Figure 8 behavior
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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qtrhorse89
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:15 pm
- My Puffers: Ratchet- Tetraodon Lineatus
Hikaru- Figure Eight Puffer - Location: North Carolina
Figure 8 behavior
I recently set up a tank for a figure 8 puffer at my office per my boss' request. It's 14 gallons, brackish salinity around 1.005, cycled with a filter from my established brackish tank from home. So it didn't really have a cycle, since the filter already had an established bacteria colony. And yes I used marine salt. Ph at 8, ammonia and nitrite at 0 with nitrate around 10-15. Puffer is the only thing in there. He gets fed mysis shrimp, blood worms, or tubifex worms once a day with a fast day once a week. The puffer is relatively new, only been in the tank for two weeks but he settled in fine, accepted food the first day. Alright so one afternoon when I was at the desk my boss yells at me to come over to the tank. Oliver (fig 8 puffer) was floating on his side with his tail curled around him and one pectoral fin clamped to his side. All other fins were fine. Breathing and color was normal. Put my hand in the tank to see if he would react. He looked a little puffed up and I was worried he had gotten air. He swam off when he saw my hand in the water. He did this twice and then he straightened up and was fine. A few minutes later he made a rather large errrrrm poop lol. I'm wondering if maybe he was cramping or had some digestion problems. Any ideas?
"Okay. You! Out of the Gene Pool!"- Don't know who said it but I enjoy using it
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
-
diverchic
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:50 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Parent to:
No puffers since moving to work on a boat but looking to get some again now I am back on land. - Location (country): London, UK
Re: Figure 8 behavior
I don't know about what's with Oliver but wish my boss would let me get a tank and a F8 or some dp's in the office let alone request I get one!
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Nick
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 3231
- Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:47 pm
- My Puffers: Mine:
GSPs - Shakespeare and Jillybean
F8 - Velvet
My fiance:
DP - Emma Goldman
Narrow Lined Puffer - Ulrike - Location (country): Northeastern USA
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Contact:
Re: Figure 8 behavior
He was probably resting, "eat, rest, big poop" is usually how my F8 spends his days. Puffers can choose to rest in some pretty odd ways.
No matter how magnificent your successes or devastating your failures, the worlds' approximately 5 billion impoverished people could not possibly care less.
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qtrhorse89
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:15 pm
- My Puffers: Ratchet- Tetraodon Lineatus
Hikaru- Figure Eight Puffer - Location: North Carolina
Re: Figure 8 behavior
hey guys thanks for responding. Yeah my boss is awesome! I'm really not so sure he was resting. My boss saw him do it again yesterday. He literally swims around like he's fine and then he clamps one fin to his side and rolls over on his side and just floats for a few moments then he straightens and he's fine. Like I said it's fully cycled tank with 0 ammon. 0 nitrite, and 5 nitrate, ph 8. So I know it's not the tank, but the little guy has me wondering what is going on with him. He literally acts like he's cramping.
"Okay. You! Out of the Gene Pool!"- Don't know who said it but I enjoy using it
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
-
diverchic
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:50 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Parent to:
No puffers since moving to work on a boat but looking to get some again now I am back on land. - Location (country): London, UK
Re: Figure 8 behavior
erm... constipation makes people cramp... maybe the same with puffers?
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qtrhorse89
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:15 pm
- My Puffers: Ratchet- Tetraodon Lineatus
Hikaru- Figure Eight Puffer - Location: North Carolina
Re: Figure 8 behavior
Yeah that's kind of what i'm thinking. *shrug* I'll just have to keep an eye on him and see how it goes.
"Okay. You! Out of the Gene Pool!"- Don't know who said it but I enjoy using it
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
-
Mrs.Puff
- Green Spotted Puffer
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:20 pm
- My Puffers: I have had my first puffer for about 2-3 weeks now and her name is Mrs. Puff, i just bought another puffer about 5 days ago and his name is Mr. Puff. They are awsome fish and they look great!! Mr. Puff is more curious and loves to see me. Mrs. Puff is very shy but im working with her so hopefully she will become more open.
- Location: ohio
Re: Figure 8 behavior
Well my puffers kinda do the same thing. They look a little puffed up, with their tails curled to the side and just kinda float there on the bottom for a little bit than return to normal, they also will turn a little darker but will return back to green when they straighten up. I got really scared thinking they were going to die or something but it turns out...they were just SLEEPING! Maybe thats what yours is doing. Does his color ever change when he does this?
Puffers are amazing!! 
WELCOME! - 2 angelfish, and 1 upside down catfish
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WELCOME! - 2 angelfish, and 1 upside down catfish
Piranha 29g
2 Oscars 75g
R.I.P: Mrs.Puff, Mr. Puff and, Jumbo
1 Betta 2g
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qtrhorse89
- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 183
- Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:15 pm
- My Puffers: Ratchet- Tetraodon Lineatus
Hikaru- Figure Eight Puffer - Location: North Carolina
Re: Figure 8 behavior
Nope no color changes at all. I wouldn't be so worried if he were doing it on the bottom of the tank because then I would think like you that he was sleeping. He does near the middle of the tank though. My figure 8 at home has never done this, although he's a weird fish lol.
"Okay. You! Out of the Gene Pool!"- Don't know who said it but I enjoy using it
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer
I'm learning that puffer fish are like pringles. There is no such thing as only wanting one.
Tanks:
38 gallon: 1 Figure 8 puffer, 1 Dragon Goby, 1 Knight Goby, 3 Black Mollies
30 gallon: 1 Blue Acara, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
120 gallon: Ratchet the Fahaka Puffer