The Puffer Forum

I just purchased a 5 inch Fahaka and all he does is swim back and forth along the back of the aquarium. He's alone in a 75 gallon tank and the temperature is 76 degrees. Tank is cycled and all my parameters are normal. Is this behavior normal? He was very interactive at the LFS and approached the glass whenever I would stand in front of it. He seems unaware of me now and all he does is swim back and forth in the back of the tank. Should I try feeding him ghost shrimp? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jamie

That temp is a bit cool. Try raising to around 80. How much decor is in his tank? There is an article on feeding your puffer in our Library. How was the tank cycled?

The tank has been set up and running for the past 2 years. I had a black piranha in it before I decided to trade it in for the Fahaka. I turned off the aquarium lights and he seems a bit more comfortable now....... I'll raise the temperature and throw in some ghost shrimp and see what happens.

Oh hell yeah....... He's relentlessly going after the shrimp like they stole something from him. I think he just needed a little bit of time to get acclimated to his tank. I'll post pics soon.

Is there any backing on the tank?

nope, no backround....... the tank is situated so the the back is about 4 inches away from a wall. he only does this when I turn the aquarium lights on. could it have something to do with a reflection or something?

another question....... i've noticed that my puffer is moving his fins VERY rapidly. could I have too much current flow in the tank? It's a 75 gallon and im using a MaxiJet 1000 powerhead to create a current. Thanks

Have you check the water params lately?

A backing could help.

Puffers do tend to flutter their fins rapidly.