Something is wrong with Hufflepuff

[Troender]

There's something wrong with Hufflepuff, and I can't say what it is. It just worries me a bit. He's been very moody lately, and also has had a change of habits. Usually he comes to the glass every time I pass the tank (which is often), and try to "talk" to me: "Hey, look at me, look at me!". When he relaxes, he stays behind a root (the same place as he was sulking in that famous story). The last 2 weeks this has changed. He doesn't come to me as often as before, and he has moved to staying mostly on top of one of the two internal filters. He is also a bit darker in color. Besides this he doesn't show any sign of illness. He eats greedily and violently, as he has always done (except if you give him freeze dried krill - but that was that only time, and no more ). But it looks like he is angry with me, all the time. Not the fish I am used to have. He isn't so active anymore. Today he hasn't even "talked" to me, but that could partly be because of a big meal yesterday. But still he never stays away from me a whole day! This change of habits worries me! There's something wrong, but nothing you can see on the fish, except for the way he acts.

I've checked the water today. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrates a little under 20 - which is higher than I like it. But that can come from the big and messy shrimp meal yesterday. PH: 8.0. I haven't checked GH and KH, but they never change here, and they always stay at GH: 3-4, KH: 2. All test are done with those liquid tests (pretty new ones too, and the very best I know of), except for PH which is done with a PH-pen (should have been calibrated again, but it never shows much wrong when it needs calibrating).

Tank size is 22 G, and Hufflepuff is the only one in there. Hufflepuff is a fully grown m. cochinchinensis or a not fully grown turgidus, I'm not sure. I've always felt that the tank is a little bit too small for him, but he has loved living in there. I have a bigger tank I could transfer him to, but I feel he would be miserabale there, as it's in my bedroom, and he wouldn't get so much action and attention there as he gets where he is now. So far, I'm absolutely sure that he has been happy with his life in that tank - that is until now. There has been some minor changes there, but he is not the kind of puffer who goes sulking because of that. The changes was two plants dying, being removed and new ones planted at the same places. I also washed the cover glass, so the light became brighter. But if that is what's bothering him, I can't see why he has moved closer to the light.

I feed him every other day, shrimps, snails (as treats), mussles, squid, bloodworms and my own home made discus food (not very often - but it's to make sure he gets some green stuff and vitamines in his food). Usually I do two 50 % WC a week, but lately it's been only once a week. I don't add anything to the water, as there's no clorine in the water here. But I do use some heated water. I know that can be a problem, but I've never had any trouble with it before (yes, I know you've heard that sentence before... ), in neither of my 24 tanks.

The tank has been running for about a year, so it definitely is properly cycled (which the water parameters also shows), and it's filtered with two internal filters. Both filters are small, but together they do a job that is well enough. As he has been alone in his tanks since last spring, there's no new addition to this tank, but I do share some of the same equipment with my other tanks, so it is possible to transfer illnesses that way.

I think I got all the right information there
BTW, Hufflepuff is my favorite puffer, so I am definitely worried about him. He has always been very interactive, and right now he has stopped being that - that's what bothers me so much. Something is wrong, and I don't know what it is!

[By_a_coo]

I don't know t.cochinchinensis I wold help you if I could. Don't worry, someone will appear to save the day!

[spoot]

What's the tank temp? Maybe the heater is on the fritz and the water is a bit cooler than normal. Would lead to a decrease in activity.

[crazedpuffer]

Isn't he the one who bit you?
Well it would help if you answered all the above questions in red!

Sharing equipment could lead to disease. Do you have any idea how old Huflepuff is? He might just be moody for no reason. I'd do a large water change and see if he shows any difference. Thats all I can really think of. I hope he's okay!

[SpockthePuffer]

Well it would help if you answered all the above questions in red!

She did answer the questions, all her water params and recent changes are there...

