Puffer turned all black
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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kookydave
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:29 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 4 GSP's
- Location (country): LIttle river Kansas united states
- Location: Little River Kansas
- Contact:
Puffer turned all black
What would cause a Green Spotted Puffer to turn mostly a blackish color? Right now I have him in a tank by himself away from the others. What can I do to help him out and to prevent this in the future?
In the land of the BLIND, one eyed men are KINGS
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Dadof4
- Tech Team
- Posts: 2862
- Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:50 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP (Microfiche) RIP, 1 Monotrete Turgidus (Leon) in a 30gal. 1 Monotrete suvattii in a 40 gal FW. 120 gallon BW with 3 juvenile Dragon Gobies (so cool). 55 gal with a 2" GSP named Hank. 180 gallon being set up for a Fahaka in the next few months!
- Location (country): United States
- Location: North Wisconsin
Re: Puffer turned all black
Sounds like big stress....Please answer the questions in red listed above so we can get a better idea on what the cause may be. He wasn't sleeping per chance was he?
"Darwin swings...annnnnnd a miss. Boy Jim, Chuck's suffered at the plate tonight. He's 0 for 3 and I'm not sure he's recovered from that shoulder pull a few weeks ago. I'll bet the front office is re-thinking that contract."
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Jivenjune
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 303
- Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2009 3:30 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: (2) GSPs in a 60 gallon.
- Location (country): California.
Re: Puffer turned all black
Could be quite a few things.
One of my GSPs periodically turns black. He does it when he's sleeping, when he has just woken up, and when he is eating. He also does it periodically when he's a little stressed. For example, if I'm doing a water change or fiddling around with the decorations inside the tank, he tends to turn a little gray until I stop staring at him. I have another GSP who is quite the opposite; I've never seen him turn black once in his life. I think my other GSP is incapable of changing colors.
Can you tell us a little more about your water parameters? That'll help narrow down why he might possibly be turning black.
One of my GSPs periodically turns black. He does it when he's sleeping, when he has just woken up, and when he is eating. He also does it periodically when he's a little stressed. For example, if I'm doing a water change or fiddling around with the decorations inside the tank, he tends to turn a little gray until I stop staring at him. I have another GSP who is quite the opposite; I've never seen him turn black once in his life. I think my other GSP is incapable of changing colors.
Can you tell us a little more about your water parameters? That'll help narrow down why he might possibly be turning black.
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kookydave
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:29 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 4 GSP's
- Location (country): LIttle river Kansas united states
- Location: Little River Kansas
- Contact:
Re: Puffer turned all black
my ammonia is 0, (i get these two mixed up nitrate is 20 and nitrite is 0. Right now i got em in fresh water gonna switch over to brackish or full salt water. I got the live rocks and the marine salt to do so just gotta figure out what to do with the puffs while i change it over. As far as him sleeping. I dont think he was i mean I could take my hand and place it in the tank and he wouldnt run or anything. Matter of fact when he swims he runs into things and then just stops. Kinda like he may need glasses or summin
In the land of the BLIND, one eyed men are KINGS
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Dadof4
- Tech Team
- Posts: 2862
- Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:50 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP (Microfiche) RIP, 1 Monotrete Turgidus (Leon) in a 30gal. 1 Monotrete suvattii in a 40 gal FW. 120 gallon BW with 3 juvenile Dragon Gobies (so cool). 55 gal with a 2" GSP named Hank. 180 gallon being set up for a Fahaka in the next few months!
- Location (country): United States
- Location: North Wisconsin
Re: Puffer turned all black
How does he look now that you have him separated out from the others? Anything else in the tank, any changes made, any changes in the fish itself?
"Darwin swings...annnnnnd a miss. Boy Jim, Chuck's suffered at the plate tonight. He's 0 for 3 and I'm not sure he's recovered from that shoulder pull a few weeks ago. I'll bet the front office is re-thinking that contract."
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kookydave
- Puffer Fry
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 2:29 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 4 GSP's
- Location (country): LIttle river Kansas united states
- Location: Little River Kansas
- Contact:
Re: Puffer turned all black
i got up this morning and he is still black. swimming around acting all happy but just black
In the land of the BLIND, one eyed men are KINGS
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L!$A
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 1045
- Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:30 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Fahaka - Nala
Congo - Baloo
Arrowhead - Yzma
R.I.P
Kaleeko - Mbu Puffer
Milly - Fangs Puffer - Location (country): CANADA
- Location: Pitt Meadows, BC
Re: Puffer turned all black
I've never had a Green Spotted Puffer but whenever any of my fish are not vibrant in colour, it's usually because they are unstable. Try to do different things that you think he may like or to make him more comfortable. It may just be because he's in FW. Hopefully he feels better when he is in his proper environment. Good luck!!
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pufferpuggirl
- Mbu Puffer
- Posts: 3979
- Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:04 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Puffs & Stuff:
1 x M Abei
1 x M Turgidus
1 x T Palembangensis
1 x M Baileyii
1 x T Schoutedeni
1 x T Leiurus
1 x T Miurus
Rainbow crab
crayfish - Location (country): Yorkshire, GB
- Location: South Yorkshire, UK
Re: Puffer turned all black
Just wondering .... what's happened with your puffer kookydave? I hope he's okay, but let us know.
"Puffer .... man's best friend?"