I Have already asked about my Green spottd puffer fish twice but i have one more question?

Question

in my other 2 questions no one has said why my puffer fish has gotten less active.He is in a 10 gallon tank and it has 1 tsp. of instant ocean per gallon.Also he has lost some color.

Answer 1

Yeah, what copperhead said... ditto that

MM

Answer 2

Hi, I have been keeping puffers for a while now so I may be able to help:
(GSP is short for green spotted puffer)

GSPs grow to 8 inches long and need no less than 30 gallons for 1, and 15 additional gallons for each additional GSP.

GSPs require a low end brackish(1.008 SG) set up as juveniles, and as they get older you need to slowly raise the SG. By the time they are adults they need to be in full marine. You cannot measure the SG(specific gravity) by tps. per gallon. You need to get a hygrometer, these are $5 at petsmart.

Those will have alot to do with your problem. And here are a few other facts that are good to know.

GSPs are very territorial and should not be kept with any other fish.

They are primarily moluskivores. Their teeth grow quickly, and they need to wear down their teeth by eating snails on a regular basis. You will need to set up a separate tank and go get some "pest" snails from your fish store. DO NOT FEED IT MALAYSIAN TRUMPET SNAILS! MTS are very hard shelled, the shell can and will injure your puffer severely. Look for common pond snails and common ramshorn snails.

Puffers are a high maintenance fish, and can easily drain your wallet at first. But they are suck an entertaining fish that it is more than worth it in the long run.


Also, it is very very important to cycle the tank, best to do it before adding fish, but you already have your fish, so get an ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kit and do water changes any time the ammonia and nitrites rise above .25. This is critical to keeping your puffer healthy because puffers are scaleless, that makes them extra sensitive to water conditions. See link below on cycling.

Answer 3

Actually, the ammonia levels and incorrect salt concentration may have a lot to do with why your fish isn't active.

He may be getting used to a new home (which would cause the lighter color), and which may cause him it hide as well. But if he's not in good water quality or the proper water chemistry his behavior may never change (or he could die).

I would start by increasing the amount of salt (Instant Ocean) in his water to about 10x what you have it - do this a little at a time. If you have a test kit, test your water for ammonia & nitrite to see if your tank hasn't cycled and this is the cause of your cloudiness. Also check the water temperature to see that it's somewhere around 74-80o and your pH is above 7.0.

Also, check how your fish is acting against the symptoms for ammonia in the tank: http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/ammonia_poisoning/

Answer 4

You have only had the fish for two days which means it is still probably stressed out from moving. You need to give the new fish at least a week to adjust to its new surroundings.

When you're playing with the fish and to the pet shop it was in a tank it knew.

As long as there are no signs of illness in the fish everything should work out in a few days. I'm assuming you know a little bit about these fish. If you don't I suggest finding as much information as you can before you kill it.

Answer 5

Copper head is correct. Green Puffers are really cool fish and you will love them for their antics.

PH should be between 7.5 to 8.5 waterHardness: medium to medium hard Temperature: 75° to 82°F (24 to 28°C) size max: 6.5 inches

The color is variable depending on age and the origin of the fish. In mature specimens the top and head area is marked with large Brown or Black spots. The spots on the side are smaller and also round in shape. The body color between the spots is a beautiful Emerald Green color which makes a nice contrast to the dark spots. The bright Green color is subdued in younger specimens. The fins are semi transparent with a slight Yellow tint to them.

Your fish will change color for a few reasons, lighting, food and stress.

They are not hard to feed and usually will accept all types of flake, frozen and live food. In the wild they feed on small mollusks and invertebrates. The Green puffer will come to recognize its owner and will get excited when you approach. The tank setup should contain plants and rockwork for hiding as well as open areas for swimming

If your fish came from a brackish water tank, (since these are brackish to full salt fish your pet store could have housed them in fresh or low end brackish water SG 1.005) you will need to slowly increase the salt to a SG of 1.01 to 1.05 which is standard brackish water. 1.005-1.0 is actually too low for puffers. Slowly increas the level with sea salt only. Aquaium salt will not work. do this slowly not all at once by dissolving the salt into a dechlor water bucket. Read your hydrometer to be sure you are just below the 1.01. This will when diluted with the 75% tank water not raise the salt level too high at one time. Do this every other day until your tank is reading between 1.01-1.05 . ALSO if your tank is not cycled properly, meaning it was running with salt added for 4+ weeks, he could be suffering from ammonia poisoning. Have you tested your water?

Also remember to keep rocks, shells or snails (they will eat the snails) in the tank. A puffers teeth do not stop growing. If you are not feeding him snails, he will need something to file his teeth down with and he will start attacking anything he thinks will do this, including your filter. He will be fine in your 10 gallon tank. as long as that is all you have in it.