The Puffer Forum

Hi Guys
My Fahaka has recently gone a bit drab but when he swims or eats his colours are very vibrant its only when he rests his colour changes and goes a bit blotchy with a black colouration. He is in a tank with white sand and is eating well on live river shrimp and mussels. Is this quite common with Fahakas or is he just being a Fahaka, ha, ha.

Neil From The UK

What are the current water parameters? What size tank is he in? How did you cycle it? Are there any other occupants?

He is in a 364 l tank on his own and i have removed the nitrates and ammonia from the water. Water is fairly hard I have transferred him from his previous tank to his new tank using the same water. He usually is fairly good he follows my fingers along the tank and allows me to stroke him.

Neil

What do you mean you have removed the nitrates and ammonia? Does your water contain these things naturally? Moving water from the old tank isn't actually worth much, almost no nitrifying bacteria live in the water column, they're on surfaces, the most are in the places with the most surface area, the gravel and filter, so bringing the filter over without cleaning it and moving some of the gravel over are the best things for fast cycling a tank. We really need water parameters, exact number of nitrIte, ammonia, and nitrAte, to guess what might be going on.

In fact he now seems to be fine I think it was when I added the new plants he got a bit stressed but the Amazon Swords and Java Fern are doing really well and so is he now.

Thanks for your help guys

Neil The Brit.

I would have said it could be his attempt to mimic the colour of the gravel and blend in giving a more washed out apearance. Clooney does this at night time and I say he has his pyjamas on, It makes sense to me that he is trying not to stand out as a sleeping/resting puffer could get seen by a predator. Blending in is as good as they can get to hiding, especially the larger ones. However your's is doing the opposite so it could be as you say and just a stress colouration.

Is your substrate dark, if so like Manutius said could be dropping his colour to blend in, if it's not dark does he rest in shaded areas and then go dark?

Neilsie wrote:Hi Guys
He is in a tank with white sand ...
Neil From The UK

There you go then Hilly

manutius wrote:

Neilsie wrote:Hi Guys
He is in a tank with white sand ...
Neil From The UK

There you go then Hilly

Skimmed the post.

My fahaka changes colour all the time, and I keep him in a tank with white sand. when he's hungry, he goes very yellow and swims in the top corner where he is fed. When he is sulking, or grumpy or doesn't want to play, he gets a dark "monobrow" between his eyes.

Changing color can be normal, but it can also indicate a problem, which is why I still think its important for all of the above questions to be answered, so we can rule out any other possible issues.

Fella wrote:.....he gets a dark "monobrow" between his eyes.

Clooney gets this at feeding time and its an arrow shape, I wonder if its an attempt to break up their visula outline to prey items and therefore greater success on the hunt?