The Puffer Forum

I have had TJ (my GSP name) for 8 months and at first when I got him, he was a very bright colored fish with only green and white. I have seen him about a week now having black lines near his mouth stretching across to his first spot, another thing is, his skin color is kind of murky near his tail. any advice. All the water parameters I checked today and they are all adequate.

What do you mean by adequate? What are the numbers?

Th PH is 8.2, the ammonia is 0, the nitrates are 0, and the salinity is 1.010

And water changes routine?
Its awesome how puffers get happy after a WC.

How big is he? What are the nitrites No2? Are you sure your nitrates No3 is 0? Usually nitrates will register at least at 5 ppm for normal conditions if a cycled tank. He may need an increase in salinity. There is an article on the sure that explains when / what size puffer to change salinity and how.

He he gets 50% of his water changed weekly. The No2 is 0 correct

2 inches

mine often get the black marks from their eyes downward. i used to freak out and do immediate water changes and vacuum. i have noticed now that those markings come and go here and there. sometimes my puffers will have those for a few days, than they go away and are bright as usual. but it usually is only while they are sleeping, or tired. i hope you get to the bottom of it. i've wondered if that is an unhealthy attribute.

It just depends on the individual puffer, you have to get to know them to know what makes them show darker colors, it's not always bad. Balki will get darker colors when he hunts.

I was shocked at how fast Bacon went from a white belly to a grayish belly back to a white belly this am when i was feeding her.

Ive watched Huey change to almost all black in a blink of an eye but it takes him a few mins to go back to normal but Bacon did it all in less then 5secs. It was like a oh crap turn dark something is coming at me, oh wait its food nvm back to normal LOL

An established, cycled tank should be showing nitrate.

+1 to PP's comment. I do not trust negative NO3 tests on puffer tanks.

I think he meant No2, I don't think they have a No3 test.

"N" compound tests are: No2(Nitrite), No3(Nitrate) and NH3(Amonia).
i should do WC twice a week 30% on each, i think thats better than one single 50% change per week.

Puffers go gray-black belly for anything, its their own personality, for example, no matter what happens puffergie never goes to gray-black belly... and Puffernand goes to grey-black for anything, when feeds, when rest, when somebody else look at him... i think he is very grumpy.. thats all ñ_ñ