The Puffer Forum

First of all, it's best to let you guys know that of the 4 lil puffers which i kept for about a week, 3 have already died. I house them in a 20 gallon tank. I do not know if it is completely cycled as i do not have test kits. The tank has been used all along and it housed a freshwater fish. The fish has since been given away and i raised the salinity slowly(0.002/week) so as to not kill off the good bacteria. When the first one died, there was a large white spot at the side of its body. Was it a fungal infection or a bite mark? The other two died one day after the other died. Both had a clear distinct white spot at the tail part of its body. Could it also be ammonia or nitrites? I fed them snails which i got from a pond nearby and coincidentally the one that ate the least is the only one living. Could it also be the snails causing their deaths? They were fed live bloodworms before they died and seemed perfectly healthy. Bloated stomachs.... I really dont know why they died. I didn't expect the second one to die but the third one is pretty obvious. his body turned grey n u can see a white spot.

Oh wow! Sorry to hear this...I just posted in your other topic about the 2 scared puffs.

First off you need to really research these fish I'm sorry to say. Water parameters are detrimental to most fish. You need to have the tank water tested even if you have it done at the fish store. GSP's do require 30 g of tank water each. You can get by with less when they are babies but it could still put a strain on them. Another thing...fish are always put through a lot of stress when being sold and going from new home to new home. That is why your water parameters need to be correct. I would never feed snails from a pond, I hate to feed anything from my LFS as you are adding to your tank every possible thing that is in their tank or the pond.

The white spot could be a lot of things. A picture would help determine.

Look here: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/

Check the tabs at the top as well. You will learn a lot from reading. Keeping fish can be very complicated to say the least. I wish you well.

Sorry for you loss...
I agree with stormyskiez. If you had GSPs, 4 of them in a 20G was too much. Even if small, they produce a lot of waste. Having the tank cycled first is mandatory. If it's not cycled, the bacteria necessary to transform the amonia and nitrite into nitrates are not present and the amonia and nitrites will build up in the tank. Amonia and nitrite build up is also more likely to happen in an overcrowded tank. With amonia and ntirite in the water, your fish will poison themselves. It will also impair their immune system, making them more susceptible to catch diseases. So I'm sorry to say that most likely all of the above happened to your fish.

As I understand it, you still have 1 fis left. Get yourself a test kit ASAP so you can see what are your water parameters. Doing a daily 50% water change until you get the test kit will help your surviving fish. When you get the tests, if there are still amonia and nitrite in the water keep up with the daily WC until your biofilter is established. Lots of great articles in the library to read about it!

It sounds like an uncycled tank. Bring your water to a fish store and have them test it.
Also you cannot house 1 gsp in a 20 gallon let alone 4. What sg were they in at the pet store?