The Puffer Forum

On the dutch puffer forum we have a member with two puffers. Because of the difference in growth, we started to doubt if both are GSP's.

One stays much smaller and has a brown belly now and then. We're thinking it might be a weird looking Fluviatilis. Other option is that the puffer is being bullied en doesn't grow as fast and has the brown belly because of stress.

Here are the pics in the topic: http://www.kogelforum.lode.biz/forum/vi ... a&start=20 (please just ignore the Dutch tekst, pics hopefully say enough ).

What do the experts here think?

They both look like GSP to me. Perhaps the smaller one has a low grade internal parasite infection stunting his growth.

Yes, I've got all my money on GSP to. But how do you explain the brown belly??

Normally the belly is black when the puffer has high stress?

That belly looks awfully weird. It's like distinctly brown.

Have you ever seen that before?

Nope, never.

Shakespeare does that now and again, but I couldn't say there is any trigger for it.

Does Shakespeare get brown or black?

I didn't know GSP's did this. Could GSP's be caught in different area's and thus have different variants?

I think it is just another micro-pigmentation issue. Some puffers turn black/gray...some turn brown. I think that the same factors cause this color change, like mood or stress.

So definately GSP and no reason to separate or treat the puffers?

I believe the owner said they are otherwise perfectly ok.

Shakespeare turns brown bellied for apparently no reason, but can also get a black belly when stressed.

wouldn't it be awesome if it had something to do with a mating season?

haha yes, but I gyess they are still to small.

I was thinking. There is still no explination for the slower growth of the "borown bellied" puffer compared to the other. What do experts think?

Without knowing the exact history/parameters, etc, it would be hard to tell. Could have been stunted from previous treatment--poor housing, feeding, etc.

So what do you think Pufferpunk, brown belly stress or pigment?

I'll ask for the history