I went to Petco today to look for a glass lid for my bfs 55, and I decided to check out the fish while I was there. I looked at the place where they had "Leopard Puffers" (gsps), and I saw one that didn't look too good. I looked closer and there were two Figure 8s in the tank with them! They are about 1.5-2" and the people at Petco didn't even realize that they weren't gsps. Since I've been looking for them and can't seem to find them anywhere, I decided to buy them.
They actually look really healthy, though they may have IPs. The tank was cycled with Bio-spira, and its a 40 gallon. I'm going to take the carbon out and treat them with Prazi-pro just to make sure that they are healthy. I'll post pictures soon .
On a bad note-my parents said they won't buy any salt for me, so they said no GSP. I'm taking him to a locally owned store that actually knows how to take care of him.
OH- when I bought the F8s, ApocalypticToast and I were talking to the employee about GSPs actually being marine (they keep them in freshwater) and the employee said he was going to change them over to their saltwater section. We're going to go by and see if he actually did it tomorrow. Hope so!
Congrats on the F8's, you'll love them! They are one of my favorites (although I'm sorry to say, my GSP's have a soft spot, lol).
Prazi-pro is added to the water, and FW fish don't drink the water like SW fish do, so it will do little for your new guys. I recently purchased some to use on one of my GSP's, but decided to stick with lemamisole instead.
If your parents won't buy any salt for you, are you able to afford the salt for your F8's yourself? They need a much lower SG, so it will be cheaper.
I hope your lfs switches the GSP's over. I was at one yesterday, and again they had a FW (with aq. salt..grr) tank with 1.5" GSP's, that were healthy, swimming, but brown due to no salt. I was talking to my fish dude who I always harass with puffer-related things, and before I opened my mouth he said that he was trying to convince the manager to let him move them over to salt, but that he was resisting.
Actually thats similar to what the guy at our LFS where we found the figure eights said. He said he knew the gsps needed marine and he was trying to convince his manager to let him switch them.
If you can't afford salt, use aragonite as a substrate - RTR has theorized it may be the higher KH that helps them as much as the marine salt (please note, I use aragonite and marine salt mix with mine).
As for Prazi Pro, it most definitely works when added to the water column, and so does levamisole (I sat down with my vet as he read a text explaining absorbtion of levamisole in the water column a few years back - it takes a larger dose but loach keepers treat this way and don't treat the food...with puffers, if they're eating, it is easiest to treat the food and you're dealing with a much lower dose of the drug which is always best).
Yeah, I have some salt at the moment and will be able to afford enough to keep it at low brackish. I just couldn't afford full marine because I don't get that much money and I have other expenses. It was hard to get rid of my GSP but I plan on getting another when I can afford it in a year or so. And I guess I'll look around for Levamisole then. Hope I can find some.
So I have my two F8s in a 40 gallon. I did water tests and they were fine. I have one large silk plant and two small, along with a pretty big root for them to swim through. But earlier today I found the smaller of the two swimming with only one of his side fins, trying to make up for not using it by using his tail. I scooped him out in a bucket and he seemed to remember he had another fin and started using it again. Anyone know why he did this?
The larger likes to stay in the corner of the tank, and swim up and down the glass. I thought they only did this if they were in a tank that was too small for them? Even after I put the new decorations in he didn't really investigate..just swam around a little and went back to 'his' end of the tank. Any suggestions of the reason of this behavior?
Boredom for the most part, probably. Keep in mind these fish are all caught from the wild, so they are used to having entire rivers or marshes to explore. The one that was swimming with only one fin might have been taking a nap, sometimes puffers will sort of curl up and sleep, when they wake up it might take them a bit to get things organized and start swimming correctly again.
As far as the parasites and Levimasole, levimasole is easily found at any livestock supplier, at least here in the US. I buy mine packaged as a pig wormer. It works best if you can soak the food in it, but if the fish isn't eating adding it to the water can work too.
Okay so you said that the F8s wont take the water in like marine fish do, so Prazi-pro won't do anything for them? But can I soak their food in it? On that link it said something about oral treatment, so would it be okay? I don't know of any livestock suppliers near me- I live in suburbia in Houston. I'm sure I can find one somewhere if the Prazi-pro doesn't work at all though.
Ok so the larger of the two has decided to swim around more now, and the smaller likes my new root . And I took some pics! For now I have decided to call them Gordo and Flaco-because one is bigger than the other. When they're both full grown I'll name them according to their personalities.
Flaco searching for bloodworms.
Gordo playing in the bubbles.
Flaco is in the front, Gordo was further away.
This is my tank at the moment. I plan on eventually getting some bumblebee gobies and definitely more plants/decor.
PraziPro and Levamisole are both dosed by soaking food if they're still eating, but if they're not eating you can treat the water column. Levamisole is the better wormer of the two if you can find it, the other has worked for me, too, though, so use it if you've got it.
Are they eating OK now? Mine was that thin between meals for quite some time...now he's heftier even on the day I don't feed him (likely those flakes for the molly and knight goby he's decided he likes).
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but I plan on getting another when I can afford it in a year or so. And I guess I'll look around for Levamisole then. Hope I can find some.
