The Puffer Forum

You were looking at my pics of my new 50 brackish and GSP and were commenting on the GSP's black tummy. Most of the time it's white. Is it normal for it to change? The tank is new but I seeded it with media from another tank. Here are the specifics, in case its relavent.

Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:20
SG:1.004
ph:8.0

All tests were down today,approximately 4 hours before I took the pics that you saw. Is the coloration something to beworried about?

A black tummy can indicate stress & poor health or even near death. It can also turn dark when eating, sleeping or in a generally bad mood. Just keep an eye on the other aspects of it's behaviour--eating, swimming, alertness, etc.

This morning it is back to white. I know I took tons of pics yesterday and the first few I had the flash on. Most pics were taken at close range and maybe the flash scared him. Other then that he swims nomally, is active and even loves to play in the current produced by the pump outlet.

I had a small GSP that was black all the time. He finally turned white when I go him to full marine. It was very wierd.

he might have just been fed up of the conditions before he was in the marine tank.

Mags (F8), always gets a black belly at feeding time....there's no competition with Robert for food, as they take turns at the cockle or clam, or just go for individual shrimp etc, so why she turns dark I don't know...maybe it's her way of expressing arousal. As soon as they've frd, she's back to being white again....you get to know their idiosyncrasies, and as long as the black belly is fleeting, or under specific and predictable circumstances, I wou;dn't fret too much. It could've been the flash on your camera, as that would annoy me if I didn't understand it.
Pami.

Your puffs belly prob turned black to show that when she/he is eating you dont want to mess with me. lol!

Pamela wrote:Mags (F8), always ...

LOL - looks like a little glitch with the smileys there.