New puffer owner

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energizerfish
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 89
Joined: Mon May 09, 2011 7:16 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Tetraodon Nigroviridis
Location (country): Virginia

New puffer owner

Post by energizerfish »

I recently became a new puffer owner quite by accident thanks Wal-mart being completely ignorant of a puffer's needs and marketing them as a good tank mate for glofish, danios and mollies. My friend bought me a GSP and while I agree I should have done my own research before doing this, I took someone else's word and put my adorable new friend in my glofish/danio community tank where he was quite happy for about 24 hours. Upon showing Bloat off to one of my friends, Bloat decided to show off for one of my friends and chase down my smallest, brightest glofish and gobble it up in two bites, prompting me to do some intense research on the GSP. Bloat has now been relocated to a 10 gallon tank (that is all my college will allow) and Bloat is only 1" long right now. He is in the tank all by himself and seems much more tranquil. I have placed various different sized rocks and sand on the bottom of his new home and shaped some of them into a hiding cave for him. The water is freshwater conditions currently although I have read that I will need to change that to brackish as he gets older and also that he will need a bigger tank. After he ate my glofish he seemed to suffer no ill effects, but since then I have been feeding him snails, sun-dried krill, and frozen shrimp. I welcome any and all suggestions.
Oh...and his coloration is normal from what I've read so far. He is usually bright green on top with a white belly which he changes to darker coloration when he is resting, hiding or sleeping, so he doesn't seem stressed from the tank change.
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32984
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Puffers I have kept:
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T miurus
A modestus
T biocellatus
C valentini
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Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Greenville, SC
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Re: New puffer owner

Post by Pufferpunk »

[welcome]
I love your username! Sorry he ate your fish... Maybe the green on his head will glow more?

Here is some info for you: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19348
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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energizerfish
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 89
Joined: Mon May 09, 2011 7:16 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Tetraodon Nigroviridis
Location (country): Virginia

Re: New puffer owner

Post by energizerfish »

Thanks for the links. When setting up the new tank, I used the filter from my established tank as well as some of the water from the established tank. Since the two tanks are side by side, Bloat spends much of his day watching my Danios like a cat watching his prey. I thought that until I started acclimating him to brackish water I could continue introducing some of the water from the established tank into his tank to introduce the bacteria into the new water. The established tank was the tank he was originally in and he didn't get sick in it and none of my other fish are sick. Please correct me if that is a bad idea.
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xrayjeeper83
Mbu Puffer
Posts: 4167
Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 9:31 pm
Gender: Male
My Puffers: Fahaka named Bloat
Abei named Huey
GSP named Bacon
Location (country): USA
Location: Orange Park, FL

Re: New puffer owner

Post by xrayjeeper83 »

welcome, you seem to have a clue as to what is going on and now how to search. I think your puffer will be ok, well other then having to stay in a 10g
RTR wrote:Fahakas do not have tank mates, they may have swimming food reserves.
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trekenk
Fahaka Puffer
Posts: 674
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2005 2:53 am
Location: Ontario Canada

Re: New puffer owner

Post by trekenk »

energizerfish wrote: I thought that until I started acclimating him to brackish water I could continue introducing some of the water from the established tank into his tank to introduce the bacteria into the new water. The established tank was the tank he was originally in and he didn't get sick in it and none of my other fish are sick. Please correct me if that is a bad idea.
Water does not contain bacteria to cycle a tank. It is found in the gravel, filter and on the decor and plants.
PP has provide alot of useful links.
.
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