Figure 8 puffer skin disease?

[LunaLaFee]

I have 2 F8P in my tank. The big one seems to have a skin disease on his belly - its brown and skin looks like scratched. He seems lazy ever since i brought him while the small guy moves around happily.. He is 7cm long.. These are my first puffers.. :( I came to you guys because its the first time i have a brackish aquarium + a puffer. (I have a successful reef tank for years now) What disease can it be? Should i move him to a quarantine tank?

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[little_fish]

These puffers are super aggressive, I would be worried that they are bites from the other puffer. Usually these guys are in a tank by their lonely selves.

 

[LunaLaFee]

The 2 puffers get along nicely! ( i havent noticedany agression) .. however he was once kept with 3 or 4 others.. (in another tank, before i took him). So it is possible.. Im just so worried because he doesn't move around the tank like his fellow, who seems extremely happy. :( He just lays on the bottom, in his cave. He ate a lot yesterday, however he refused to eat today. If these are bites.. what can i do to help him?

 

[little_fish]

I would put him in his own tank or make a barrier in the tank you have. However if the wounds have become infected or he is too stressed from the bullying he might not make it

 

[LunaLaFee]

Ive put him to my quarantine tank. Ate a snail :).. and swam around..At the moment however hes laying again..

 

[zdes]

In the wild when puffers establish their territories, they work much like bettas. One wins, gets the territory and the other one leaves. How big is the tank? Do you have a lot of natural barriers to break their view? They say 15g per puffer and I think that is fine. I had some black mollies that I had to acclimate to my freshwater snail raising tank because they had scratches all over them. I never saw the puffer go after them but they couldnt have done the scratches themselves. I think the qt tank is good. Your f8 will be able to rest a little and not be stressed. Try just putting a lot of decorations and stuff (I like the natural stones and logs with java fern but you can do whatever you like really) and see what happens when you put him back in the tank after a decent sized water change after he heals up.