The Puffer Forum

I just got 2 new gsp from my lfs and they appear to be discolored which to my understanding is a sign of illness im interested if anyone can suggest a reliable online source to buy either gsp or f8 in the event i lose my gsp i instantly fell in love with these fish but my lfs seems to have an issue with healthy puffers

Puffers change color if they are sick, stressed, hungry, too full...basically when ever they want to. Even while they sleep.

is there anything else going on? Are they eating? Skinny?

Well i have 2 of them the larger one is discolored bit seems to be doing alright but the little guy is clamping his tail shimmying at the bottom and my girlfiend said was not very active most of the day

They are eating very well been feeding them once a day and i try to feed at the same time every day and i vary between snails krill and uncooked shrimp also had a few ghost shrimp in the tank but I'm assuming they've been eaten

You have to understand that these fish are wild caught by locals who transport them to whoever/and/or a distributor. All along the way the SG and water chemistry is probably changed suddenly with each transaction. Then the puffs reach their country of origin and who knows how long they sit in customs. And then they hit that country's distributor and move on to the dist. center and shipped to the lfs...All along in the dark and probably gasping for oxygen.

The fish that make it to proper fish keepers are the ones who won the lotto. I always wondered what percentage of puffs (and other fish) that leave their natural habitat and are alive a year later. Anyone care to guess? IDK.


I saw a vid a few years ago of GSPs and F8s being wild caught upstream from estuaries but I've never been able to find it again.

This vid of otos being caught may serve as an example of what wild caught fish go through.

http://youtu.be/ilnitMs1LRk

Please post answers to ALL the Qs above, in red.