Calling All SAP Owners!

[pufferpuggirl]

Hi, I'd like to talk to other people who own, or have owned, South American puffers.
I have 3 that have been together in the same tank for over a year, and they get along fine, no problems, etc. Their colour has always been green melded with black bands over their back, and I've just accepted that that's how they look, but recently I had to move one of them over to my community tank.
What happened is that they got whitespot (ich) and I had treated them for it, as I always do, but towards the end of the treatment, one of the SAP's started to look really bad, and instead of swimming was just dragging itself around. I really felt badly for it and I just had a feeling if I didn't move it, that it would die. So with few choices as to where to move it to, I decided to move it to my community tank because I've got about 7 dwarf puffers in there and they are fine, no problems with fin nipping, etc.
Well anyway, after only a day of being in the community tank, I noticed that the puffer I moved was really different. He was zipping around swimming and seemed really energetic. When they were in the other tank all they did was swim up and down the aquarium glass, and I just put it down to being nervous fish. They would also play in the strong current of the filter too, but mostly it was up and down at the glass. The one I moved wasn't doing that anymore, it was swimming around, checking out the new tank. But there was also another change -- the colours had changed! Instead of being green and black, with the greens melded into the black, this SAP was now yellow and black, sort of like a bumblebee, with clear bands of yellow and bands of black. No more green at all.
So this is what I'm curious about .... what colour are SAP's supposed to be? And does anyone have any idea why it changed it's colouring like that? They all need their teeth trimmed, and as I'm too much of a coward to try, I'm going to take them to someone to have it done, but after it's all done, I'm considering putting the other 2 SAP's into my community tank. It's definitely improved the one SAP. It's doing things I never seen it do in the other tank and seems really happy. I don't know if it's the size of the tank, because it's gone from a 35-gallon to about a 70-gallon tank, or is it the tankmates seeing as there's all kinds in my community tank? I don't know, but whatever it is, it's doing more good than harm. I'd move them now if I didn't think I'd have a hard time netting them to get their teeth trimmed.
Not sure what I'm going to do, but I will move them eventually.

[blanketman]

[quote]Their colour has always been green melded with black bands over their back...{/quote]

green SAP? do you have any photos?

we have 6 SAPs in a 240L community tank. their colour are mainly strong black and yellow, but their colours go paler when they hunt for snails along the sandy bottom when we feed them. so they change colour, but green?

does any body else know something about why they change colours? and GREEN?

[pufferpuggirl]

Yes, definitely green, and I will try and get some photos before I move them to the community tank. They've always been that way. Thing is, as soon as I stand there trying to get photos, that's when they will go and hide, I swear they know what I'm doing because they will go to one side and when I go over there, they will move again, and each time I go where they are, they hurriedly move to another location!

[lobowind]

I have 10 SAPs in two different tanks, and one of the tanks is a 220g community tank. The SAPs in there change their color depending upon where they are in the tank. A few of them are always yellow and black, but the others sometimes show their yellowish-green color and faded bands when they are inspecting the gravel for snails....then they turn back to yellow and black if they are near the darker background or up on top of the plants.

[pufferpuggirl]

Here's a couple of photos that I just took of the ones in their regular tank. Please keep in mind they've just eaten, so are very fat, and I also know they need their teeth trimmed, that's happening this weekend.

[thepufferguy]

I can sort of see what you mean about the green coloration, although it looks like it is an illusion caused by light reflecting off of the greens in the tank rather than being the puffer's actual skin color. Their bodies do sometimes have a slight reflective property to them that can deepen this illusion.

If you notice, the cow fish in my avatar appears to have a slight greenish tint to him, but he is actually bright yellow.

[pufferpuggirl]

No, trust me, they ARE actually green, there's no reflective properties at work here. They are as green as green can be and really, until I moved the one, I thought that's the colour they were supposed to be, I didn't realise they were yellow and black. I definitely am not colour blind.

[coldmachineUK]

Looks more like the faded black banding blending in with the surrounding yellow - it may look green, but it's not.
And yes, SAPs should do fine in any community tank with fast moving (and peaceful) fish. I had a trio in my 36G, and lost two (not at once, over a period of time) due to the long-term effects of clove oil: the lesson I learned is never to use plastic containers to anaesthetise them; the porous materials will contain residue which will build up and eventually result in accidental overdose.

Anyway, my point is: I have a surviving SAP from the trio and so I moved him in to my 55G where he is now the proud leader of my BBG pack (a trio I've had over 3 years). He is also far more energetic and happy in there; I put this down partly to the extra space, and partly down to the fact it's a very very busy community and there's lots to keep him interested. Some puffers can get bored, very easily, if the tank decor is minimal and/or changed infrequently.

[pufferpuggirl]

I don't know why you can't believe me when I say IT IS green and black. I am not the only person who has seen them, and I do know what green looks like. I mean, if I wasn't sure what colour it was, I would say I'm not sure, but I'm as certain as certain can be. It IS green and black.
I do agree with you in that they seem happier in my community tank. I moved the other two over today, and strangely enough, when the other two were reunited with the other one, that one, which had turned to yellow and black, then went back to the green colour. I'm sorry if you all have never seen a SAP with green colours, but I would stake my life on the fact that they are indeed green.

[coldmachineUK]

How odd. I just can't see it in those photos, I guess. But kudos to you for having green SAPs

[pufferpuggirl]

No, I don't think I'm special because they are green .... I was just wanting to know if anyone else had SAP's that were this colour. If the other one had not changed to yellow and black, then I would have thought the green and black was the normal colour. I don't see these in shops, so I didn't know what the norm was.

[coldmachineUK]

No I've not heard of them turning green before; could just be from fading as I say. I can see the black spot on the underside of it's caudal peduncle in the first pic, so these are definitely C. asellus and not another species. Just quirky, I guess!

[thekarens]

Not to get into an argument, but wanted to add my .02 for what it's worth. I just picked up 4 SAPS and they are all green and black. Personally I'd enjoy it if they did turn yellow and black. That would be cool

[pufferpuggirl]

I wasn't arguing, honest. I just wanted to get my point across that they are indeed green and black. The one that changed to yellow and black has changed back since I put the other 2 into my community tank now. I'd like them to all go to yellow and black, but I just don't understand why they are changing. It must mean something.

But "thank you" thekarens for supporting my comment. I knew I wasn't seeing things.