The Puffer Forum

Hi I am a proud new owner of a GSP. We brought him home Sat Sept 24. Matched the SG to my LFS, decorated his 30 gal. aquarium as advised by my research. I am worried because he spends most of his time hanging out at the bottom of the tank. He is eating well but his belly keeps going between solid black and pure white and as I said he just kind of hovers at the bottom of the tank. Is this normal when first bringing him home? I am new to the world of puffers as well as brackish tanks any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

Hey there, congratulations on your new puffer, sorry to hear he isn't feeling very awesome at the moment. Normally I'd think that it's just moving stress, but because you mentioned a pure black belly, makes me wonder if it's not possibly more serious.
Just to be sure, and to help narrow things down, could you answer all the questions above the post in red? It very well may be just moving stress, but it's good to know for sure so if it's something else it can be dealt with promptly. They are very sensitive fish.

Again, welcome! Let's get this little puffer back on his jazz fins

How did you cycle his tank? Yes, please answer ALL the Qs above.

Sorry, should have done a little more reading before posting I cycled the tank using an established brackish filter from my LFS.
here are my parameters..
pH-8.2
Amm-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-0
GH-30+
KH-9
salinity-1.010(matched to my LFS where I purchased my puffer)
Tank size is 30 gallons, he is alone and will remain that way. Large piece of driftwood, 8 fake plants of varying heights, argonite sand bottom, several pieces of slate and rocks. I soaked everything in hot water before putting them in the tank. I tested a little high for ammonia yesterday(0.5) I did a 50% water change and added AMBlock. Ammonia tested at 0 15 minutes later.

He seems to be doing much better this afternoon, color on belly is mostly white and his green is getting brighter, he is starting to swim around the tank almost like he is exploring everything bit by bit. I am hoping that I can attribute his behavior to stress from the move, I will be keeping a close eye on him and the water parameters for the next week or so. I have been feeding him black worms and small snails as directed by my LFS.

the tank has been up 4 weeks and I use Instant Ocean reef salt. Can anyone tell me if it is ok to premix water and keep it stored in a covered bucket for easier water changes.

evilangel12 wrote:Can anyone tell me if it is ok to premix water and keep it stored in a covered bucket for easier water changes.

Yes, that's more than OK. Pre-mixing water with marine salt is recomended.

If you are showing ammo your tank may not be fully cycled.

evilangel12 wrote:the tank has been up 4 weeks and I use Instant Ocean reef salt. Can anyone tell me if it is ok to premix water and keep it stored in a covered bucket for easier water changes.

Yes, keep the water moving with a powerhead, add a heater to match tank temperature.

Sounds like perhaps the travel time from the store home may have caused some die off, so the high ammonia was probably making him turn dark and lethargic. Keep a close eye on your parameters, and I'm not familiar with that product you used, but I can suggest Prime, and water changes. Prime will neutralize the ammonia and nitrite and will protect your puffer, but they will still be available as a food source to your bacteria.

Thank you! AmBlock is made by the same company as Prime my LFS told me it was a little stronger and was best to use in an emergency situation like mine. I use prime in my other tanks Also any suggestions as a healthy treat to give to him every so often?

There are some feeding articles in the library, but here are a few more tips for feeding:
You can get some non-seasoned, uncooked seafood from a grocery store, like mussels, shrimp, squid etc. I also like to include tilapia and red wriggler worms, (available in bait shops or the bait section at Wal-mart) to offer some thiaminase (An enzyme that inhibits the body's ability to uptake b1) free/low food sources. If the seafood is fresh, freeze it first, and thaw/ soak the food in a bit of tank water (Don't use straight tap) with the addition of vitamins, such as vitachem and Selcon to make sure they are getting balanced nutrition, as freezing does break some of the nutritional value, but it is important to freeze to kill bacteria and or parasites.

+1 to seven for variety of foods. Also, have you considered taking your GSP to full marine conditions with a possibly bigger tank??