The Puffer Forum

I just have a quick question about my new Baileyi puffer.
As you know, He/She has been in his/her new home since yesterday.

He/she is just lying on the bottom of the tank (normal i know) but seems to be breathing really heavily with a dark belly. Yesterday he/she was semi active swimming round the tank and then resting on the bottom with a light belly.

Ive tested the water:
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate - not tested

he/she is in a 25 gallon tank.

The tank should be a fully cyled tank as i got it from my bro who has jsut moved the fish out, altho i did add bactinettes just in case (uk version of bio spira)

Is this normal? should i be worrying? is it just settling in to a new tank? He/she hasnt eaten anything yet.

Some puffers tend to change colors depends on mood and substrates. My arrowhead changes color all the time. SOme of my puffers breath heavily right after they eat. They would just lay down for awhile but next day back in action again. Did you just feed him/her? And please check nitrates

Mine has a light belly, but does breathe heavily when out swimming. When he goes back and lies down his breathing slows again. I haven't ever seen mine with a dark belly though :S

Mine has make be believe for several times he's dead. Sometimes by hanging in a plant breathing heavily, sometimes for lying on his side with no move at all not even his gills.

It happened to me that I panicked and started with a water change right away, as soon as I put the hose in his tank you became active again, splashing around.

I did think he was dead this morning.. he was face down in a plant and not moving! Then he suddenly got up and started swimming like nothing was wrong! I think im learning pretty quickly with him not to worry about lack of movement!
He hasn eaten yet, but we'll see!

Is he dead or isn't he?

hi pp. that post was the day before. The next day he really was dead