Fahaka Puffer Inactive, Not Eating

[lifemisled]

Good Afternoon All,

Let me begin by saying Happy Easter. I'm a new member to this board and new to the world of Puffer Fish. I was captivated by their mannerisms and many of the online videos and had to purchase myself a Fahaka. I went with the Fahaka because it was not a brackish water fish. That being said, let me break down to where we are today.

About a week ago I purchased a 1 1/2" Fahaka. I had him in a communal cichlid aquarium at a size of 55 gallons. Having done a significant more amount of research, I figured I would rather upgrade his enclosure sooner than later and I noticed he was a bit nippy at the fins (as described online). Three days after purchase I bought a 135 gallon aquarium. I'm using a sand substrate that was thoroughly cleaned. I have rock caves in opposing corners to allow a place to hide with the vast majority being clear swim space. My filtration is certainly over kill. I have a Marineland 350 canister and four HOB 350's. That's 1750 gallons per hour, certainly above most advised cycles. I also have four 18" air stone bars connected to two high powered air pumps, so the oxygen exchange should be great for its size. I originally kept the temperature around 78 degrees. Noting inactivity, I turned it up to 80, where it currently is now. Ammonia/Nitrates tested zero. My PH is just over 6.

I've tried feeding him frozen blood worms, frozen krill, ghost shrimp, and feeder fish. Additionally, I tried crab meat, scallions, and lobster leg meat from the market. No go. In the cichlid tank he was eating bloodworms. Since the change, he will not eat. He either spends his time hiding in the corner rock caves or buries himself in the sand. He will occasionally swim from end-to-end but appears quite lethargic.

I would truly appreciate any feedback. Maybe I'm rushing to judgement here and not allowing enough time for him to adjust? He's been in the new tank alone since Friday. I am purchasing live snails and a crab this afternoon to test but I'm running out of ideas and becoming quite concerned.

Thank you all for listening and I look forward to hearing some seasoned feedback from more experienced owners.

[Pufferpunk]

I wouldn't worry. You'd think they'd be happier in such a big tank but when I moved mine from a 55g to his 125g, he sulked & wouldn't eat for 2 weeks. Keep offering him live worms. Put them in a feeder cone, so they aren't all over the place. Try earthworms too.

[bertie 83]

Yea he's probably just a bit upset with you for moving him, he will soon settle in

[Pufferpunk]

Is there plenty of decor to retreat to? It'll make him feel safe out in the open.

[lifemisled]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate them. I don't know if external links are allowed (?) but here's a quick video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs7mvg5ggXY] that shows my Puffer buried in the sand. It also gives a real brief glimpse at the overall set-up including the glued rock caves in each corner. Should I include more hiding places? I thought about including an empty flower pot, I like the looks of those. Currently, he spends most of his time in the caves "laying" on the sand bed. He will nip at a passing crab or shrimp or just relocate away from them but still refuses to eat. For now, I've pulled everything but a couple of snails.

It would seem the general consensus here is that I haven't given the Puffer enough time to adjust. How long before I hit the panic button here? Pufferpunk, two weeks?? Wow. That would really worry me but I'm the worry type. I'm used to my cichlids who all seem to eat right within minutes of acclimating!

Thanks, again guys.

[Pufferpunk]

I only had to look at that vid for a second, to see the big problem there.
Here's my fahaka's tank:

[sgtmyers88]

Here is a couple of my aquariums:

If you can collect some flat slate or sandstone rocks from a local lake or river and boil them or even buy some dead rock and a few plastic plants from a LFS your puffer will be much happier.

[suvattii2012]

You can insert the videos with the [ youtube ][ /youtube ] tag and the code in the middle Cs7mvg5ggXY
You could do with aload of plants would look nice.

[sgtmyers88]

@lifemisled

BTW I give you an A+++ on the filtration. I used to brag about being the "over-filtration king" but you have me beat.

[lifemisled]

Thanks for the input, guys. So you recommend a "busy" tank. Something more like my Cichlid tank?



Honestly, I went more minimal with the Puffer Fish set-up thinking he was only going to get bigger and big decor would be an obstruction. Is this stuff you phase out as they grow toward adulthood? I added a rather large pot and I will be adding more things tomorrow when I have time to thoroughly clean them. The member aquariums are great references, so thanks for chipping them in.

Thanks, sgtmyers88. Figure if I have the equipment, I should put it to use! I have a feeling with some of the messy foods he will hopefully eat, it's all for the best!

If anyone else has any additional suggestions, please do let me know. And, if there's any progress, I will let you know.

PS- I have noticed that my Puffer sees it reflection and gets very fired up about it. He will swim along the front and side glasses "mouthing" the side of the tank and often bursts of erratic speed. Is this normal for you guys? I know other fish see themselves but I worry with the extent of their territorial nature that he'll tire himself to death sooner or later or that his doppelganger is causing him to be so withdrawn. Unrelated?

[Pufferpunk]

RTR, a beloved Mentor here & resident scientist, says fish cannot see their reflection from the inside of their tank.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=30199

[lifemisled]

@Pufferpunk thanks for the included link about reflections within the tank. I never would've guessed this. One less thing to worry about then!

[bertie 83]

Much more decor is required

[RTR]

Puffers do seem to adjust better in what most folks would call "busy" tanks, with plenty of decor to swim around and explore for food items. My Fahakas did have less busy tanks when they matured, but one of the three was always fairly bashful.

The only thing you have to worry about long-term is the low pH which indicates low KH. Do you have a KH test (liquid based)? And is your pH test liquid based also? Low buffering can be risky with high bioload fish. As the fish grows and the bioload builds up, you may very like need to switch at least one of the filters over to a coarse aragonite medium to boost the buffering capacity of your water. I am not comfortable operating high bioload tanks without a safe pH & KH.

HTH

[lifemisled]

@RTR- I had relatively simple liquid based test kits but also limited ones (tested PH and Ammonia Levels). I went out yesterday to a couple local fish stores and unfortunately they didn't have extensive liquid based test kits so I bought a couple packages of Tetra EasyStrips and a Mardel In-Tank LiveMeter that claims to live-test for ph, ammonia, and temperature (figured it might be a decent double check at least). Your concern was proven valid about the low pH and the corresponding low KH. Here are all the values I've tested for:

Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
GH (Hardness): 75 (which is considered "soft" but according to test on the high end for soft)
Chlorine: 0
KH (Alkalinity): 0
pH: 6

Please let me know what you think of these values. From reading other posts, many of you recommend consistency more than screwing with the values using chemicals. However, I do have the chemicals necessary to raise the pH if needed. I know nothing about the ideal KH or GH for a Fahaka. I'd appreciate feedback. He's still completely inactive despite an array of food attempts both live and frozen.

I have also added a considerable amount more of decor.

Thank you all!