GSP panting?

[littlepuffers]

Is it fairly normal for a green spotted puffer to "pant?" We have the water temp at 84* with an adequate filter and an airstone in our 55 gallon tank. They are about 2.5" long and have been feed since yesterday. They will sometimes lay at the bottom panting, other times swimming and panting, and at other times be perfectly normal... One seems to be a bit more lethargic and more panting than the other. So is all this behavior normal?

[julianchan]

Sounds like your tank might be a little warm, causing lower O2 in your tank. Might want to see if you can lower the temperature of your tank, or add a bubble stone. 80f is about the upper range for a GSP.

[littlepuffers]

We did lower the temp a bit, we had it high to help cure ich. We do have an air stone in there, but it's only 4". Either way, the ich will die in SG of 1.008, so we dropped the temp a bit, still at or above 80*, though.

Thanks.

[Pufferpunk]

Folks have treated ich with temps as high as 90. You need more surface current in there. Can you drop the water level a bit, so the filter splashes on the surface more?

[littlepuffers]

That's what we'll do so there is more surface agitation. We also started adding Ich Attack (all natural) because after such a long period of time in high temps (over a week) the spots are STILL on his fin. Thanks for your help. I hope they go away soon.

It seems like they still pant in lower temperatures with lots of oxygen too... Maybe that's normal. LOL

[Pufferpunk]

Maybe the parasites are attacking the gills. Are you doing large WC too?

[littlepuffers]

No, we didn't do a large water change yet, but we are today. We need a slap on the hand for that one!

[Pufferpunk]

The recomendation is every other day. Do that, instead of adding meds.

[littlepuffers]

We stopped giving them meds and did a large water change. We'll continue to do this. We really don't believe that they have ich any more because the spots are there and after doing research it sounds as if they have a secondary infection, or the little things that the ich breaks out of is just still attached. We have had them in at least 1.004 SG since we got them, which is over two weeks now, with the temperature around 80, and they are even up to 1.009 now. We'll continue to do water changes and keep an eye on them, but they seem to be doing fine!

They are still panting, though, but maybe they are just stressed from the meds we did add.

Thanks for the info everyone!