The Puffer Forum

Hi,

So I ditched the Abei puffer idea and went and bought a DP today.. its in my fully cycled 5 gallon tank with 2 otos. I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrIte, and very little nitrate because i did a water change today before i went out to buy him.. Now my problem is that ever since i acclimated him to the tank all hes been doing is laying down in the back of the tank near the air stone strip. He only stays at the back and near the filter for abit but then went to the back corner and layed ther for a few hours and once in awhile swim up and down the back corner of the tank and lays down again.. I didnt use the drop acclimation, i floated the bag, dumped out some water then added tank water.. did this for awhile before i added him in.. I hope nothing is wrong with him but im kinda nervous.. Anyone might know whats happening? oh yeah my Ph is around 7.0.. thanks

Hey Mate

It's totally normal for a puffer to do this when they're first introduced to a new tank, they can take upto a week to settle in before they start feeding properly and exploring their tank

So don't sorry, just keep an eye on him he'll come round

Really? I also tried to feed him frozen bloodworms and there is a bunch of snails inside the tank but he ignores everything.. I hope that hes just getting used to the tank.. i heard many horror stories where they starve to death.. i hope that doesn't happen. thanks for the reassurance

khoa.tran wrote:Really? I also tried to feed him frozen bloodworms and there is a bunch of snails inside the tank but he ignores everything.. I hope that hes just getting used to the tank.. i heard many horror stories where they starve to death.. i hope that doesn't happen. thanks for the reassurance

My Mbu Naboo did the same, I'd read so much on how friendly and entertaining Mbu's were and thought my guy had something wrong with him but after about a week he was cruising round the tank and stuffing his face. Since then he's got more and more interactive by the week

So yes in short it's normal and you don't need to worry

Make sure you are removing the food he didn't eat, so it doesn't pollute the tank and make him sick.

Yes, it may take a little while for the puffer to get used to your home (activity levels, lighting, etc) but it shouldn't take too long.

In the mean time, keep checking your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrates especially) and make sure your temp is in the right range. It can be tricky on those small tanks, just turning on a light can heat them up too high, that sort of thing.

Just wanted to say hi! I also have a 5-gallon with a dwarf puffer and two ottos. (And a few snails and a few ghost shrimp. They'll clean up nicely- until Squirt decides they look yummy.) Its been set up for a month, approx. I am brand new to puffers- and fish in general, really. I've gotten used to water changes, water testing, adding chemicals, etc. My puffer is a healthy, striped/spotted, fat little guy as a result of the help from this board.