The Puffer Forum

I did a 75% water change yesterday on my 55g BW GSP tank. I let it fully cycle and added my GSP back into the water around 3 a.m. this morning. Well I wake up and my puffer is curled into a ball (still moving its fins) and its belly is almost completely black..so of course I check the water...everything looked as it always does. So then the puffer starts swimming around and looks much better, but I am still concerend because its belly is still almost completely black, any help would be great?

What are the water parameters?
and how was it acclimated to it's new home?
It is possible there is something amiss in the parameters, or he was transitioned to fast (osmonic shock??)
Is the only symptom that his belly is dark?..no gasping, twitching, or any other weird behavior?

If he was still sleeping when you came in this morning it could have just been his sleep colouration.

It could also be from the water you added being too cold and the heater having a hard time catching up. What is the temp?

Actually the water I added was warmer around 78 degrees (F). I let him sit in a bag on the water surface for 30 minutes
Nitrate-15ppm
nitrite-0
ammonia-0
ph-6.5
salinity-.0002
He is still curled up in a little ball...
Current temp-76.5 (F)
He isnt twitching, but it does seem like he is gasping a little.

Hi strike!

First of all, what do you mean by "letting it cycle?"... cycling is the process of establishing the biological filter, nothing to do with routine partial water changes.

Secondly, your pH is way low. Are you adding any marine salt at all?

Finally, for salinity, do you mean an S.G. of 0.002?

PetPirate wrote:Hi strike!

First of all, what do you mean by "letting it cycle?"... cycling is the process of establishing the biological filter, nothing to do with routine partial water changes.

Secondly, your pH is way low. Are you adding any marine salt at all?

Finally, for salinity, do you mean an S.G. of 0.002?

yes sg0.002
the ph should be above 7, right?
by cycling i meant letting the water and filter run for about 3 hours before putting him back in it.

That's a bit of a stressful way to do a water change... better to do a smaller change (50% max) and leave the fish in IMO.

He was probably just sleeping this morning.

Can you measure the alkalinity of the water? It is probably on the low side.

I can leave the fish in while doing a water change???? I wish I would asked... I was always concerned that adding the water treatment was crucial before exposing the fish to untreated water...

Yes, especially with marine salt. I would treat the water and mix the salt for 24 hours before adding the water to the tank.

Yes, its way too stressfull to take the fish out every time you do a water change.

Marine salt sometimes takes a good 24 hours to dissolve completely, so its best to mix your water a head of time.

ok that sounds good. He is clearing up btw and when I fed him he couldn't have been happier.

Ok well his belly is completely white now, it all looks good...I got the ph up some and all in all he seems very happy. Thanks to all that helped.

You didn't use a chemical additive to change the pH did you?

DON'T chase the pH... check the alkalinity (KH), and slowly bring that tothe correct level (currently 6 - 8 dKH at those salinities IMO) with the cautious use of buffer.

Then the pH will hopefully look after itself.