The Puffer Forum

I've had my tank established for six months, and added a GSP three months ago. The tank mates were 2 red parrot cichlids and a plecotomus. Three weeks ago I added two blue acaras, and the puffer promptly stopped eating.
Water parameters as of two days ago were:
Nitrate: ~10ppm
Nitrite:0-0.5 ppm
pH: 8-8.2
KH: 240+ ppm
GH: 180+ ppm
Ammonia: .25-.5 PPM
Salinity: 18ppm
Sand substrate, broken pot for hides, a porous rock, and one artificial plant.
I added some nertile snails to help control algae the same day I took readings. I tend to feed once a day about six days a week, and only feed what they will clean up in an hour. I use frozen bloodworms and shrimp and shrimp pellets for the puffer, cichlid flakes for the cichlids, and a couple algae wafers for the plecotomus. I realize I will eventually need a bigger tank as mine will become over crowded, but for now I have it grossly over filtered, aquaclear 70 on 40 gallon tank and undergravel filter. I think the parrot cichlids have been bullying food since he stopped eating, and the blue acaras are the first fish in the tank that leave the bottom. Before he stopped eating, he would eat till he could barely swim and was as tall as he was long, now I think I've seen him with a tummy full once in the last three weeks and I hadn't even fed him for a couple hours. He seems otherwise healthy bright green coloring and bright white belly most of the day, he occasionally has gray stress marks between his back and belly but not as frequently as before he stopped eating. Am I being too panicky, or could there be an unseen problem that is keeping him from eating?

Your tank is grossly overstocked. That tank is large enough for a single puffer. I have a parrot cichlid who is outgrowing a 90g tank, larger than my fist.

library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/

GSP's are best housed alone or with other GSP's or possibly Ceylon Puffers as they have similar size and temperament but they will need a large aquarium if you keep multiple specimens (60 gallons or more). The puffer is likely freaked out from being bullied by the other fish in closed quarters. Plus you need to convert the tank to high brackish or full marine which will include removing the other fish anyways.

I guess he was just being a picky eater, he is back to eating normally on bloodworms the last two days. we had tried a different frozen food that apparently he didn't like. The bigger tank is in the works, but not completed yet. I wanna get it 90% established before moving everybody over.