Wow my 5" Porcupine Puffer has disappeared

prime311

prime311

Active Member
Ive had him for like 9 months. No, the tank isn't completely covered but I checked around the tank pretty thoroughly and a puffer isn't exactly a jumper fish. Its fine, I'm not really looking for advice just venting. My best guess at this point is that he got stuck in the pvc I have under some of my rocks for my eel, although hes never shown any interest in going in them before.
 
saltygerman

saltygerman

Member
Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2903152
Ive had him for like 9 months. No, the tank isn't completely covered but I checked around the tank pretty thoroughly and a puffer isn't exactly a jumper fish. Its fine, I'm not really looking for advice just venting. My best guess at this point is that he got stuck in the pvc I have under some of my rocks for my eel, although hes never shown any interest in going in them before.
Wow keep us updated. That is a shame. My Porky is my favorite fish...Are you going to check the pvc?
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
I'm going to try to run some airline tubing through it and see if anything blocks it. Without tearing the whole tank apart theres not much else I can do :(
 
kingzfan

kingzfan

Member
Do you have over-anxious cats? I used to have a cat that would try and fish out my Oscars from the tank...
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
I dunno I tore apart the pvc and lifted up the only rock I couldnt see under that hed have room to fit. Still nowhere to be found. I didn't think my tusk and eel could dispose of a fish that large but at this point I don't know what else could've happened.
 
S

saltman23

Guest
if you have an overflow did you check it? Also, check in the stand thats where i found my goby
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
The overflows were checked. Theres stockman standpipes in both my overflows so there would be no way for him to get past them. I also checked behind my sump in my stand. Complete fkn disappearing act.
 
R

rcreations

Guest
Unless it jumped out of the tank and your cat ran off with it. Would a puffer be poisonous to cats?
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
I have no idea. Every situation is unlikely. I doubt my Eel or Tusk would go after him(they never showed any aggression to him before), but the day before he disappeared he was acting completely normal. I doubt he would jump out of the tank, he never has tried anything like that and I've never heard of puffers carpet surfing before. If he didnt jump though where did his body go. Even if he became listless and the tusk and eel got to him, wouldn't there still be some scales and other body parts left?? If a cat fund and dragged him away, wouldn't I smell the stench from wherever it was or yhave a dead cat on my hands too? This is why its just crazy hes gone w/o any trace.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Betting what's left of him is under a rock that you don't think he'd fit under. Lost a yellow tang that way. The only opening on the rock as was sideway slit, right above the sand line. The only way he could have fit in there was to turn completely sideways. When I broke the tank down, a somewhat decomposed YT floated up
I'd pull all your LR
 
kingsmith

kingsmith

Member
I have had eels eat fish and there was seemingly no evidence at all (so I came to that conclusion) Only one time I found some bones but other times no trace, and those tanks have since been moved so they were definatley not under the stand somewhere.
 
prime311

prime311

Active Member
A smaller fish I could see that KS but this is a large Puffer Fish and my SFE is only about a foot long yet. AK I pulled most of the rock up already, the only pieces I didnt move are ones I could see clearly under with a flashlight or a couple that theres was no way he could fit under.
 
kingsmith

kingsmith

Member
When I first bought my eels they were quite small and due to my ignorance I gave them large pices of shrimp, they would just knot their bodies up and pull they food through the knot to tear it to pieces, and although two of my disappearing fish were small the others including the one I fould the bones of were pretty big much bigger than the eels and certainly could not have been swallowed whole
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
I'm betting your porc is still in your tank, alive and well. I can't believe how many times I've been CONVINCED that my porcupine puffer was gone when actually he's just hiding/sleeping in a nook, cranny, crevice, etc. They are so good at camouflaging themselves that I have stared with flashlights from all angles of the tank and not been able to find him, only to have him show up again the next day when I dropped in some feeder fish.
To this day it STILL amazes me how well he hides during the day - I've mourned him several times and he's always alive and well when he feels like meandering out again.
Sue
 
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