The Puffer Forum

Hey everyone

I have a 10g tank with a divider to separate 1/3 of the tank (I keep a crawfish in there). For a long while I had a Green Spotted Puffer living quite happily with an algae eater and live plants to keep him entertained. I also had/have a large infestation of snails that came with the plants, but those were a tasty treat. But due to old age (I can only assume - he was there for many years), he died.

None of the LFS carry puffers anymore until recently when I found dwarf puffers. Now my girlfriend has never had any luck with dwarf puffers (but she now keeps F8's) - but I'm told they are a hardy species. So I bought a dwarf puffer and introduced him to my tank yesterday. I allowed the water temp to stabilize (I brought it up to what the LFS was set at), put him into a temporary container and allowed my tank water to drip into the container for about an hour at 1 drip per second (to let him get used to the chemistry - there is a small amount of salt added).

While he was in the bag and soon as he was introduced (placed the container in the tank and let him swim out), he has not used his tail fin and it is bent to the side. Should I be concerned about this just yet?


Thanks

Welcome to TPF! First, I doubt your GSP died of old age. An adult GSP needs at least 30 gallons, and full SW conditions as an adult. Your puffer was stunted and died prematurely. I would be concerned about your DP. They are pure FW fish. What are the ammonia nitrite and nitrate reading in this tank?

Just took the measurements
PH: 7.5 (LFS was at 8.1)
Temp: 76 degrees
ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: .02 ppm (it tends to fluctuate a little but has never gone above 1ppm since I first cycled the tank)

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I did not know that they were 100% salt when adults (I knew they needed more though). When are they considered 'adults'? I had my GSP for just shy of 7 years I was told their lifespan was 5-10 years (did the LFS guy tell me wrong on this too?)

I also dropped the salt level after my GSP passed. I was not able to measure the exact SG just now (I need to borrow the meter), but I have not added salt with my water changes for awhile (4 partial water changes/top offs).

GSP's can live well into their late teens. I'm actually quite surprised that yours lived 7 years in such a small volume. A drop in pH from 8.1 to 7.5 is quite dramatic, and may be adding to the stress of your DP. Your nitrIte should always read 0. Are you sure you didn't confuse nitItes and nitrAtes?

oh sorry about that...

I did type the wrong thing I must have made a typo on the first one and then did not look at what I wrote down when I did the second

Yes,

NitrIte: 0 (this is the one that cycles)
NitrAte: .02

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I gave an hour to adapt to the pH (alowly adding water) - in the past I've never had any fatalities doing this. I couldn't just raise the pH because of the other fish/crawfish in there (well, I guess I could have found a middle ground). But do you have any recommendations to help out his situation for now - or should I let it be and see what happens?

I'd perform several water changes to ensure salt removal. I'd also bump the temp up slowly a few degrees. Good Luck!

Thanks

I'll change some of the water now. Just wondering, any reason to bump up the temp? Its still within normal for all of the species in there...

No prob. Your temp isn't bad, I just personally like to keep it a bit higher in the range.

Sounds like your DP should be ok.
They tend not to use their tails too much. They keep them folded up when they're just hovering, or hiding (which I suspect yours is since he's in a new environment.) But if it stays that way for days, it might be a sign of stress.
They do prefer their temp around 80, though. He'd be ok at 76, but happier a bit warmer.
The are completely freshwater, though. So, don't use any salt.
I think a DP in a 10g tank is a much better match than a GSP. 2/3 of a 10g tank should be plenty of space for him. They do like lots of plants and decor to hide in if you can manage it.
Good luck with your little friend. Keep us updated on his progress.