[manutius]

I have a suggestion you may want to think about. It could be an oxygen level issue, when your puffer was smaller he had plenty of available O2 in the tank to keep him happy and to flutter up and see you was no problem. Now that he has grown he needs more O2 and especilally at times after a big feed. So what he does is goes to sit where there is more water movement on top of the filters which means more water will pass over his gills and make it easier for him to extract O2 rather than sit at the bottom where its harder for him to breathe efficiently. I think that he is darker becuse that his stress reaction to being closer to the bright light. I would try and make more water surface movement by pointing the flow off your filters up to the surface to create a larger surface area for gaseous exchange. This will indirectly increase the O2 levels in the tank. If his behaviour changes then you know that ideally the tank is not big enough for him and might consider a larger tank of maybe adding an keeping the surface ripples long term.

Just a hunch I have, hope it works

[manutius]

Another thing is to reduce the feeding to every 3 days as when digesting their food they need more O2 so the fact that you are feeding him every other day may be too much. Hope Hufflepuff pulls through

[mikeosoft]

I agree with manutius that it could be an O2 issue. I have seen similar responses from my seahorses when the O2 levels were low in their tanks.

Whenever I have a fish that starts acting unusual, the first thing I do is a huge waterchange. Usually that perks the fish up, but it doesn't always last.

Another possibility is that the fish may just be bored.. I've heard numerous stories about puffers getting bored in their tanks.

[Troender]

I alreay have the flow from one of the filters in the surface, I've had so for several months, so the oxygen level should be fine. He came to chat a little to me today, but he is slow and not in his usual mood. Not the same interst as he usually has. No the same aggression either.

[Woland]

Could be several reasons, not necessarily illness.
It might be a girl, producing eggs...

[Troender]

It might be a girl, producing eggs...

Hufflepuff a girl! He/she seems to like to hide now. I have a sticker termometer (not that I use it - it came with the tank). Earlier today, she (well, I got used to that thought quickly ) hid behind it, not wanting to come out to me.

If there's eggs coming, I wonder what would happen if I let her together with Tiger. I am not quite sure what species either of them are (nor the gender), but they certainly are the same species. Wow, that would be quite a fight. Both of them are extremely aggressive.

On the other hand, if there were eggs, I would have thought Hufflepuff would get fatter. He hasn't! No change there!

[Myaj]

Bubba, who is I *think* a turgidus (although there's been debate when people see photos of him), does the same thing.

Usually, its related to either cooler than normal temps, or he wants a water change. Bubba does NOT like his nitrates to go over 10, ever, or he gets very cranky with me. When I move, he's getting moved back to a 29, as he just hasn't seemed himself in the 20L. It could be my water here though, none of my fish seem very happy with it.

I know what you mean about the behavior difference.. they aren't very active puffers but when in a "good mood" they always greet you and wiggle their fins, hungry or not (if hungry, he sure lets you know!).. when he's in a bad mood I usually get a glare and then he turns his butt to me, that or he doesn't even acknowledge I'm around. Usually he'll refuse to eat, and if I try to get him to eat by sticking a shrimp in his face or something, that just earns me a big chomp on the finger. Yeah, they get crabby alright!

[Woland]

On the other hand, if there were eggs, I would have thought Hufflepuff would get fatter. He hasn't! No change there!

It could take some time.
My baileyi changed behaviour from fairly active to troubled sulking for three weeks before she dropped eggs.
And; IMO you feed to often...

[Troender]

Now, this is a strange puffer. I went to the kitchen to get some food (for myself), passing Hufflepuff's tank on my way. Hufflepuff still hiding behind the termometer sticker, like he has done all day, still dark. I tried to talk a little to him, and he acted like he has done lately. Not much interest in me or the surroundings. Few seconds later I passed the tank again, on my way from the kitchen. And there was Hufflepuff in his normal color, acting like he normally does. Guess who thought he would get food! So there's certainly nothing wrong with his appetite! I will give him a WC later on, and keep a close eye on him in the days to come, and see how this turns out.

[Agnate]

Yeah, one of my Ceylons is VERY pale lately. I don't know why... he has a white belly and his appetite is normal. At first I thought it was because the temperature was higher than I normally keep it (as I'm in fear that there's ich in the tank, so I've been water changing and keeping the temperature higher), but who knows. I haven't had them long enough to know their specific moods, though, so maybe he's just not happy with something. *Shrug* I'm going to give the water another testing tonight to see if anything is up. Hopefully we'll be good.