green spotted puffer grey

[BETTYBOO]

i have a 2 inch green spotted puffer.he came from freshwater and has been like this since i got him a week ago and 2 days ago i converted him to brackish water.its at 1.003 atm.

hes in with 2 others which are 1.5inch.all get along great.no fighting etc
he eats well and swims fine and showing no other signs of illness at all.but is always grey.he has a green streak on his back.sometimes he will go very dark and other times very light grey.the other 2 puffers are fine.nice a green with a nice white belly.but sometimes his belly will go nice and white and other grey to darkish grey but only towards his back end tho.but its never gone black.hes just eaten a prawn and his colour looks better??? his colour always getting better after feeding time but his never been fully green on top??

waters fine and fully cycled ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10. temp 80f

im just not sure why hes like this.there in a 180 litre/ 40 gallon which is fine as there young but will upgrading next may.

[Tim]

Is his belly grey or the spots? I can't make it out of text . Perhaps a photo?

[BETTYBOO]

he goes grey around his spots,also on his side and a little under his belly towards the back of his fins.i would take a photo but he wont stay still for long enough.

[Tim]

Darker colouring on GSPs, including the belly, I've only observed to mean 2 things.

1. Hunting
2. Not happy (this can be anything from being molested by a cleaning shrimp to bad water quality or wrong salinity.)

Perhaps other members know of more reasons.

[BETTYBOO]

he hunts but nothing else is wrong that i can see

[bertie 83]

If he is the least dominant he could be getting bullied, this can happen at night so stay up past lights out one night, sit very still and watch their behaviour. If this is the case the aggressor will need to be removed

[BETTYBOO]

ive stayed up late many times and watched them and seen nothing.thats why im confused.theres no aggression going on that ive seen.ill watch him over the next few days.

[bertie 83]

Yes keep us posted, it seems rather strange. Try an extra waterchange a week even though the params are in check, you never know

[BETTYBOO]

hey

i tested the water last nite and all was 0 and nitrate was at 10.i done a 50% water change lastnight.watched them for a while too and theres no aggression at all.anyway this morning his colour looks much better.not perfect but better.hes no where near as dark.i did find tho last night when i was putting a pipette in the water to transfer it to the test tube.he would swim up to it and his colour got darker??? i have no idea whats wrong.the other 2 are fine and never go this colour.im trying to do my up most best to keep them happy so if 2 water changes a week are needed then ill do it.
tested the water this morning and alls still the same.waters fine temps fine he eats well swims well etc its just strange and his the only one whos like it.ill keep an eye on him.

[Tim]

Could it be that the puffer just wants a higher salinity? This however is for someone with more knowledge on these matters to either confirm or deny .

[BETTYBOO]

i did think that my self.its at 1.002 atm and im upping it by 2 per week.there only young so i was going to stop at 1.005/1.006 till they get to about 3inches then up it to 1.010 still rising it by 1.002 a week still tho.do you think this will be ok??

[RTR]

Insufficient info provided: Not all parameter can or should be zero. The pH cannot be zero, neither should the KH, and nitrate is only very rarely so. Please give more specific info on what was tested and what the number are/were.

All GSPs are wild-caught, but have an extremely wide geographic range. The new one may have come from quite differnt water conditions from the already tank-adapted fish. Also, if the new fish was added to an existing tank which had two other GSPs already living there, the fish is likely quitr insecure unless the tank was completely re-arranged when the newcomer was added it may just be insecure and inhibited even though it is slightly larger than the existing fish.

Is the tank set with plenty of decor and are there sheltered spots for resting/naps/sleeping for each of the 3 fish which are out of direct sight of the other fish?

How large is the tank?

[BETTYBOO]

the ph is 7.6.i dont know on kh.never tested it.no he was here first with another.then another was added.theres not a massive amount of decor but id say enough atm.yes theres caves etc but there always out and about swimming and only go in them at night.the tank is 40 gallons like i stated above.1 of the fish is 1inch,the other is 1.5inch and this one is 2inch.i have noticed his colour getting better now ive added salt.when i up it to 1.004 next week ill see how he does.as i stated hes not acting ill and eating fine.always greets me at the tank when i go over.right now id say his colours were the best ive seen him.

[PufferMe!]

I wouldn't worry much more at this point, since all his other behaviors are good. You should work to get your ph up, however to at least 8.0 Get some of that crushed "ocean sand" or crushed coral rocks to raise your ph.

Gwen

[bertie 83]

Keep raising the sg slowly, no need to stop too low. Go slowly straight to your desired sg. Marine conditions with live rock, a skimmer and refugium are recommended for lowest overall running costs long term. It could be the low sg stressing him.