GSP has become shy

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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by Pufferpunk »

I don't like albinos either.
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by RTR »

LOL! Is that a girl thing?

I usually like the wild color forms, and normal fins (except in goldfish). But Clarias are such graceful swimmers, and albinos do occur in the wild in that species.

I also do keep albino bristlenose cats, but actually prefer the wild color forms for most catfish.
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by bighex »

I wanted to post an update to this issue in case anyone else has to deal with this. Removing the dinosaur did not solve the problem. He was still shy and hid from us. An idea was presented to add some tankmates to make him feel comfortable and that everything was cool. I know, tankmates are largely a no-no with these guys. We did not plan on having them there long term, just temporarily until Floyd's behavior improved.

We ended up adding three large female mollies. At first I thought it was a mistake; they were big, reckless, and messy. Floyd challenged them a little bit at first, but they ended up getting along okay. He nipped their fins a couple times, but largely left them alone. One of them even had babies which Floyd ignores. Bottom line, it worked. Floyd is back to being brave and outgoing. We have since removed two of the mollies as a transition and Floyd is still doing great. Eventually all of the mollies will be removed, but they are a decent clean-up crew for now. I have since talked to another GSP keeper that has used mollies to soothe a nervous puffer.

Maybe not an something that everyone would agree with, but it worked for us.
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by bertie 83 »

That's great news, so glad he has improved. Sometimes the more unorthodox ideas do work. Some people may disagree but at the end of the day it has worked, also as you plan to remove them fairly soon where's the harm
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by PufferMe! »

What an interesting idea. I have the same problem with my little GSP. It's kind of sad, because you get them, because you want an interactive fish. What are you doing with the mollies after you take them out? I don't have another tank for them if I tried that. So, mollies can live in brackish water?

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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by bighex »

I agree Bertie. One interesting thing that I heard from our LFS owner was that the more intelligent a fish is, the more likely they are to fall into some sort of problem like we had. Is there such a thing as a fish psychologist? lol. :)
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by bighex »

Gwen, I've been able to take the mollies back to our local fish store. They were the ones that suggested it, and were happy to take the fish back from us. If they do agree to take them back, just make sure you tell them they were kept in a brackish tank so they can properly house them. And yes, mollies do fine in brackish water and I believe they can live in full marine.
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by bertie 83 »

Mollies are indeed better off in brackish. I love mollies but have not got any unfortunately. It's the intelligence that causes the problems
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by sgtmyers88 »

What about in the case of a shy GSP with a smaller GSP tankmate? I am having that problem now. He used to be real friendly and excitable and would follow me around the tank but now he hides at the sight of me or sits on the bottom under cover. He doesnt seem bothered by the smaller one as far as I know.
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by bighex »

I am certainly not the expert here, but it might help if you can provide a little more information.

Does he seem healthy and is he eating? Just shy? I think adding some mollies would be worth a try if you have the room. How big is your tank and how long have these guys been together?
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by Nuclear_Glitter »

sgtmyers88 wrote:What about in the case of a shy GSP with a smaller GSP tankmate? I am having that problem now. He used to be real friendly and excitable and would follow me around the tank but now he hides at the sight of me or sits on the bottom under cover. He doesnt seem bothered by the smaller one as far as I know.
The other GSP may be bullying him at night. Similar cases have happened with dogs. Everything is fine when you're present, but when you're gone something can go wrong and it will make one of the animals more timid.

Also, it could just be that he timid GSP would prefer to be alone. Most (but not all) puffers prefer solitary lives. You could try giving him his own setup, or you could even try the molly approach, but it may not do anything for him. Plus, you run the risk of your other GSP eating them, even if that one doesn't.
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by kpjenk21 »

i've noticed the same with my GSP. i get such a defferent personality when he's alone vs. when it has tankmates. i initially had it in a tank with 2 other GSPs, but was able to give 2 of them to friends who wanted them and after i gave the 2 away the GSP i kept didn't like coming up to the glass and would dart around the tank when i went up to it, which it never did before. when i got my mini clown fish, and they were accustomed to eachother, it seemed like a completley different fish! it would follow me around the tank and would even follow my finger around the glass. when i noticed the clown fish chasing the puffer off when food was presented, i moved the clown to it's own tank and within the next day or 2, it was back to not wanting anything to do with me, or the front of the glass! so i went and got some hermit crabs (can't remember what kind, they live in marine tanks) and now puffer is back to being more socialable :) it's really interesting the change in personality!
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by nphilli31 »

I am having a similar issue with the GSPs i have. Started with one of them being super shy and just going up and down one corner. Now both are doing it. I thought it was cause they were bored. But i have a ton of decor in the tank now...
I am afraid to do the molly thing, my GSPs hate other fish. When i first got them i didn't realize how aggressive they were... (I know... i was one of those fools who just went to the lfs and got it without researching). And they killed all my other fish in less than a day. Went to work in the morning, all my fish were dead by that afternoon. I just don't want any other fish to die because of me. Lol.
So many water changes, so little time.
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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by PufferMe! »

I don't know how long you've had them,but mine did more glass surfing and darted away also when I went up to the tank. After about 7 weeks, he stopped, and comes up to me each time, and seems way more comfortable. I think being wild caught, they are very nervous and take time to adjust. Also, if your tank is too small, they may be going up/down the glass because of that.

Gwen

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Re: GSP has become shy

Post by sgtmyers88 »

Whoops! I forgot about this thread! Anyways the puffer in question was a recent rehome from another forum member and was probably going thru a transistion phase as he was apparently a loner most of its life. I have since acclimated the puffer to full marine and placed him with my marine GSPs who are the same size as him and his colors have brightened and he is the most active fish in the tank now franticly coming to the glass and following me around once he gains sight of me.
WARNING: Puffers are mischievous little blimps with enchanting powers. You may not be content with having just one.
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