The Puffer Forum

Hi!

For the past 6 months I have had two GSP's that I 'rescued' from my local Walmart.
One is very healthy and happy, and he is about two inches long.
The other one though.. can't seem to figure him out.
He had fin rot when I first got him, but I cleared it up pretty quickly.
He has also gotten a good bit larger than the other... he might even be at three inches.
My main problem is his attitude though and I'm not sure what I can do to fix it.
Sometimes he is just like the other puffer, a nice light color and calm.
But most of the time he stays a dark color and goes nuts whenever anyone gets close to the tank
I'm talking about swimming up and down really fast, almost hitting the top of the tank
He also likes to chase the other puffer around every once in a while, and I'm afraid he is trying to bite him.
And honestly, he's not a very cute puffer lol, his eyes look like they're too far apart or something.

Has anyone ever heard of one acting like this?
He seems to keep his light color if I keep the light off, maybe the bulbs are really just bothering him?


Thanks for any help and insight!


- Kayla

Tank size?

Decor? (pictures?)

Water parameters?

Feeding?

Yea we really need more info. Sometimes puffers just want to be alone. Some are comparable others arent

answering the questions will help us decide if its just the behaviour of the fish or if its maybe the living conditions.

on a side note, i had two GSP at one point as well. honestly they sound exactly like these two. the one being mean was bigger for a bit, but then the other shot up in growth quickly outgrowing the meanie. even though it grew a decent bit bigger, the one kept chasing. i never saw any signs of biting, no marks on the fish itself or fins. also the one picking on the other was a bit different looking, eyes were spread apart a bit more and just didnt look the same even the body shape. we think there are different sub species of some puffers as they demonstrate size differences(overall size, growth rate etc), physical differences in appearance and even behaviour possibly. my meaner one didnt show the similar behaviour when people approached the tank though.

maybe hes just a bit more aggressive. your best bet may be to rehome one so they dont have the constant stress of being bullied. attitudes vary from one to the other puffer, and they also get more aggressive with sexual maturity. they are best kept alone, but there are instances where they will allow tankmates or another puffer to live peacefully with them

those puffers sound alot like a Tetraodon Sabahensis not a gsp

that has been discussed about the other different looking puffers. especially when i first got my second one that looked like that, i posted a topic and pictures about it. it was decided though that it was a GSP, but regional differences could be the reasons for different patterns or shapes/eyes. the sabas have a pretty distinct look. the only way to tell with the OP's puffer is by a picture, or over time once it hits maturity

Maybe he owes him some money or something....

i had the same thing happen to me. kinda, mine didn't freak out that much but he just stayed hiding and really didn't come out but they needed more space so i got a 38 gallon i put both in a bigger tank now both happy and bellies are bright white and they are both really happy