Injured puffer

[Briafishfriend]

Hi - I’ve had an Amazon puffer for a few months now and he’s been doing well in my tank and we’ve really been enjoying him. This morning my husband saw another fish try to eat him, and he puffed up and got away - the first time this has happened to our knowledge. Now the puffer has these two small fuzzy white pieces off his abdomen, and I’m afraid his insides are coming out or something. He’s swimming ok and is mostly hanging out in plants up top. Any advice? Do you think there’s anything I can do for him?

 

[powerdyne6]

What other fish are in the tank?

 

[Briafishfriend]

What other fish are in the tank?

Silver dollars, gourami, pleco, 4” catfish. It was the catfish that went after him. We’re already looking at moving him to a different tank, or getting rid of the cat, I just don’t know what to do for him with this thing. I’ve never seen anything like it.

 

[Briafishfriend]

Hi - I’ve had an Amazon puffer for a few months now and he’s been doing well in my tank and we’ve really been enjoying him. This morning my husband saw another fish try to eat him, and he puffed up and got away - the first time this has happened to our knowledge. Now the puffer has these two small fuzzy white pieces off his abdomen, and I’m afraid his insides are coming out or something. He’s swimming ok and is mostly hanging out in plants up top. Any advice? Do you think there’s anything I can do for him?

 

[powerdyne6]

Looks like an injury of some sort. Someone with more knowledge than me will chime in shortly and hopefully give you some advice

 

[Briafishfriend]

Thanks

 

[FranciscoB]

To be honest, it does not look good at all.
What I would do is to separate it into a hospital tank (or separation within existing aquarium), and to observe for a few days, while maintaining absolutely pristine water quality, with nitrates as low as possible, and completely away from potential harassment or competition with any other fish. The idea is to minimize the chances of a secondary infection (fungal, bacterial) upon the injury. Some may suggest to add salt or medicine as a preventative, and I can go along with that, but am not recommending it now.
If indeed, the fish did not have that prior to being attacked, then it appears that in the attack, both the outer skin and the internal epithelium were ruptured, such that something (not sure what) is hanging out. If it is skin and muscle, it should recover; if it is organs, not so good. As I said, it does not look good.
That said, puffers are incredibly resilient so he might pull through, but it may take some time (weeks). Excellent water quality is a must no matter what.

 

[Briafishfriend]

Thanks for the support. It’s along the lines of what I was thinking - thank you for the suggestions