FAQs about Green Spotted Puffers 1 Related Articles: Green Spotted Puffers, Alone But Not Lonely: The Importance of  Keeping Puffers Individually by Damien Wagaman, (Big) Pufferfish Dentistry By Kelly Jedlicki and Anthony Calfo Small Puffer Dentistry By Jeni Tyrell (aka Pufferpunk), The Arrowhead Puffer, Tetraodon suvattii, miraculously malicious, Freshwater/Brackish Puffers, True Puffers, Puffers in General, Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes, Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers, Boxfishes, Puffy & Mr. Nasty, Puffer Care and Information,  Related FAQs: GSPs 2, GSP Identification, GSP Behavior, GSP Compatibility, GSP Selection, GSP Systems, GSP Feeding, GSP Disease, GSP Reproduction, BR Puffers 1, BR Puffers 2, BR Puffers 3, BR Puffer Identification, BR Puffer Selection, BR Puffer Compatibility, BR Puffer Systems, BR Puffer Feeding, BR Puffer Disease, BR Puffer Reproduction, Brackish Water Fishes in General, Puffers in General, True Puffers, Freshwater Puffers, Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes, Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers, Boxfishes,  Tetraodon nigroviridis, the GSP.

T. fluviatilis or not T. fluviatilis? Esteemed Mr. Fenner, <Steamed, like rice?> I have two spotted puffers sold to me as Tetraodon fluviatilis, when I bought them both looked similar and I requested the liveliest of the bunch. The pet store had them in brackish water and being impatient I brought them even though the tank I had cycled at home was freshwater (a little salt). I raised the salinity in the 20gal. tank to 1.002 while I acclimated the puffers to the new temp. in their little baggie. This being done I guess I crashed my bacteria because it was touch and go with ammonia and nitrate levels for awhile and the tank was cycled for 2 weeks and both levels were 0 before I added more salt (and puffers).  <Yes, astute of you to notice> Anyway, now the ammonia and nitrate are fine: temp.78, pH 8.0, sal. 1.002. But one puffer seems much happier than the other...his belly is always black I read here about the color of their bellies changing and it does for one but the others stays black. Black belly is also much rounder and I suspect that I have two different kinds of puffer, maybe one fluviatilis (brackish) and one nigroviridis (freshwater)? <Maybe... I would like to suggest another more likely possibility. That one is "happier" than the other... or reciprocally, that one is making the other miserable... typical amongst these species> The pet store says that they could be different but could offer no suggestions for keeping both happy in the same tank. Should I try to take the balloon shaped one (I suspect nigroviridis) with the black belly to a freshwater tank? How would I do this without killing the fish? <You need to ascertain the species definitively... do take a look through the pix on fishbase.org re... and re switching, acclimating them to other spg/salinities, can be done (slowly) over a period of days to weeks... by water changes, addition of less or more salty make up water...> Also I notice that one has a pattern of very small spots or specs (not disease) tapering off into the tail while the other has a "clear" tail, I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere as a possible way to tell these two apart but...Please help me make these fish happy. Thanks, Tim <Again, very observant of you. The markings are likely more to do with stress than species differences. I would separate these two. Bob Fenner>

Re: T. fluviatilis or not T. fluviatilis? Thank you for the quick reply, I will begin separate the two and see what happens. The fish with the black belly actually seems to bully the lighter one a bit... Thanks again, Tim <Yes... understood you to state this... yet it may well be the more stressed individual of the two just the same... as you'll see. Bob Fenner>

Re: T. fluviatilis or not T. fluviatilis? Mr. Fenner, I separated the two and put the one I thought might be T. nigroviridis in freshwater. The result has been dramatic. Like two different fish. The LFS said to just lower the salinity in the brackish tank and "let them adapt" but I thought they were a bit flippant about the whole issue, hopefully all fish will remain happy as they are. Thanks for your help. Tim <A pleasure my friend. Delighted to read of your diligence. Bob Fenner>

