The Puffer Forum

Hi everyone!

I recently purchased a Green Spotted Puffer, I've had him for about 3 days now and he looked great in the shop. However he didn't take the journey from my LFS to my flat very well and seems to have gotten a little poorly so I'm looking for some help as he's a great little guy and I don't want him to die.

Green Spotted Puffer Illness
When I got him home his dorsal fin had eroded in the middle but parts were still left, he had some grey colouration on his skin and sometimes curls his tail and his skin wrinkles a bit. The other day I also noticed that his caudal fin had some red lumps on it. He is still fairly active and eats bloodworm/daphnia gel that I give him. I've posted a video on Youtube to try and illustrate the issue better than my words can. I also did a water change and cleaned the tank, added the tonic salt and then put him in the tank after having him bobbing in his bag in the water for about 30mins.



Tank Size, Cycling & Inhabitants
180L, tank has been running for about 3 months. About 2 weeks of fishless cycling.
3 Platys, 3 Glass Shrimp, 2 Kribensis, 1 Golden Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Green Spotted Puffer (was told by my LFS that these inhabitants should be ok except the glass shrimp and platys when the puffer gets older)

Water Parameters
pH: 7.6 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrates: 10ppm Salinity: I don't have a specific test for this but I have put in approx. 10 tablespoons of tonic salt from my LFS

Feed & Water Changing
I feed the fish once a day, typically a mix of flakes, bloodworms / daphnia (in gel form) and pleco discs
Water change is about 20% once a week.

Thanks very much for your help - hopefully I can get him on the mend!

If this tank is cycled, you should be showing some nitrate. What test kit are you using? Bobbing a bag for 30 minutes is not how you acclimate a fish. http://www.fishlore.com/acclimating-tropicalfish.htm

Your LFS is totally WRONG! NONE of those inhabitants will go well with your GSP, nor will most of them appreciate ANY salt, especially that pleco.

As far as feeding--glass shrimp are totally on the puffers diet. The rest really isn't what I'd call pufferfood.

You have some reading to do:
library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/

Oh yeah--I can't see the vid.

Thanks for your response - your introduction guide was excellent and I think I need to be prepared to lose/re-house some of those fish that I have! I've also realised that I really should not have transferred him into the tank with a net, I'm guessing that probably contributed to the issues for the little guy.

I'm using an API Freshwater Master Test Kit (it's all I have atm).

The video should be working now.

Yep, see it now. He actually looks quite healthy--nothing some Melfaix couldn't heal up. As far as that tank--those plants will "melt" at the amount of salt he's needing. I suggest a new tank for the puffer or a total re-do of that tank without those other fish in there.

Thanks very much for your swift response! I will get some melafix and have a look at changing plants / another set up (didn't realise that the plants would suffer so much too).

Plecos don't do well with Melafix. Be sure to add an airstone.