Puffer Behavior

[Happy_Puffer]

He seems so stressed, his fins are going so fast I can barely see them. His color isn't very good and like I said hes breathing heavy. I guess he could be sleeping I just hope that hes ok. I am going to do the w/c in the morning so hopefully that will fix everything.

[Nick]

if you have Prime you can add a capful, it eases nitrite poisoning.

[Happy_Puffer]

I don't have any. Is that the name of it because I will have to get some, all I have is some stress coat stuff that I had when I used to keep fw fish. As soon as I sent that last post he got up and started swimming around and I was very happy then when I went to reply he sat back down in the same spot fins buzzing. I wish pet stores were open 24 hours so I could help him now!

[Nick]

Prime is a water treatment, detoxifies chlorine, chloramines, ammonia and nitrite. It's my dechlor of choice. I'd recommend it.

[Happy_Puffer]

So I should use this instead of the water treatment I am using now. Ok I will have to get that tomorrow be4 I change the water. Still no change in behavior but I'm hopeing that he just had a big day, with his first w/c (with me anyway). He swims around every once in a while so thats good. Maybe he was just relaxing! Thanks for the help! I will post how he is doing in the morning

[Happy_Puffer]

He is much better today. Hes eating and his color is back. I'm going out to get him another plant and the Prime and then I'm gonna check the levels and do a water change. Thanks for the help!

[Happy_Puffer]

I think my puffer has ich. I gave him some pimafix and I just did a w/c yesterday. I have read some of the articles in the other forms about the temp cange and w/c's is there anything that I'm missing?

[Nick]

Get the temp up to 86 or so and keep the water immaculate and you should be good to go.

[Happy_Puffer]

I started giving them the pimafix and I changed the temp and the ich is starting to go away. He is happy now and eating well. Thank you for all the help, I am so thankful for all the help I would be lost. I found a book by aqualog about brackish fish, is that a good book to read just to read about all brackish fish?

[Happy_Puffer]

My boyfriend has a GSP and we just rearranged the tank and he has plenty of places to hide and he just swims up and down the side of the tank. He has stopped eating of what I can see. I try to feed him by putting krill in some tongs and swril it around his face and he just swims the other way and I also have my boyfriend feed him freeze dried bloodworms and snails. He is in a 14 gallon tank right now till we move and can set up a bigger tank for him, is there something else that we can do to make him more comfortable?

[JSJBLAIR]

I have a 55 gallon hexagon tank.
We started it up two years ago. I bought 4 green barbs, 2 angel fish, one marble, the other a ghost. I have a pleco, a ghost knife and 4 puffers. Two gsp and two figure 8's. Oh and a peacock eel that we never see.
My tank is nicely set up, with a lot of plants, an ornamental bell that sits in the center and pots for the fish to all hide in.
And I just wanted to say that your aquarist experience is really your own and you have to just learn by trial and error.
Everyone has something different to say but if I had listened to everyone and didn't just try for what I really wanted, I would not have the most lovely community tank. All of my fish are full grown.
All we heard was that none of the fish I wanted could be kept with the puffers. In the start of it, the puffers were sick all of the time. Ich or fin rot. And I was worried about the other fish in my tank, being that they are all freshwater. But, as time went by and a lot of money was spent to heal our babies, one day I just thought, no more chemicals! I changed the water temp. from a steady 79 to 85 degrees and started to change it from FW to BW. It has been this way for a year. No more disease, everyone is thriving and their colors are so lovely. My barbs school together and constantly play chase. My angels have paired off and really just keep to themselves. And all four of my puffers hang together. They sleep in the bell together and often tank surf or just follow each other around all day long. Not one of them has ever been aggrresive. We feed them by hand from time to time and they know their mommy.
If I had listened to what the fish guy said and half of the ppl on this forum and others, I wouldn't have taken a chance. Albeit, there is wonderful advice here. Every fish is different and has their own way. Just like we do. So, either I have been very lucky at picking out the coolest puffers or I don't know what. Everyone of them is happy.
We recently had a friend offer us his 160 gallon tank. It needs to be modified since he kept it as a snake tank but it is beautiful and I think I will move all of my other fish and then add on. And just allow the 55 gallon to be the puffer tank.
We also have a 14 gallon with black skirts, bleeding hearts, 3 fancy male guppsters a rainbow shark and a moor goldfish. Everyone is happy in there to but the shark has become a bit of a chaser lately. They are all about a year old as well. I also keep a small amount of salt in their tanks and no more sickness has come to my fish.
I wish I knew how to sex the puffers. And i read on a yahoo forum where a woman did breed not knowingly two gsp. 30 babies in all I think. Hopefully she will give us all of her tank conditions.
That is all. LOL I talk to much.

[Happy_Puffer]

Thank you so much for all the info. I have a question though what kind of salt did you and how much? I don't have marine salt yet because I don't have the money for all this sickness and things. I think mine might have some internal parsites and I can't find treatment around here and I don't think they can wait for someone to deliver it to me. It sounds like you were having the same problems as me. I just want them to get better. Both my puffers are acting weird! And I think its weird before when my levels were a little high they were fine now that all my levels are at zero now they are sick. I am so glad that someone has answered me I am so scared that I'm gonna lose my puffers and they are so beautiful I have already lost 1 and I was so sad and now I have 3 and two of them are sick! I think I might need a bigger tank but I can't afford it right now. I would really like a 55 or 75 gallon but I can't afford the meds for my puffers right now! Please feel free to talk all you want and give me any info you feel will help!!

[Myaj]

JSJ, keeping puffers alive in an overcrowded tank with improper water conditions and inappropriate tankmates for a year is not really that impressive, IMO. If they are grown to full potential and still healthy in 5, or even 10 years (yes, they live that long or even longer), then your story carries a little more validity. Right now I would say you've just been lucky that no one has died, however I would venture a guess that your fish are not quite as lucky in their overall health. Any stunting or damage you do to them now lasts them their entire life.

Happy_Puffer, these guys are just very sensitive fish. They don't handle medications well, they don't handle poor water conditions well either. The best thing you can do for them is keep their water clean, try not to stress them out and figure out what you are going to do for a long term setup. Take a sample of your water to the store and have them test it for you, get ACTUAL number readings of what your ammonia, nitrite and nitrates are. Don't let them tell you everything is "ok", get the actual numbers.

If you can get your hands on some Amquel or Prime, that will help some. If you get Prime, be warned, it smells like sulfur.. just so you don't open the bottle and wonder if its bad.

[Happy_Puffer]

Thank you for the help. I think I just need to stay away from brackish puffers. I think maybe I could take care of some fresh water puffers better. But the one good thing is I have learned that I;m not ready for b/w puffers. I have kept dp and they did great and I have a very small f8 and hes ok for now but my big f8 is dying and I can't seem to help him. I was just going to keep moving up to salt water puffer but I'm glad I didn't thank you for the help!

[Happy_Puffer]

I would like to know where (if any) I can find puffers online. I would like to find some red eye red tail puffers but I have never seen them before. I know my lfs has many puffer but they are either salt or brackish. I would like to try my hand at a fresh water puffer. Any advise would be lovely! Thanks!!