The Puffer Forum

My gsp has white belly,but hasn't been moving very much or eating much....and it's belly seems a little swollen or bloated up.

OK, moved this to the Hospital forum so it gets the attention I think it deserves.

First off:

Can you tell us about his history and your tank by answering the questions that are listed in the red area above? They may not necessarily be the problem but it sure is nice to be able to eliminate any of those problems and it gives us a feel for him. It also can go a long way in diagnosing health issues.

My first question would be, have you seen his feces lately? That's usually a good sign of what's going on with him internally.

Yeah, could possibly be constipated? Knowing his diet & parameters, water change schedule, etc, would help a great deal.

1) I don't know exactly what the pH, ammonia, or nitrate and salinity is cause i don't have the water measuring kit with me [I recently move to dorm,but puffer is healthy, pearly white belly, and no black rims around the mouth/ or underneath the eyes]
2)Tank Size is 10 Gallon, (rather small, but its only 2inches long, i thought it's enough) There are no other inhabitants, except himself
3) It's primary diets are (Freeze dried red shrimp, and snails from petsmart, I vacuum the shells and the left over) no vegetation or any kind. It used to feast on two freeze dried red shrimp a day, and never had a problem for almost a year. Also feast on 2-5 snails on a monthly basis to trim it's teeth/beak
#1 the products that has been used in his tanks are AmQuel (suppose to remove/eliminate nitrates, nitrite, ammonia, chloramines, and chlorine) and some other purpose #2 Aquarium systems [Sea Salt, which was recommended by both the local pet shop that sold me the puffer, and i only used about 3 tea spoon]
4) He has only been in the new environment/tank for almost a week since I last move to my dorm, but the tank decoration and location has not change.
5) The aquarium has been set up for almost a week, but it is the same tank which he lived in for almost a year, I moved it back home during summer and decided to bring it back to dorm.[It is the same aquarium which I first bought him with]

The Belly of the Puffer is Pearl White, He doesn't have any bruise or cut or scratches. There are no dark rims or black spots around the mouths. I believe the puffer is in healthy conditions. My conclusion is...the puffer is probably "constipated" like some of the people said. I was wondering if there are any remedy that could treat that.

It is still swimming perfectly, no abnormal swimming behaviors. It's swimming underneath the decorated bridge a lot.
The thermometer is set @ 78~80 degree

Okay, first things first: your puffer is in an uncycled tank. Read this article:
library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/

The problem is, that tank is too small for him to stay in any longer. Soon, he'll outgrow it, and his ammonia output (explained in the above article) will be too much for that amount of water. Consequently, he will either die quickly from ammonia/nitrite poisoning, or be stunted, not grow any more, and live a considerably shorter life.

GSPs require very different housing and care from what he's in right now. Read these:
library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Nigroviridis/

You need to invest in a lot more marine salt, a hydrometer or refractometer, test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, and a bigger tank. If you can't do this, it is best that you return the fish to the store or find someone who can house it properly.

I understand being a college student and not being prepared for finding out what you really need for GSPs to be even minimally healthy. I went through this myself, except that it was even worse - I had three, and they all died before I could return them to the store. I now have much smaller puffers, dwarf puffers.

The filter which I am using right now to filter the 10 gallon do have an original sponge, and roughly 2 months old. My puffer had been staying in that same tank for 1 year, and never had a problem. When I moved the tank to my new dorm, I left about 10% of the original "aquarium water" from before, so as far as tank cycling goes, i think it's ok. It's easier to transport when it has less water. I will try to get the water tested both nitrate/ammonia as soon as possible. Thanks everyone. I'll update more information, but currently my puffer seems to be ok. It is swimming , quiet active.

Here is the link of "live feed camera" You can view my puffer through this link
It's being broadcast live

The thing is, the beneficial bacteria aren't in your water, it's in your filter, and if you've had the filter turned off and out of water for even a day, then the bacteria have died, and thus your tank will not be cycled. And like the others have said, that little guy needs a bigger tank than a 10-gallon, he may seem like he's small and that it's okay, but puffers are messy and that little bit of water can get nasty very quickly which will, in turn, poison your puffer.

Do you have a good test kit? That's the only real way to tell what your water is like. Water can be crystal clear and still be very harmful to puffers, so it's best to have a good water test kit (stay away from the ones with the little dip sticks, they are rubbish).

I wish your little puffer all the best, but I think you need to do some thinking about getting him a bigger tank.

Please do read the GSP article in our Library.

I don't think a pearly white belly is always a precise indication as to whether or not a GSP is healthy. When I first got my GSP, I had to treat her for internal parasites due to the stringy white fecal matter she had. She also threw up her food once--what came out was more stringy white stuff. Her belly never once turned any color other than white even though she was obviously not feeling well. I'd get on those tests ASAP. Petsmart and I think Petco will do free tests if you can get a water sample.

If he is constipated, try feeding him a skinned pea, that can help. Or you can add epsom salts, but you'd have to do a forum search on how to do that, I can never remember.

Moving a tank can do a lot of damage to your biofilter for sure, as can moving to a new water source. There may be additives in your college water, or its harder or softer than he's used to.

First thing to always do when your fish is "off" is water changes.. clean water is the #1 way to keep your fish healthy and happy. Dont' scrub stuff right now, in case you are cycling at all.. just take out dirty water and replace with clean, declorinated water (Amquel is great).

But yes, overall, you don't have a good setup to keep a GSP healthy unfortunately. They get quite large (if you don't kill them first), need marine water eventually (which needs marine salt, not "aquarium salt") and a pretty special diet.

So clean water for now, try to get him to eat a pea, and do a little reading on what this animal needs to stay healthy if you want to keep it healthy Welcome to the forum!

Or you can add epsom salts, but you'd have to do a forum search on how to do that, I can never remember.

1 tbsp/10g & then add the same amount again the 2nd day, which will total 1 tbsp/5g.

I tested the water ph today, and it's 7.6

m3m0ri35 wrote:I tested the water ph today, and it's 7.6

PH is probably the least of your concern. Most fish can't tolerate high or low PH as long as the fluctuation isn't significant per day to day. Check your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.