The Puffer Forum

Just trying to get a clear understanding on the behavior of saltwater puffer fish. I have had my puffer in his 125 gallon for 3 days now and he is extremely active. He doesn't seem very intelligent as to what he is doing. He enjoys seeing his reflection and dancing from left to right along the aquarium glass which is fun to watch. Is this silly guy ever going to sleep or rest?! At night I have an extremely dim blue led light shining in one of the corners in hopes to calm him down but he still swims around but in slower patterns. At 3 in the morning I woke up to see him nibble on my maxi-jet power cord that was sticking in the aquarium. I am about to cut a bucket in half and pile live rock on it to make him a cave/home to go into. Think this will help him calm down a bit? His breathing does not seem to heavy.. just trying to get a clear understanding on if this behavior is normal.

Thanks guys/girls

-Peter

I've got a lined puffer that hangs out in his cave at night and whenever I do water changes. (I found a huge piece of LR that was perfect... however, it set me back a bit.) Give him some time and he might start resting more often... either that or he may be an insomniac

Having caves and hiding spots is never a bad thing; just be sure it is stable. Your bucket idea would work, but I'd try and make sure some water flow went through there... you wouldn't want a "dead area" where icky stuff could build up. Perhaps have a front and back entrance in the cave?

I'd also find some kind of cord protector if you have a "nibbler" on your hands. Also be sure to have a GFI (ground fault interrupter) outlet for your tank. Since I'm renting, I buy the plug-in style GFIs. You can find them at Walmart (sometimes) or most hardware stores. IME, they run $12 to $25 bucks but are worth every penny... my wife knocked the light into our refugeium and nothing (besides the light) was harmed.

Since this puffer is new to his tank he is still exploring and such. I've seen puffers take a few weeks before they really feel at home and settle down.

I agree, all puffers have a settling in period. Depends on the puffer too. One puffer might sleep all day, while another might never ever sleep at all. Those are two extremes, and are obviously rare, but it just goes to show how much diversity there is in puffer personality.