The Puffer Forum

I got my F8s today! They are really quite small! I'd say one is 3/4 of an inch and the other possibly just over an inch.

My LFS had ordered them for me and didn't have a brackish tank set up so called me right away as he knew I was ready for them. They were still in the delivery bags when I collected them. The small one (Ting) seemed very hyper and hungry so after they'd both floated in their bags for a while I gave them a snack of bloodworm and released the little one first. (I was worried she was starving and would nip at the bigger one who seemed quite placid).

My first question is about feeding and belly sizes. After 2 bloodworm, Ting's belly seemed really full. I panicked thinking I'd way overfed her but after 10 minutes it went a lot flatter. Is that normal? Also when I fed Xiang, her belly went kind of lopsided for a while. It really didn't take a lot of food at all for it to seem very enlarged but it returned to normal so quickly. I don't want to over or under feed them so I'm a bit confused.

My other question is about bubbles and current. My puffers are quite small and when they get caught in the current and the bubbles they shift pretty quick and look a bit out of control. The little one has been pushed into the side of the tank a couple of times. Should I turn down the current on the filter and turn off the bubbles for now? Or is this something they will get used to. They kept going back to chase the bubbles and getting blown away and I can't tell if its accidental or not.

Apart from that they seem quite happy and are active and having fun exploring. They aren't too sure about each other yet and have both stuck to their own side of the tank, getting a fright and swimming away when they see each other.

I love them already

The stomach thing is pretty normal, my SAP got a crooked belly when he ate too, and yes, their bellies do get really big when you feed them. Try not to overfeed obviously, but a nicely rounded belly is a good goal. Are their bellys flat or concave before feeding or after they've digested? If they look sunken in, and after you've had them a week or so are still looking sunken in, then you'll probably want to treat them for internal parasites. But give them a little time to gain weight and settle in first.

As far as the current, how big of a tank and what size filter? You might want to slow it down if they look like they are trying to hide from it or are sitting in a corner, but if they keep swimming into it they might be just fine. Do they have decor they can hide in to get out of the current if they've had enough? They do need tanks with enough plants (real or fake) to give them territories and places to explore.