The Puffer Forum

I have 2 GSP in a 90 gallon.
I bought both of the GSPs at the same store at the same time. they were brought to the store in the same shipment too. Is it possible for 1 to have ips and the other not? they have been together for a long time in a 10 gallon tank before i moved them to a 90 gallon. one seems to be smaller then the other and is less agressive at eating. he also does not eat snails ... but he will eat blood worms the other eats everything and gets real fat after eating. could it be that just 1 is a picky eater? he also gets asmall stomache after eating but not as big because he eats a lot.

Do you have a photograph you could post for us to take a look?

Usually the most obvious sign of IPs is a sunken belly. And it's usually quite obvious that it's sunken. It'd be like an indent, rather than a nice smooth belly! Puffers don't all have to be the same shape and size - I have one F8 who is smaller than my other (which is just a big fatty really). So, it may not necessarily be a case of IPs. A photo would really help us; otherwise we'll only be able to conjecture.

Good for you on moving them to the 90G from the 10G, by the way.

His belly is actually flat and comes out just tiny wee bit. i donot have a camera at the moment but i will try to borrow one from a friend.

ya i got a 90 gallon cuz the guy selling the 65 gallon decided to bail. i am glad too because i picked this 90 gal up with fluval and stand in great conditioon for 79 bucks

how do i ensure that both of the gsp get an equal amount of food. i noticed that the fatter oen will come flying across the tank in a bit after i start feeding the skinny one even if i just fed him and they are always together too

A 90 gal tank, stand and fluval, you got a really good deal. What i try to do is put food on one side of the tank for 1 puffer and food on the other side for the 2nd puffer.

I use a net to move my gsp's apart. Don't pick them up (puffers can inhale air netted, not good) in the net.

How long have you had them?

Nearly all fish will have some internal parasites, especially wild caught fish (which all GSP's are, since they are not bred in captivity). The overall health of the fish and their immune system determines if their body can fight back enough to keep the parasites in check. If they are stressed or have a weakened immune system, the parasites can start to multiply and take advantage of the weakened state.

IMO, it never hurts to deworm puffers at least once (and I deworm all my fish once a year). Other people don't like to do it unless their puffer is really looking ill.. but I prefer to do it when the puffer is in their best physical condition, considering the dieoff of parasites can be hard on their bodies.

So its up to you really.. you could deworm as a preventative measure, or you could work more at feeding them at opposite sides of the tank. Will the one continue to eat if you offer food, or does it stop after a few bites?

he keeps on eating but only a little at a time. I just cleared out the carbon took like 30 mins... cuz there was like 7 pieces and put in 9 of the jungle tank buddie tablets for internal and external parasites. i hope it works and he gets better soon.

Myaj wrote:How long have you had them?

Nearly all fish will have some internal parasites, especially wild caught fish (which all GSP's are, since they are not bred in captivity). The overall health of the fish and their immune system determines if their body can fight back enough to keep the parasites in check. If they are stressed or have a weakened immune system, the parasites can start to multiply and take advantage of the weakened state.

IMO, it never hurts to deworm puffers at least once (and I deworm all my fish once a year). Other people don't like to do it unless their puffer is really looking ill.. but I prefer to do it when the puffer is in their best physical condition, considering the dieoff of parasites can be hard on their bodies.

So its up to you really.. you could deworm as a preventative measure, or you could work more at feeding them at opposite sides of the tank. Will the one continue to eat if you offer food, or does it stop after a few bites?

also for some odd reaosn my 2 gsp haveblack eyes. it is only black around the eyes. is that normal or would we need a picture to determine that. also, bellies are completly white and they hve no black or grey spots besides in the eye area like ablack eye...

You may notice a little bit of color change in them, or parts of them, due to the meds. Dark "bags" in front of the eyes mean a little bit of stress, especially once they get actually almost black. But if their bellies and sides are still nice and white, you're probably fine.