The Puffer Forum

Okay, well I have not been active on this forum for a very long time. I hadn't bought any new puffers in a long time and all of my others are doing fine. Then about 3 weeks ago my Turgidus passed away, I am not sure why. He was fine in the morning and by afternoon he was dead. I was really upset, as I'd had him for more than 6 years. Anyway, since I had a tank all set up and I'd not gotten a new puffer for a very long time, I bought a new puff.

So my new puffer just came yesterday. It's a Leiurus. He arrived very badly packed. In fact, the bag he was in was laying horizontally and had almost no water in it as all the water had drained out into the box. There wasn't anything to keep the bag from moving about and I hate to think what this poor fish has gone through. I let him acclimate to the temperature of my tank for a while, then set him free. He was breathing really heavily for a while, but then calmed down. I left the tank light off all yesterday and last night, and I did not try to feed him.

Today I have turned the tank light on, so I can keep an eye on him. And I notice that he's back to breathing heavy again. I am always nervous when I get a new puffer, and I worry for a few days until they seem like they are doing pretty well.

So my question is .... should I be concerned with his heavy breathing? I would imagine it's normal to a certain extent, but I just want to know for how long I should be concerned, if concerned at all. Thank you in advance for any help.

I would give him at least 24 hours. Have you checked the parameters?

I think I was just being nervous, because he appears fine now. He's up and swimming, he actually took food last night and he seems fine. I just think it was the stress of being in a different place, in new surroundings. But he is definitely better off, he was in the tank with another Leiurus and he has bite marks on his body, not new ones, but scars.