puffers

[topfish]

I heard that when puffers die they release a toxin in the water which will make all the water black. Is this true? If it does, does it work for all the puffers, or just 1?

 

[mark-24]

1) They dont make the water black, from what I understand 2) It does apply to all puffers and boxfish (and I think cowfish too) 3) If a puffer dies, I think that you need to do a 100% water change, yes 100%. Pufferlover will have something to say on this.
-Mark

 

[hawkeye]

I have never heard of this, and sure hope it isn't true.

 

[mark-24]

Unfortunately, it is true. He is a direct quote from "The Marine Aquarium Problem Solver" by Nick Dakin- "What should be done if poison [from the puffer] is introduced into the aquarium? -Remove all inhabitants and place in another vessel or vacant aquarium, and perform a 100% water change; install fresh activated carbon. Toxins take effect quickly, so aquarists must be swift to prevent total fish loss."
Kinda scary huh?
-Mark

 

[pufferlover]

There seems to be some confusion on this so let me state what I know. First certain fish sold as Puffers (such as spiny Puffers are really from the boxfish family- some cowfish are sold as puffers but they really are not, and both of those fish are toxic). Dogfaces and Porks have poison in their flesh if eaten by other fish or people (in Japan they eat Dogface Puffers) but they do not release a toxin when they die. Possibly if the body stayed in the tank too long with decomposing I suppoose the poison could be released. Water turning black I have never heard of or seen when I lost a Puffer. The only problem I ever had was with a spiny Puffer that took out a whole tank (that was before I knew they were not really Puffers but boxfish family members.) The point I am making is I would not worry about a regular Dog or Pork as far as ruining a tank, but I sure would with a spiny or a cowfish sold to you as a puffer.

 

[hawkeye]

Thanks pufferlover, I was worried there for a second.