The Puffer Forum

Hi, i did buy 2 puffers earlier but im sorry to say they died, i had big problem with my 250L aquarium... anyhow now my 250L is up and running normally again for some time so i bought a new puffer, but today when i came home he was all black almost like a stone(lying at the bottom of my tank), i thought he was dead and i became totally sad, so when i was on my way to get him out he returned to normal color and started swimming around, is this normal behavior? my guess is that he was sleeping and that the black color was just a camouflage..

Yesterday all water values where normal ill do a new test in a few minutes again.

Hes in freshwater, i have started adding a little marine salt to get him to more brackish conditions...

He has parasites that are making him weak. My GSP turned all black and layed at the bottom for almost 3 weeks, only turning green when I would do something to make him swim around. After 2 weeks of failed attempts to treat his IP's he died.

you can read through my hospital thread and see what I went through when my gsp exhibited the same behavior.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29438

LongGrain, parasites aren't the only cause of a black belly.

Black or gray bellies on GSPs are usually a sign of stress. It could mean internal parasites, another illness, fear, or general distress due to being in a new home or an annoying water change - just about anything. Some people also report black bellies during sleep, which is probably what happened to you.

i don't think he's talking about a black belly, i think he's talking about a black FISH. as in, not green and with no spots.

thats what my fish did, he turned all black and layed on the bottom. When I would do something to encourage him to swim, we would go back to green w/ black spots and a white belly, but before long his whole body would go black again and he would return to the bottom of the tank.

Water parameters:
NO3 0-10
No2 0
dGH 7
dKH 10-15
PH 7,6-8
CL2 0
25 Celsius
Tank size: 250 Liter
And yes the fish was totally black the spots where still there but where barely visible..

If it happens again, can you take a picture?

Fish can change color when they're sleeping or hunting, but you're right, this is fairly extreme. Are there any other symptoms? Do you have an ammonia test?

i don't think he's talking about a black belly, i think he's talking about a black FISH. as in, not green and with no spots.

thats what my fish did, he turned all black and layed on the bottom. When I would do something to encourage him to swim, we would go back to green w/ black spots and a white belly, but before long his whole body would go black again and he would return to the bottom of the tank.

Still doesn't mean it's necessarily IPs.

i know, i was just giving a suggestion, either way the fish sounds distressed in some way.

just realized i said "he has parasites making him weak", I meant to say it could be parasites making him weak. Thats what you get for changing your mind on what you want to write half way through a sentence haha.

My current test kit doesn't contain Ammonia ill get a new one tomorrow, and yes ill get a picture next time (this time i was to shocked to even think about it) but since he has woken up hes been swimming around with the occasional resting on the sand and a little bit of hiding, hes eating fine (the first day he totally decimated the other inhabitants (a few red cherry shrimp and a few snails)...

one more thing his poo is some times red but mostly back...

If you are feeding lots of blood worm red poo can be expected

ok well thats his main food my snails are still growing...

He shouldnt be black tho. Keep a very close eye on your water and keep us posted

LongGrain wrote:just realized i said "he has parasites making him weak", I meant to say it could be parasites making him weak. Thats what you get for changing your mind on what you want to write half way through a sentence haha.

Gotcha.

Is he eating?

yes he is eating fine.