The Puffer Forum

I have posted quite a bit on this site basically because i dont konw what i need to about this fish yet. this site has been extremely helpful and im learning a lot so thx. anyway to the real issue. i have one gsp, ive only had him for about two weeks. when i first had him he was def a hunter, he ate anything i put in the tank...it was cool. now however his disposition has rapidly changed. Before if i put in any ghost shrimp or guppies he would hunt them down, now he passes them by without even nipping at them. He is picking up snails off the ground though which is good. ive also added a fiddler crab, which he hasnt taken a swipe at either. recently though ive added a lot more stuff to break line of site, so maybe thats it. i was wondering if this is an odd occurance, if i should be worried. how do i get him to hunt again? etc? thx for all your help thus far.

What size tank? Water change schedule? Parameters? Feeding schedule?

i do water changes almost everyday, as i did not cycle the tank(didnt know you had to) i use this chemical thats supposed to contain all the good bacteria and stuff. ten gallon tank. i havnt established a feeding schedule. most often i just put live food in there either early in the morning or late around 8 or 9. and normaly the second he seen that there was a ghost shrimp or guppy he would eat it. now he bumps into them(i keep two ghost shrimp and a guppy in the tank just in case he decides to hunt) and doesnt even nip at them.

You're not really offering the best foods for him.
library/category/feeding/

I wouldn't want to eat if I was in an uncycled tank being poisoned by my own waste, either.
Please read: library/water-filtration/emergencycycle/
You need to get yourself test kits for: ammonia/nitrite/nitrate.

Unless you are using one of the suggested products, all you are adding is dead bacteria (more waste) to your tank.

Just a couple of thoughts Batronie...if the tank isn't cycled then this will affect his behavior..does it appear that he has any IPs? (belly isn't round) You should expand his diet a bit more (bloodworms, krill, ect) take the guppies out of his diet..they aren't good for GSPs (can cause fatty liver dis) and they can carry parisites.

Fiddler crabs aren't ment to be in an aquarium without a place to get out of the water easily. If you are keeping the fiddler as a pet you should really make a diff set up for him..with half land half water (brackish water 1.005-1.010) if not his life will more than likley be short lived...

well i have previously read both of these articles. i am feeding him snails. and a minute ago i thawed some brine shrimp. he ate a couple of those. so what foods do you personaly suggest?

Have you checked out PufferPunks article on GSPs?




An Introduction to Green Spotted Puffers
Author: Jeni Tyrell, AKA Pufferpunk

"Feeding
One of the most difficult aspects of keeping these special fish is their diet. All puffers are predatory fish and need hard-shelled, meaty foods to keep their teeth trimmed. Like rabbits, their teeth grow constantly and can overgrow enough to cause starvation in the fish. Puffers eat crustaceans in the wild. Foods for smaller puffers are frozen/freeze-dried krill/plankton, gut-loaded ghost shrimp, glass worms, crickets, worms and small snails (the size of their eye). Snails are an essential food to a puffer’s diet, especially when small. Many serious puffer keepers breed their own snails. As your puffer gets larger, there are many more crunchy foods for them to eat. Larger GSPs will eat cut-up pieces of scallops, shrimp, crab legs, whole mussels, clams, oysters, squid, lobster and crayfish. Mine love to chase live crayfish, fiddler crabs and gut-loaded ghost shrimp. I gut-load (pre-feed) my live food with algae wafers, so my puffers get their veggies. I buy most of these foods at the fish department of my grocery store, freeze and later thaw in warm vitamin water as needed. Smaller puffers (under 2″) need to eat every day, skipping one feeding/week. Feed them until their bellies are slightly rounded. Medium sized puffers (2-4″) should be fed every other day. Larger puffers (4-6″) should be fed every 3-4 days. You may find this schedule difficult, as puffers are very adept at begging for food! Feeding puffers every time they beg will cause fat, lazy fish and eventually you will be killing them with kindness."

Go here (library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/) for the full article! Very helpful!

he doesnt have any physical oddities. i was hoping the crab could crawl out through the two giant plants that i have, i have a very tight lid on. the only other tank i have is the five gallon where i keep my snails.

I think there's the issue of the tank not being cycled, plus the tank isn't the right size for a GSP either (much too small) ... and as previously mentioned, you should not be feeding him guppies, your GSP is not a fish-eating (piscivore) puffer.
If you are feeding him every day, you might want to consider giving a rest day, so that your GSP gets good and hungry. Not all puffers eat crustaceans ... and maybe your puffer just isn't interested in eating the fiddler. But I agree with Busybones, if you are going to keep the fiddler's as pets, they need to be able to leave the water in order to get air.


Good luck with your puffer!

I think he was trying feeding the puffer the crab. (thats like the 3rd time I accidentally switched the B with P lol)
I don't see the benefit of feeding live food. Its expensive and not that healthy. Ghost Shrimp unless gut loaded, it water wrapped in a little protein, hardly worth the 33c. I feed mine frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms and clams on occasion. There are a lot of other stuff you can feed them also

thanks guys for all your help. hes looking pretty healthy right now. i think he was just sluggish from overeating or something. hes swimming around now and i feed him snails and brine shrimp, and am picking up some blood worms today probably. also soon ill likely be getting him a bigger tank.

Glad he's eating better! You might as well get the largest tank they're going to need--30g+ (mine would have been thrilled to have a 55g all to himself! & then you could have a couple tank mates for him), unless you want to pay for all those upgrades along the way. Always used tanks on Craigslist.

At the risk of sounding stupid; is the GSP in brackish water?
Ive seen GSP's in fresh water exhibit this behaviour as well, they will not last long
in fresh water as they need high end brackish water (sg 1.010) which amounts
to about 8-9 tablespoons of salt per 10 litres (2.6 gal).

<edit>
That is with my current type of salt and ofcourse you have to measure
the salinity values before adding it to the tank. I find when u use the same bucket
of salt for raising salinity if u need an X amount of salt the first time to get to
the desired salinity it will be pretty much the same amount of salt the next time,
but you still have to measure the values as a bucket of salt can get more or less
'salty' when it comes into contact with air.
Ps. sorry for giving the impression salt is measurable by volume which it is not
</edit>

Can't measure salt that way. Must use a hydrometer or refractometer to be sure.

Blubber is lookin healthy and happy atm. the only odd thing he is doing is that he keeps floating up to things pressing them to the right side of his face, then jetting off really fast. He keeps like rubbing the one side of his face on things. Is he just being goofy or...idk, whats up?