normal though. I couldn't get clear shots, but I did the best I could. Anyone have any idea what this COULD be? I'm baffled!



Also, we came home to this near his mouth:
Maybe unrelated? He's been looking old these past couple of days, that's for damn sure! We've been home a few hours & all of the tank mates are going about their own business...no one's picking on anyone. %%
Salinity was 21 when we got back, so I added a couple of more cups.
BTW, the spot by his mouth seems to be like he got scraped or something. it's not just a white mark (like ich)
 
boohbahbah

boohbahbah

Member
UPDATE: Seems like his bumps seem to change everyday. Today they're noticeable, while yesterday we couldn't see one speck of discoloration. I'm just going to throw this matter on the back burner for now, he's still eating normal. :)
If anyone figures out what this might be, feel free to post!
Last thing, our salinity is at 24 now & all levels are good to go.
 
indy2009

indy2009

Member
Nothing to be alarmed about...I've had a dogface since he was just about an inch long now about 4 inches, I've noticed when he gets excited at feeding time he will turn a very deep brown in color, he's always had spotting once I turn the lights off and I do have moon lighting once he goes to his sleeping area he totally changes his color to an off white, I thought something was wrong with him, but found out this is normal..so you have nothing to worry about..they are wonderful puffers and very fun to watch..I hand feed mine..great puffer to have..good luck
 
boohbahbah

boohbahbah

Member
Ooo a fellow Hoosier!
I love seeing our dogface change colors when the lights go out. Sometime he looks like he has goggles on, with the way his pattern changes! He's too cute. :) Ours only turns dark brown when he gets stressed out...which him turning brown is followed by him having the poops all of a sudden! I am just going to guess that he has some sort of rash or something...that's all I can come up with.
 
indy2009

indy2009

Member
yes true it does look like he has goggles...mine turns dark brown when it's feeding time..I hand feed him, probably because all of my other fish are up with him trying to feed..just found him now sleeping on the oyster clusters
 
boohbahbah

boohbahbah

Member
Ours cowards away at feeding time when the 3 other fish are going crazy for food, so I usually give him his food while batting the porcupine away with a fish net. lol
 
indy2009

indy2009

Member
mine is shy most of the time, have a 75 gallon long..does he's own thing, but he knows once I bring that plate..he gets kind of aggressive I always feed him at the same spot so he is the first one at the top of the tank..I sometimes tease him deep the shrimp or scallops in the water first and hold it out of the water about a half inch and he'll jump up and grab the food..
 
boohbahbah

boohbahbah

Member
Awww! :)
There's some baby dogfaces at the LFS, they're so adorable, I wish we could bring them home...! We got our puffer earlier this year and he's about 10 years old. Got him at a garage sale, poor guy. His name is De Vito. :)
 
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