The Puffer Forum

I've had my puffer, Gill (named from the movie "What About Bob"), for a little over a week.... he likes snails.

My puffer, just started this morning, floating at the bottom of the rocks next to a big rock his eyes and gills will move, but he is just "laying" there. Is he sleeping ?
He has been acting just fine as of last night. This morning, it seems he is either sick or taking a siesta..

I feed him 1 snail every 2-3 days.
I have a 72-gallon tank setup that is a month old. The ammonia level is 0, Nitrates are low (not sure how to read this test other than low or 0),
pH is ~7.5 and I keep my house at 77F so the water should be similar. The tank has a wet/dry filtartion system (not sure the name) and was setup
by a professional aquariam company who also services it. It was an expensive tank and setup to say the least.

The other inhabitants include:
1. 1x Frontossa (the puffer's body guard as I like to call him) - His name is Bob
2. 1 x Parrot Fish
3. 2 x Pink Kissing Ladies
4. 1 x Blue Crayfish
5. 1 x Aquatic Frog
6. 2 x Bright silver scaled fish (don't know name but they are a semi-aggressive).

A 50% water change was done about a week ago by the service people and a heavy duty air pump was added because my fish weren't receiving
enough oxygen. They have been doing FANTASTIC since then. All other fish are swimming and happy, but my puffer is at the bottom. I hope he is chilling cause I love the little guy.

What kind of puffer? This makes a big difference. Most puffer fish can't be kept with other fish because they either A) will kill the other fish for food, territory, or through fin nipping, or B) They will be killed by the other fish. Sitting on the bottom can be a sign of stress and, you are correct, could just be sleeping. Puffers come from the full spectrum of waters: Fresh, Brackish, and Marine and are mis-labled and sold by fish stores all the time. The most common mix up is LFS selling brackish puffers as freshwater, so an ID would be real helpful in pinning down what is going on with him.

gi1911 wrote:I feed him 1 snail every 2-3 days.

This is too few. I'd feed more, that could be causing him stress.

gi1911 wrote:The other inhabitants include:
1. 1x Frontossa (the puffer's body guard as I like to call him) - His name is Bob
2. 1 x Parrot Fish
3. 2 x Pink Kissing Ladies
4. 1 x Blue Crayfish
5. 1 x Aquatic Frog
6. 2 x Bright silver scaled fish (don't know name but they are a semi-aggressive).

I hate to break this to you but your tank is way over stocked. The Frontossa alone requires about 50 gallons alone because of their size and the bioload they produce. The Parrot will also require about 40 gallons alone because of the same reasons. One other thing with the Parrot is they are relatively docile and the puffer will eventually bully him. If the bright silver fish are what I'm thinking (Bala Sharks) they too become very aggressive and big when mature. The frog and the crayfish will eventually become food for the puffer.

As far the puffer is concerned, they need a lot of space because of their biolad and temperament and are usually solitary fish. Some can mix in a community tank but you really take your chances.....

It is a Mbu puffer. I thought I mentioned it but I didn't. I just took my net and gave him the most gentle nudge and he "woke" up and starting
swimming all around. I am so relieved. The frontossa is extremely slow growing and is not that large... yet. All the fish are small even the puffer is only
about 3.5 inches long.

I guess he is alright. I didn't know fish slept. Who knew.

Wow, ummmm, I hate to be the one to break this to you but MBU's need at least 1000 gallons (not a typo) to survive. They get huge quickly (close to an inch a month)and produce a massive bioload.
Please read this article on MBU's and the following info.
library/puffers-in-focus/mbuforyou/
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=150
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Freshwater/T_Mbu/
And in case you think I'm being biased here's another reputable source:
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile68.html

Seriously, I'd get that beautiful fish in a huge tank now. Puffers stunt real easy and the sooner you get him in a big tank the better.

Also, one snail every 2 days isn't nearly enough to sustain him, they eat a tremendous amount as they grow. Start putting in chunks of raw large people shrimp daily for him.

Have a little read about Mbu's in the pufferpedia section. They grow so quickly, & the minimum tank size advised is 1000us gallons/4000 lits. You will need to upgrade your tank quite soon & most of the other inhabitants will be yummy yummy for him! There is lots of help & advice on this forum - please listen to what they say (& not your lfs!).

Oh, one more article.viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4030