The Puffer Forum

Hello everyone,


I've had my 2 juvenile GSPs for almost two months now, and I've noticed that every time they wake from their nap/sleep they have thin pieces of white coating hanging from their bellies. The coating doesn't look 'stringy', but more like thin pieces of frosting, which fall off as they swim. Is the coating supposed to be normal?

Another thing is, I've recently started feeding them large crickets. The crickets are the same size (1.5-2 in.) as my GSPS, so each one lasts for 3 meals (I refrigerate the cricket between feedings). I've noticed that some of their dropping is the color of "opaque white", besides their regular orange/brown colored poo. The shape of their dropping is still normal (not stringy). Is it normal that their poo is white?


They are currently in a 57g tank, and the following is the water parameters:

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm
pH: 7.4
S.G. : 1.004-1.005
Temp: 78 degrees

Welcome to the forum. I'm afraid I cannot answer your questions but someone will be along shortly to help. Crickets are best kept as treats not for a staple diet.

Just their slime coat.

Thanks guys, I was a bit worried about them since it took quite a bit of work to get them settled in.

I had made the mistake of not researching about GSPs prior to getting them!

When I got them from Walmart (before knowing much at all about GSPs), the lady allowed me to purchase a 1 Gallon tank!
I then went online and found out all these unique requirements of GSPs...boy I did not know what I had gotten myself into. However, I am so glad to have gotten these adorable GSPs!
Anyway, I scrambled to find a 12 g tank from the garage and after 3 days, transferred my GSPs into that tank. It was difficult trying to cycle and acclimate my GSPs at the same time

The following weeks were sleepless nights and a ton of partial WC, and it took a whole month for this small tank to cycle completely. Meanwhile, I bought my current 57 g tank and started a fishless cycle (with pure Ammonia). It took 3 weeks for this tank to be fully cycled. Even then, I was anxious about moving my GSPs again, but I knew that they needed the space. Now it's been almost 3 weeks since they've moved into this new tank and they are doing pretty well!

So that was my GSP story. I know that I should have done my research prior to getting my GSPs, and I am extremely lucky to not pay the price for that as my babies are doing well.

I am currently feeding them snails, ghost shrimp, crickets, and gammarus. Their main staple of diet right now is sun-dried gammarus. I am looking to provide more varieties of diet for them. Is it better to feed them frozen or live bloodworms?

Good story! You're a caring pufferkeeper.