The Puffer Forum

Hi, here is my little story of my puffer(s). Like a lot of inexperienced people looking to buy fish i bought the one my girlfriend thought was "cute" for her birthday. I bought 2 spotted puffers from wal-mart and put them in a ONE gallon tank. Immediately i did my research and soon realized time was against these little fellows with the environment and supplies I had available at the time. Usually I would have bought a 50 gallon tank but i was in the middle of moving and couldn't do anything but wait till i get into my new place (which was in a week). I did everything i could, without a filter and heater to keep these guys going and occasionally i saw full white bellies but it wasn't for long. The bigger puffer kept picking on the other one and eventually got him killed....

So I am now in my new place with one puffer named Loco in a fully decorated 10 gal tank, with a 30 gal literally on the way. I am currently breeding snails (i can already spot out the eggs) and feed him freeze dried shrimp, frozen blood worms and brine shrimp, dried seaweed, and live ghost shrimp when ever I have time to go to the fish store.

I am running a bubbler (which he loves playing in) and a filter and keep the temp at exactly 80 degrees. I am also slowing introducing marine salt into the tank, maybe about 3 tablespoons a week.

I did NOT cycle the 10 gal but i think it was better to put him in there than an uncycled one gal. I did however add rocks/gravel and decorations from a cycled tank. Again, its the best I can do with what I have.



There is his background of his life with me now I just have a few questions/concerns.

1. The ammonia levels are not 0 but not HIGH. Ive tried to research how to bring them down without the use of chemicals but some say waters changes will do the trick but others say it will just put back ammonia from the tap water. How can I decrease the ammonia level?

2. After he eats his belly bulges and gets dark where his white skin meets the green skin. I know the bulging is normal but does the darkened area mean I am feeding him too much or is it normal after feeding?

3. Sorry for non-technical terms but half way up from this pooper hole to his green half (or slightly behind his belly), he has a black spot on both sides of him. Could it be a parasite? I dont think it is stress because he is currently as bright as a neon sign but just has those 2 dark spots on both sides.


Sorry for the long post but i just want to do the right things for him, Thanks

1. The ammonia levels are not 0 but not HIGH. Ive tried to research how to bring them down without the use of chemicals but some say waters changes will do the trick but others say it will just put back ammonia from the tap water. How can I decrease the ammonia level?

You can test your tapwater to see if there is amm. in your tapwater. Also if you can find a product called tetra safestart or dr. tims this will almost instatly cycle your tank. Don't let the local fish store sell you anything else it won't work. My tapwater has a high level of amm. so I use prime to neutralize it. Although my tank is cycled and it can handle the amm. from the tap water. As long as you do daily water changes and use a declorinator it should be ok even if your tap water has amm.

2

. After he eats his belly bulges and gets dark where his white skin meets the green skin. I know the bulging is normal but does the darkened area mean I am feeding him too much or is it normal after feeding?

It can be a normal thing with the color change. Each puffer has a different personality. You will learn your puffer's personality as time goes on.

3. Sorry for non-technical terms but half way up from this pooper hole to his green half (or slightly behind his belly), he has a black spot on both sides of him. Could it be a parasite? I dont think it is stress because he is currently as bright as a neon sign but just has those 2 dark spots on both sides.

Not sure about this but it may be nothing but a spot in an odd place. Can you post a picture so that we can see it and give you better advise?



Btw: Welcome to the forum and congrats on doing your homework.

1. Ok, so i just tested my tap water and it has (according to the comparative chart) 0ppm Ammonia. So I guess a water change would be beneficial then. As far as the Tetra safestart goes, it is safe to use it in the water while the fish is in there? and do i use it just once to "insta-cycle" the tank?

3. I will try to get my hands on a digital camera to get a pic of the dark spots. I kinda thought they may be his natural spots in an odd place but they look more like concentrated stress spots or kinda of like a bruising.


Thanks

Congrats on the new puffer! Welcome!

Yes if you can find tetra safestart you add it with the fish in the tank. That's excatly what it's for. It won't harm the fish in anyway. And yes if your tapwater test 0 amm. then you have excellent tapwater. Keep up those water changes until your tank is cycled or you get safestart.
The dark spots could be bruising or bite marks. When you purchased the puffer was it in a tank with other puffers? If it was then it could possibly be bite marks or bruising and that will go away with time.

I just tested the new tank waters and it is close to 0ppm Ammonia. I am going look for the safestart when I am in town tomorrow. Tanks for all the help.

Check tap water for nitrites and nitrates as well.

Don't let the lfs talk you into anything else. Only tetra "safestart" or Dr. Tim's.
They like to sell cycle, it's just junk in a bottle don't fall for it!

Thanks for the replies. Will definitely get safestart after school tomorrow as well as a nitrate/nitrite test kit.

If the Nit levels are off, are there kits like the ph kits to adjust them or will the safestart help with those?

Have you read the emergency cycling article in the Library? That should explain what's going on, and it will answer your question about whether the SafeStart will help. After you read that, look at this: Prime and similar products will immediately neutralize ammonia and nitrites. Nitrates can only be removed by water changes.

Be sure to add the bacteria product directly into your filter. That's the best place to start colonizing it.

Forgot to mention if you find the safestart and add it to your tank "don't do a water change" (I forget for how long, I'll have to check again) or you will take out all the bacteria.
I used it once and I think it took about 10 days. The amm went to 0 within a day or two then the nitrites went to 0 after about 7-10 days. That's when I did my water change.

Agreed, read the articles in the library, they'll help you a ton, both with cycling but also with feeding, etc.

For now, water changes will keep the toxic levels down, but you've got a good start by adding the seeded gravel/decor. Are you using any dechlorinator, if you are on city (treated) water? If not, I'd suggest getting some Prime or Amquel, both are good dechlor's plus they have the added bonus of detoxifying some ammonia.

Please don't every use products to adjust your pH, if you were considering those, its much easier for the fish to just adjust to your tap water than to have it bouncing up and down and having chemicals added to the tank. The marine salt will help buffer it anyways

As for the body color/dark spots, each puffer is different.. sometimes they are a sign of stress, sometimes its just that particular puffer's mood. A fully black belly can be a bad thing, but again, there are cases of puffers that just always have a dark belly, they must be grumpy

And an FYI, you'll eventually want to remove the bubble wand, with saltwater, it kicks up salt spray that creeps all over everything and can damage finishes, paint, etc.. so you don't want it to get on any of your furniture or walls or anything like that.

Myaj wrote:Agreed, read the articles in the library, they'll help you a ton, both with cycling but also with feeding, etc.

For now, water changes will keep the toxic levels down, but you've got a good start by adding the seeded gravel/decor. Are you using any dechlorinator, if you are on city (treated) water? If not, I'd suggest getting some Prime or Amquel, both are good dechlor's plus they have the added bonus of detoxifying some ammonia.

And an FYI, you'll eventually want to remove the bubble wand, with saltwater, it kicks up salt spray that creeps all over everything and can damage finishes, paint, etc.. so you don't want it to get on any of your furniture or walls or anything like that.

Will probably be reading the library when I am in class today lol.

As far as the the dechlorinator goes, i use Tetra Aquasafe. Will that suffice or would it be recommended for me to get Prime or Amquel?

Will the bubbler be fine if i have a lid on the tank?

Oh an no more ph adjusters for me

Thanks

It will depend with the bubbles.. you'll have to watch it and see how it goes, but that salt can really spread. They call it "salt creep" because it just spreads and spreads well away from the place it originated at.

I'm not familiar with Aquasafe really, I think its okay though... it is a dechlor right?