The Puffer Forum

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?

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!

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.

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.

erm... constipation makes people cramp... maybe the same with puffers?

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.

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?

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.