What is normal behavior for a GSP in full marine w/LR?

GSPdragon · Post by **GSPdragon** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 6:53 pm

This is a bit of a spin-off to my post yesterday in the marine puffer section.

Basically my puffer is acting very different since I transitioned him to full marine and added LR.

As per my other post my water parameters are where they should be (0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, nitrates under 5, salinity 1.022)

However Wasabi went from always being out and swimming around, playing in his bubbles from the airdisk.. to almost always hanging out in different spots in the LR, any little cave he can find etc. When he is hiding in the rocks he colors down like he used to do only at night (ie faded back and darker belly).

He does come out periodically to swim around the tank, pick at the LR, harass the hermit crabs (haven't seen him eat one yet) and regains his normal coloration but then its right back into a hiding spot with a darker rear belly.

I'm wondering if this is normal behavior? Maybe what I thought was normal before when he was always out swimming around was actually a sign that he was bored or didn't have any spots he felt secure enough to just rest in? His tank was heavily decorated with fake rock structures, one of the large fake roots, and tons of fake plants before.

I'm just so worried there is something wrong with him, we adore this fish and I would never forgive myself if something happened to him.

Candi

Boxermom · Post by **Boxermom** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:05 pm

Mine has been doing the same thing since we started raising the salinity. He has turned into more of a lurker and his body is much darker and blotchy looking. Dunno why.

GSPdragon · Post by **GSPdragon** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:11 pm

I'm praying its just something simple... sulking because I changed his whole tank around? Ate something "strange" like a bristle worm or hermit crab? Hiding in rock with darker coloration because he is actually hunting critters on the LR?

All I know is that I'm still freaking out no matter what it is... my husband wants me to pull out all of the LR and see if that makes a difference.... I just don't know what to do... I'm going to keep a very close eye on the water quality, do a water change tomorrow, add biospira if I think anything is off... if he doesn't start acting "normal" again I might pull the LR into a tub and put his old decorations back in to see what he thinks of that?

Never thought I'd get so attached to a fish... but we love him!

Candi

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:49 pm

Mine are in full marine now and they behave more or less the same, they do spend more time searching through the caulerpa for tidbits but if i havent fed them lately they they will get sulky.

speaking of which they are making i clear they want a shrimp.

Jason

I hope your little fellow come around

GSPdragon · Post by **GSPdragon** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 6:06 pm

This morning was the same, hiding in holes/caves with a dark belly.... not my normal happy fish.

I went out and bought a package of biospira marine as insurance in case my test wasn't registering a small ammonia spike from the LR addition. Did a 10g water change and added it in.

In less then 5mins he was out and swimming all over the place acting like his normal goofy self... playing in the bubbles, riding the current from the filter, stalking the ghost shrimp I put in.

Now there is no way a simple 10g water change and biospira worked that fast... so something else had to be it. Then it hit me... the temperature!!!!

When I added in all the new LR it displaced a bunch of water, I never adjusted the heater down since it was still reading 80 and that is what I thought it was always at... well when I just did the water change the 10g I added in was cooler... it dropped my tank temp down to about 77... he has been out swimming around nonstop.

I really think it might have been something as simple as a few degrees temp difference... maybe he was just hot and crabby LOL

I'll update again later if he continues to be his normal perky self.

GSPdragon · Post by **GSPdragon** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 2:35 pm

Back to not looking good...

He was his normal happy self all yesterday, was still fine this morning... but then he went up on a rock under the skimmer and there he has stayed for several hours. No change in test parameters, everything is perfect. Temp is right on. The few corals in there are open, hermits are creeping around... I just don't know what to make of it. I was so thrilled yesterday when he was back to himself, but now this again.

Maybe he keeps eating something that doesn't agree with him (bristle worm,marine snail, hermit crab etc?)

I want my happy healthy puffer back!

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:25 pm

He might still be getting used to his new surroundings.

GSPdragon · Post by **GSPdragon** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:49 pm

Hopefully that's all it is... he was hiding all dark all day... then about 6pm he came out and has been swimming around like normal. Chased down and ate a ghost shrimp left over from yesterday (side note those are hardl critters, tossed directly in from freshwater to saltwater and they are just fine). He's also biting at the LR... not sure what he's trying to eat in it, bristle worms maybe?

Hopefully he will stay perky.. we're leaving on Saturday through Tuesday and I hate leaving him if I'm not sure he's ok.

Post by **Myaj** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 9:05 pm

Is he nipping on any of the corals? I bet some coral types can make a fish a bit sick to discourage them from chewing on them. Just an idea. Or same concept with a bristleworm..

That he perked up after the water change though.. that's strange.

GSPdragon · Post by **GSPdragon** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:46 am

The puffer roller coaster continues LOL

He is out and about perky as ever this morning. Last night he spent almost 2 hours just hanging out in a top corner... but today normal behavior so far.

Since my water tests haven't changed at all I'm going to assume it's just a combination of things... pouting because I changed his whole tank around, ate something strange like a bristle worm, unhappy with temp change.

shaddy · Post by **shaddy** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:40 am

One of my gsp has been getting dark and then she will lighten up again after a while and then get dark all over again(color, lower belly and sides), This is what I have noticed with mine she does it when I feed them it's like she gets all excited and stressed about eating, then today she was looking just fine and one of the ghost shrimp that should have been eaten a long time ago was out and she was stocking him she got dark and followed him around the tank (she has never ate one yet) they came nose to nose then the shrimp will just kind of walk off. Anyway what I'm beginning to think is she is hunting and putting on her camouflage LOL
BTW she isn’t all that hungry I’ve been treating her for IP for the last 8 days until today, so she has been eating twice a day

GSPdragon · Post by **GSPdragon** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 9:46 pm

it's been awhile so I thought I would update.

Wasabi seems to be doing much better. We were really worried about him for awhile as he seemed very skittish, always dark and hiding... but he never stopped eating.

He now alternates between dark belly and stalking behavoir and his normal bright white belly and green colorating swimming around. We decided it was a combo of getting used to his new surroundings, likely eating strange stuff from the LR... and like Shaddy observed hunting coloration as he now has lots of fun critters to hunt down in the LR all day/night.

He also got a tank mate for the first time this past weekend, a gold banded maroon clownfish just about the same size he is. So far I couldn't be happier with how they are getting along. Her name is Ginger (since he is Wasabi ) The pretty much ignore eachother but can also swim right next to eachother with no problems.

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:33 pm

I'd keep an eye on that clown. Had to exchange my maroon for a tomato, because it ate both my GSPs (3x the clown's size) tails to a stub in 3 days.

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:45 am

and i always thought GSP's were a force to be reckoned with.

GSPdragon · Post by **GSPdragon** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 10:55 am

yikes! I will absoultely keep a close eye on her... so far they pretty much just ignore eachother even if swimming right next to eachother. If anything she seems scared of Wasabi but I will monitor constantly as they both mature, on the up side I'm a stay at home mom and the tank is in the living room

When we move in 2 weeks I'll also be sure to transport them seperately and that Wasabi goes back into the tank before she does.

Hopefully they will continue to get along, they are both such pretty fish... but any misbehaving and the clown is outta here

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What is normal behavior for a GSP in full marine w/LR?

What is normal behavior for a GSP in full marine w/LR?

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