Gsp Certain behaviors

[joeposch]

I have a few questions...well, my 2 gsp's aren't stupid enough to eat the shells on either the oysters or snails. How can i "force" them to eat crunchy stuff? And, one of them, while he eats, turns his belly black and his entire body darkens. After he's full, he turns bright and white and happy. Is this normal?

Also, the bigger fish ( 3.5" ) looks at the other fish and shows his teeth, like opens his mouth and gives him an evil smile. Is that a "get the heck away" display?

[Tim]

As long as they scrape their teeth on the oyster shells and crack open the snailshells with their teeth I don't think you need to worry there.

My GSP goes dark when he is hunting for more challenging prey like live shrimps and crabs. Mine does not get a black belly but his tail fin becomes dark, his yellow spot goes away partly, his green goes flat and dark and his black spots become a slightly darker flat green than the body.

I only have the one GSP in my aquarium but when mine is excited he swims a lot faster, usually when there is food in the tank and he will occasionally open wide to "catch his breath" as it were.

[Nuclear_Glitter]

Darker colors when eating are often hunting colors. Tell us more about your setup! =]

[joeposch]

well, 45 gallon tank (for now)
2 gsp fish 3" & 2"
250 gph biowheel hob filter
60 gallon heater
1 170gph power head
maybe 35 lbs of live rock, (from a torn down tank, was upo for 8 yrs b4 i got it.) has some, as it turns out for my puffers, icky tasting mushrooms. ha have had for almost a week, no water change since. levels are perfect-ish. but, mushroom EXPLOSIVE growth in this last week.
lighting is just a 24" flourecant plant light, with a 900 lumen led which is under my live rock for a cool effect.
+/- 20 ghost shrimp
1.018 sg
20lbs. crushed argonite coral. half tank is still gravel...
skimmer soon.
oh, and a 3"x6" patch of christmas moss, which is green as ever in the salinity...? ha. weird. it's petco's "aqua turf"

[By_a_coo]

Did they grow together from the very beginning? Do they get along when they aren't eating?

[joeposch]

No...i had the one for 4 months now. He was alone in a 10 gallon brackish tank for 3 months untill i got the bigger tank. The littler fish has lots of light bite marks on him, but he purposly eggs it on. I had another fish, but i didn't get around to treating him for parasites soon enough. :.( RIP.... The big guy and him had gotten along great. They would pace the tank side by side. when the lights are off they don't pace. I broke a mystery snail open and dropped it in and they ate the soft stuff and then obernight, the shell was getting munched on.

[joeposch]

Anybody have a pair of puffers that sleep next to each other??? They sleep like inches apart!! Is that common? They never fight. Even at feeding time, they share nicely. And, i read about what "bad" poop looks like, but what about the good kind. One of mine pooped out a green one. :0

[By_a_coo]

My pair of F8s are always together: they sleep together, eat together, share the same cave... No signs of aggressions. Some times I notice my SAP and my GSP beaking some algae spots, maybe yours did the same... its poop colour vary what he/she eats.

[bertie 83]

My fahaka likes a snuggle with his good friend the cae

[sevenyearnight]

They are not supposed to eat the oyster shell, only scrape their teeth on them to remove the meat. The shells are very hard and it would not be likely that even a larger puffer could "eat" the shells.

[Pufferpunk]

I saw a giant hystrix decimate a 6" snail.