Porcupine Puffer ate my glass Floating Thermometer!!!

[bulletsworld]

Originally Posted by fishhunter8

Could you not just run a magnet along the bottom to collect all the lead balls? I still believe the glass would be more worriesome but if the lead balls bother you or they try to get eaten... don't know too much about salt water yet but I though this might help.

BRILLIANT! i WONDER IF IT WOULD WORK???!! I almost want to tell the boss I'm going home early to... Wait a sec, I am the boss! Hmm.... I wonder if this would really work though?? Now I wonder if my Tunze magnet would work... hmm....ponder. GOOD SUGGESTION! Thank YOU! I will keep you posted if it works!

[bulletsworld]

UPDATE: On Stewie (a.k.a Griffie) the porcupine puffer...

I spoke to soon about him NOT inflating himself. Late lastnight he was blowing up like a big balloon over and over. Poor lil buddy. Although..he wouldn't touch the peas, he did swallow the krill whole. He seems to be having trouble chewing. I'm thinking he cut his mouth on the glass when he had the floating thermometer almost all the way in. However; at least he had some food!!! WOoHOOOO! Now he doesn't want anything to do with me. Dashing away from me when I come to the tank. He's acting as if I may have made him swallow the darn thermometer! Usually Stewie follows me around as I walk by. He won't even let me pet him now, he dashes away. Humanizing the puffer aside, he's not him self and doesn't want to socialize. Which tells me he most likely is under the weather with lead balls and perhaps glass shards. I will continue to monitor and update. I will see if I have some pictures of my pet monster handy.

[my2rotties]

Yup he has indigestion... not much you can do aside of trying peas and krill. I would imagine if he is inflating he has not tore his stomach up from the glass enough stop him from doing so. I would think this is a good sign but I am not sure. Whenever he did this at my house you would swear he had difficulty chewing as well, but I think it is from him trying to upchuck what is bothering him.

When he had indigestion here, he would not eat for up to a week, and was fine. I would take a shrimp or prawn and almost tease him with it for trigger a feeding response. Be careful when you do this, since once he strikes he tends to get both fingers in his mouth along with the food. How do I know this? He almost came out of the tank with my fingers once. He didn't do much damage but it hurt.

Like you mentioned to me a long time ago... he is getting really bored and needs some sort of stimulation. I am thinking you need a couple of fish you don't care about much for him to hunt. He was a big boy when he was caught, and I think he was hunting in the wild for too long to be totally happy in captivity at times. He is still the largest puffer I have ever seen.

Originally Posted by bulletsworld

UPDATE: On Stewie (a.k.a Griffie) the porcupine puffer...

I spoke to soon about him NOT inflating himself. Late lastnight he was blowing up like a big balloon over and over. Poor lil buddy. Although..he wouldn't touch the peas, he did swallow the krill whole. He seems to be having trouble chewing. I'm thinking he cut his mouth on the glass when he had the floating thermometer almost all the way in. However he ate!!! WOoHOOOO! Now he doesn't want anything to do with me. Dashing away from me when I come to the tank. He's acting as if I may have made him swallow the darn thermometer! Usually Stewie follows me around as I walk by. He won't even let me pet him now, he dashes away.

I will try to get a picture of Stewie for ya guys.

[bulletsworld]

Here is some pictures of Stewie (a.k.a Griffie)










Pictures don't do justice, as he looks small in pictures. I assure you need a bucket to get him out of the tank.

[my2rotties]

Ooohhhh you got a Norman too!!! My guy is doing great. I took him off of frozen foods to slow down his growth. He is as big as Griffie now! Norman is the fastest growing fish I have ever had.

I miss my big fatso... but my smaller fish sure don't. He looks awesome!

[bulletsworld]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

ooohhhh you got a norman too!!! My guy is doing great. I took him off of frozen foods to slow down his growth. He is as big as griffie now! Norman is the fastest growing fish i have ever had. I miss my big fatso... But my smaller fish sure don't. He looks awesome!

edit

[my2rotties]

You really must go to Elite and see George, Colby's cowfish... he is HUGE! Makes Norman look wee. I grew Norman out quickly so he could handle my powerheads in the tank. When he ate Griffie's puffer chow and frozen foods he grew very rapidly. I now have him on more vegan fare but he gets frozen food treats. I still need to come by and see your tank one of these days. I have had really bad Laryngitis and cannot even speak to my clients. I see the phone ringing and can't answer it.

We still need to get this Marine betta to you. I have done nothing with my tank at all, and have no new additions of any kind. If you want a fish with a lot of personality I would get a Sargassum trigger if I were you. My guy Dave is a hoot! Of course Bananaman is the the star of the show most times... I ahve never seen another Banana wrasse anywhere. If I could catch your foxface I would give her back to you. I grew her all out really nice as you know. The tangs don't even mess with her anymore. Chad the Regal Angel is thriving but he has pretty much murdered every soft coral I had in my tank, and my toadstool are chewed to heck now too. My tank is slowly turning into a FOWLR, but I am okay with that. My fish need to swimming space.

More pictures please!!!

Originally Posted by bulletsworld

No longhorn cowfish is as COOL as NORMAN!! Norman is AWESOME! I LOVE NORMAN! And if I may add... Norman is the largest longhorn I have EVER seen!!! I know you wanted me to one day take him...BUT..You will have him forever. So.. one day when I was shopping and seen a adorable longhorn with no parasites, very healthy, I couldn't resist the lil guy! Especially when he came to the glass! I named him Luigi and he's buddies with Stewie (a.k.a Griffie) These longhorn cowfish grow super FAST! He was smaller when I got him.

I also got a blue boxfish, named Dotty. What a sweetie! I'm happy to get her on pellets, nori and mysis. After all she would only eat sponges when I first got her. So finally got her on the other stuff...finally! Took me a bit. But she eats all day long, always grazing and doesn't grow! Maybe a tiny bit but thats it. Doesn't grow like the longhorns do. Thats for sure.

[bulletsworld]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

Like you mentioned to me a long time ago... he is getting really bored and needs some sort of stimulation. I am thinking you need a couple of fish you don't care about much for him to hunt. He was a big boy when he was caught, and I think he was hunting in the wild for too long to be totally happy in captivity at times. He is still the largest puffer I have ever seen.

He's the largest puffer I've ever seen! I was surprised when I first seen him. I did get a orange spoted goby he hasn't been able to catch, although I wish he would. Goby is digging big holes under my rock and tumbling it. I can't even catch that lil bugger!! I was hoping Stewie could for me. I also put a lawn mover blenny and a damsel in there with no luck of him catching.

Hey did you ever see the video of the lady that did work out routines infront of her porcupine puffer and he followed. I gotta see if I can find that video. Its so neat! Next I will try work outs in front of Stewie to see if he responds. This time I doubt he's bored but a little under the weather. I know the silver lead balls he injested can't be good for him.

[Skimmerking]

Good Old Griffie there what a nutbar. he should be CANREEF'S mascot.

[my2rotties]

Hahhaaaa!!! No kidding, the butthead.

Originally Posted by asmodeus

Good Old Griffie there what a nutbar. he should be CANREEF'S mascot.