dwarf puffer fish?

Question

i bought my puffers at petsmart on july 4th
then yesterday i saw some kind of thing in the middle of the pond
it looks like smoke but it doesnt move
does anyone know what it is?
and how i can get rid of it?

Answer 1

Did you put the puffer into a newly set-up tank (I 'm not sure you're keeping your puffers in a pond, unless it's one of the smaller preformed types for a patio water garden)? If so, chances are what you're seeing is a bacterial bloom. The puffers are a bit messy when it comes to their eating habits, and their wastes and uneaten food create ammonia. Normally bacteria convert the ammonia (which is toxic to fish, and to which puffers are particularly sensitive) into nitrite (still toxic), then to nitrate, which is nontoxic in moderate amounts. If the tank is new, you don't have enough bacteria to convert all the ammonia and nitrite yet, so the bacteria are quickly reproducing to take advantage of the "extra" which they use as an energy source. This rapid reproduction is called a "bloom" and appears as cloudy water.

The good news here is that if this is what's happening, the cloudiness will go away on its own, once the bacterial population reaches a level where all the ammonia and nitrite is being converted. The bad news, since your puffer is highly sensitive to both ammonia and nitrite levels, you'll need to do frequent water changes to keep the levels to a point which he can tolerate until the bacteria finish their reproduction. This couls mean small partial water changes of 10-20% 2-3 times a week.

Your substrate type might also be contributing if this is a saltwater puffer and you've used crushed coral or aragonite on the bottom of his tank. Both materials are soft, and create a lot of dust in their bags. It takes a lot of rinsing to remove all the dust, otherwise this could also lead to a cloudy appearance. Eventually, this will be removed by your filter, or dissolve into the water.

Please see the links below for more information on these.

Answer 2

Are they fresh water or salt water? Do you have live rock if it is salt?

Puffers don't expell waste like fresh water fish. They squirt a milky liquid which will remain in the water until the filter pulls it out, a skimmer takes it out or it is moved around and dispursed. Other than that only a residue from a dead or decaying fish. Without more info it will be difficult to tell.

Answer 3

may have been an attached jelly fish.

Or possibly an egg sack from the puffers.