The Puffer Forum

Please excuse me, for this is my first post.
Today my significant other purchased some fresh water avacado and figure 8 puffers.
The one avacado is really bloated [looks almost pregnant] but I don't think that's abnormal.
However, the Figure 8 is swimming at the top of the tank with its nose pointed to the surface and it's body is slanted diagonally.
We put some ghost shrimp and baby snails in right after putting them in the tank because they were attacking one another in the bag.

Please let me know if you can help. =\

Here's something on the F8.
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Biocellatus/

I thought I had seen one on the avocados but I can't seem to find it.

You'll need to separate them ASAP. Most puffers need to be kept alone.

Can you tell us more about your tanks and experience?

Welcome to the world of puffers

He seems to be freaking out because he thinks they're breathing too fast. Any ideas? =\
He's had a tank for several years but he decided he wanted some puffers for his 30 so he donated his passive fish and got those three puffers and I have a 5 gal with three pygmy's.
He's much more experienced with fish so I learn a lot from him but I've kind of learned about puffers from my lil' dudes so we help each other.
I've been reading up for several weeks now and this site has been so helpful!
Don't hesitate to let me know if I'm doing anything wrong.. I'm trying to be the best mommy I can be. C:
Thank you!

**EDIT
He did NOT pick up any aquarium salt at the fish store. Perhaps that's why they're breathing funny. Anything we can do to get them through the night? D=

Please answer all the Qs above, in red. A better name for the "avacado" would help. Look in our Pufferpedia for that.

I seem to recall that sometimes an "avacado" puffer is a cutcutia, and if that's the case, there's your answer. They will not get on with any other puffers and need to be in a tank on their own. And a cutcutia is a freshwater puffer, whilst the Figure-8 is brackish, so again, they need to be in different tanks. And, If that is a cutcutia, and you can't get another tank, you may have to return one of those puffers back to the LFS, or rehome with a friend.

If he's surface breathing, your tank could be uncycled. Have you cycled it and how? Do you have liquid test kits and can you test the tank asap for Ammonia Nitrite and Nitrate? Get an air stone going short term too.

hi, this is the significant other posting. the other two are not avocado, the shop had them mislabeled. they are both GSP's, all three are about 1.5 to two inches long. since last night they had all been swimming at the surface while the other fish (don't worry, they're well under the inch per gallon rule and interacted well with the puffers) swam in their normal areas, just seemed to be moving their gills a little bit faster.
this morning the figure 8 died, when I came upon him he was bloated, upside down, and his patterning had disappeared (just dark green/black solid back). When I pulled him out, it looked as if his gills might still have been moving so I moved him to a small hospital tank on his own so if he wasn't dead, he would at least die in water rather than choking on air.
as far as the cycling goes, there shouldn't be an issue. This tank has been set up for almost 4 years with no change aside from population (donated my old community fish to a local shop to get the puffers). I know I need to get the chem levels posted, I just need to pick up a new kit today. I'll post those as soon as I can get to the shop and back. I can post inhabitants though.
I have one chinese algae eater (4 in), one pleco (9 in), one rafael cat (7 in) and two striped orange and black semi-aggressive with names that I can't pronounce or remember (2.5 in).
Feeding/water change schedule and treatment: fed twice daily, brine shrimp/ghost shrimp/algae pellets/occasional tropical flakes. 40% water change once weekly, all water treated in seperate container before introducing to tank by AquaSafe water conditioner.
Changes in the last week: donated community fish (3 giant danios, 2 glass cats, 2 corey cats, 1 hatchetfish) to local tank, got 2 GSP's and a figure 8 yesterday
And as I said, the aquarium has been set up for about 4 years, so I don't even remember how I cycled it.

That sounds like horrible water parameters to me, still. Please test your tank! Hard numbers. Swimming at the surface means there isn't enough oxygen in the water and a big culprit for that is nitrite. Once you added those puffs, your bioload shot up. Inch per gallin doesn't work with puffers.

I'm learning that now, they told me otherwise at the shop that I bought them from.
I just replaced half of the water and they seem to be improving already, I'm going to take the other fish in the tank and donate them to a local shop. I had no idea that puffers put such an extra strain on the bioload of the tank.

Yay! Get some API test kits and watch your parameters like a hawk. Water changes too until the numbers are normal.

Actually, the inch/gallon rule only applies to 1-2" slim-bodied fish, otherwise you could keep a 10" Oscar in a 10g tank. Read my sig & do it.

Sorry I haven't updated yet, I've been extremely busy. All of my time spent off of guard duty (national guard) has been spent working on the tank recently. After several tank changes, several fish finding new homes, and another GSP dying, I've finally got my water to okay conditions. Now the last GSP (named Biggie) is all that remains, and he is back being healthy and adorable/vicious again after almost dying (woke up one morning to him floating upside down with his patterning on his back completely gone not moving until I put him in the net as to say "not the toilet, I'm still alright").
Thank you so much to everybody who helped out, wouldn't have been able to keep this little guy alive if it weren't for you guys!

Glad I sent you here - /an can't agree on things most of the time even if it's not getting trolled. When I try to help puffer people on there it's like shouting against the wind trying to get people to believe I'd know better the other people posting.

One puffer and 30 gallons works out just right though, best luck with him.

Nick, I always appreciate your advice here, or I wouldn't have made you a Mod!

Thanks, I know you do, I'm really glad I have had the time to be active again lately, I missed the place. It's a civilized place to help people.

/an on 4chan is like asking a cafeteria full of high school seniors advice. Even if there's good ideas, they're a whisper among the screams.