The Puffer Forum

Hello, i first want to say that I am a novice with a brackish tank. i purchased a green scat and 2 green spotted puffers at my LFS to place in my community tank and they lived there peacefully for about 5 months (Freshwater I may add) My scat is about 5 inches long and my puffers are close to 3. Reading up the little boogers, I decided to create my first brackish tank but I wanted to ease them into it so I moved the three fish along with some corys into a 20 gallon tank, I know its small but its all I had available. After about a week, my scat began to look skiddish when it used to be ready for food at all times and full of life. Today, i walked in tonight, 3 days later and I see ick spots on its fins and now I am not quite sure what to do. It doesn't have scales so I am not sure how I should go about treatment and would love any advice you might have. I have a 5 gallon quarantine tank available that I could add salt to but I don't have very much to begin with since I just set it up. Tempature is 80 degrees with and my ph, nitrates, and nitrites are all low. I do have very hard water and alkaline water but its the same water it's been swimming in for months now. Was it the move to a smaller tank that did it?

As long as those fish are in that small tank, they will continue to be stressed, causing lowered immune systems & illness. Youre 1st plan of action is to get a tank that is large enough for all 3 fish (corys are not brackish & will not appreciate salt of any kind). That's 50g for the scat & 30ea for the puffers, totalling a minimum of 110g. I bet when they are housed properly & the marine salt is starting to be added, the ich will go away.

Did you cycle that tank?

Yeah, the tank housed cichlids before so it was properly cycled. I figured it might be the lack of swimming room and the stress that comes with it. I will just have to give him up I guess, too bad, I really liked that fish.
Thanks for your help.

Good choice! What about the puffers?