The Puffer Forum

After months of searching I found a 1/2 GSP he was black all over as were all his fellow GSP, now two weeks later he is still mostly dark but sometimes when the lights are off I find him head down black and curled in a ball is he asleep? He darts off if disturbed. What worries me is he was against the filter this morning and took longer to take off.

He is feeding well x6 a week although he will only take live blood worms.

SG .005 up from .003 yesterday (he was in FW in LFS)
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate <20 but not much
PH 7.6
Temp 79-80
10-20% WC weekly
Tank was cycled for 3 months with Mollies (now removed)
Tank mates two BBG'S and two Tiny baby mollies.

I can see him from my computer and he is quite light but if i go near the tank he instantly darkens. Any advice would be appreciated thanks.

when he doesn't think your around does he have a white belly? ie can you peek round a door, or hide under the tank to observe hos natural behaviour.

Is it white bellied when the tank lights are off?

Sometimes they appear to be sesitive to light, and try and hide from it (going dark to hide away)

They also can go dark when they sleep... and when they are eating food....

Try and see what he's like when he doesn't think you are around, and when the tank lights are off...

If he remains dark, come back to the forum...

it maybe he doesn't ahve enough decoration to hide/play in...


Ps... If the nitrates are 20, they're too high... get them below 10, preferably around 5.

You'll need 50% weekly WC for him just so you know.
Chances are he's still just scared and thats why he's dark. Is he interactive? Try to lower the light a bit and get some more decorations.

Have been watching him through my binoculars! (daughter now thinks I am going senile) he dosn't stay the same colour for more than a few seconds. He has lots of caves and imitation mangrove roots, fake plants etc. The water is a real problem our tap water is terrible very smelly we don't drink it so I have been buying RO water are there enough minerals replaced if I use instant ocean to make it up to .005SG? Ro water costs a fortune with petrol to go to the LFS I couldnt afford to do 50% water changes Iam retired, are there any cheaper alternatives ie bottled spring water? or a filter additive that removes nitrate. Also do they sleep head down in the water or is this a problem?

One thing i can't see.. (Crazed puffer reference WC made me look)

what size is your tank?

Loving the idea of you with your binculars!!!! Hee hee hee.. things we do for our fish....


Have you tested your tap water? what are the nitrate readings... is it really too bad to use?

RO is expensive, you can buy an RO unit for your house, works out cheaper in the long run, but bit of a bank breaker to start with... does save your back though...

I'm not sure it that amount of salt would replace all the nutrients needed... PP might know...


You can always over filter, that will help control nitrates, bigger tank will take longer to build nitrates, washing your filter material more frequently (in a bucket of used tank water) will help keep yor nitrates down, hoovering the gravel, lowering feeding amount....

Thinking about it, nitrates of 20 in an RO water tank when you do a 10-20% WC a week sounds a bit odd..

Did you raise your SG by 0.003 in the first week or where your mollies in BW? I wonder if you've knocked your cycle somehow.. no ammonia suggests you haven't, but the nitrates don't make sense..


I'd definitely test your tap water, see what it reads, then do a large WC.. get those nitrates right down, then monitor...


and keep using the binoculars...

You need to reconstitute the water with Kent Osmoprep.

Knew you would know.

Thanks PP

Hi, I started the tank off with tap water and Sg of .002. The Mollies were constantly flicking on the gravel so I tested and the nitrate was 40! could only have been our water. I started to do my WC's with RO water to slowly replace it. The tank is 60ltr (bigger one in the wings) I am not as active as I was so I'm hoping to get a nice collection of Puffer fish together as a hobby, so my own RO unit would probably make sense. I have plans for a small fish room in the future, luckily I have quite a few tanks stashed away. The beauty of this hobby would be to not have to go out in the freezing cold in the winter to feed things - bliss! Well apart from 3 miles with my dogs everyday.

Thanks Pufferpunk will get some osmoprep this weekend. Still wondering is little Ozzy should be hanging head down in the water?

Does he get a sunken in belly?

the molly nitrate problem could have been the end of the cycle...

just try testing your water straight out the tap, as in drinking glass full, test...

can't do any harm, and you nevr know, might save you a load on the RO unit!



Could also be internal parasites.. if his belly deflates quickly after eating.


a fishroom would be amazing, we just have a fish flat.. my boyfriend keeps threatening to get flippers and snorkle!