The Puffer Forum

pH 7.8
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - <10
SG - 1.004

29G Tank / 1 GSP - Sand Substrate / Dead Coral / Shells (Boiled Coral and Shells for 1 hr before adding to tank)

Feed Shrimp from Grocers Once a day - leave in tank 5-10 min depending on how fast he eats then remove. Change water once a week now that water has evened out. Treat water with Prime before adding to tank.

Took out dying LR - and changed the Bio Filter (was using LR in Bio Filter compartment) added Bio-Spira to help out since fish was in tank - 2 50% water changes last week had Nitrites in water <.25 now water has evened out. Added Coral and Shells last week

Set up aquarium 2 weeks ago - used Bio Spira to cycle tank.

So here is the issue - fed GSP this morning he looked good as always - came and saw me "begged" for his food. Went to feed cats - came back and he was bent in half - his tail wrapped around him like a sleeping cat, and he had his serious stress marks running down his body - he was trying to swim with his fins - but couldn't very well. I swear he looked like he was in pain. Then - all of a sudden he straightened out and started swimming around - as if nothing happened no stress marks etc.

What happened - he shook me up pretty badly.

Maybe he choked? *Shrug*

Maybe puffers get cramps sometimes? If he's fine now, I wouldn't worry.

My guess is he/she may have over ate??? Twice I have seen my bigger GSP once my smaller GSP fall after eating and lay there for minutes (seemed like hours!) before he/she would swim around again. I thought both times since it was at feeding time he/she had over ate. I feed my almost 2 inch GSP much less then you. They are hand fed a few bites at feeding time and around 10-20 small snails weekly with one day off a week. I would be afraid to let them loose on a whole shrimp for 10 minutes. My GSP's do not quit eating so far even when their bellies look too rounded.

My mistake - I don't feed the entire shrimp - I cut it into 3rds. He gets fed 1/3 a day with one day off. Once he is round - I remove the shrimp.

He could have just had a tummy ache.