Spotted puffers I just purchased 3 small spotted puffers for my 30 gallon hex tank. puffers are about 1" to 1 1/2" long. how many can my 30 gal hex accommodate and what is the preferred list of food for them? josh Nichols <these adorable little creatures are extremely aggressive to each other and to other fish as they mature!!! They will literally pick each others eyes out. I'll be surprised if you keep three in this 30 unscathed for more than a year. Much has been written in the FAQs and beyond on our WetWebMedia site. Please do peruse starting here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwpuffers.htm Please be sure to explore the links for the FAQs near the top of the page. Best regards, Anthony> Spotted puffers I just purchased 3 small spotted puffers for my 30 gallon hex tank. The puffers are about 1" to 1 1/2" long. How many can my 30 gallon hex accommodate and what is the preferred list of food for them? Josh Nichols <Well Josh, shame on you for not asking those questions before you purchased them. Please see here regarding their care and growth http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/fwbracpuffers.htm -Steven Pro>

Sick Puffer Hi, I hope you can help me here ... <that makes two of us> I've a 150l tank running at 1.006/78F with external canister, UV & Nitrate reductor (as the Scats ate all the plants). Chemistry seems OK (NH3-0; N02-0; NO3-<20; PO4<0.5; PH 8.2) with hardness kept high from the coral sand. Other inhabitants are a couple of orange Chromides, a few bumblebees, a couple of scats and some Madagascan rainbows. Tank is mature and has a regular 20L RO change weekly. My green spotted puff has definitely come down with something: completely off his food (not even live shrimps tempt him), and has now turned almost totally dark brown (even his belly); he mostly lies on the bottom, often at an odd angle, and occasionally does odd pirouettes and has inflated himself at least once (the only time I have ever seen this in the 15mths I've had him). No obvious external signs (spots, ich, redness etc.) and no fish / major maintenance recently. <sounds like it may be a problem with a physical parameter of water quality. Has the salinity or temperature strayed by chance? I must also say that the mix of fish that you have is highly unusual and definitely incompatible in the long term. The scats will be too large and fast/competitive for most other fishes (intimidating), the puffer if it survives is too toothy and aggressive and the bumble bees are too small and passive. And lastly, the species you keep favor a very wide range of differing salinities as adults> Other fish seems OK but three weeks ago I lost my violet goby - just found him dead when I got home - without any apparent reason. Any suggestions as to what I might do to save him ? DR <please explore the following page of links for brackish systems and setup at: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex Best regards, Anthony>

Sick puff ... Thanks for the info. He's still hanging in there  <very good to hear> and I'm using Myxazin more in hope than to treat anything specific. I don't *know* of any temp. changes / power outages etc. although I do cycle the salinity between 1.004 and 1.007 as I do the RO changes. <perhaps a bit much for a swing in SG... do try to temper this swing> As for the fish, a bit of a mixture and yes - the scats will go marine fairly soon. They all seem to get on and though I've put lots of hiding places in the rocks/décor that the scats and puff are too big/fat to get into,  <heehee...very well> the bumble bees seem happy to just keep out of their way. The only loss to the puffer was a red-clawed crab last fall when he eventually grew big enough to take the crab on (or improved his technique). Thanks again for the advice DR <best regards, my friend. Anthony>

Puffer Skin Problem?? <<Greetings, JasonC here...>> I have a green spotted puffer,.. great color/white underside. I have had him for quite some time now and he has been very healthy and active, and still is. I just noticed a raised spot on his back that has me a little concerned. One of the black spots on him is raised a bit and looks a little different. It is only affecting this one black spot and is circled with a little white (but not ick). I have looked on your site to see if perhaps someone has already asked of this particular problem but didn't see anything similar to my description. Does this sound familiar? <<Not especially, no.>> I have checked the water... the condition is good and the salinity is fine. Does this mean a parasite??? <<Would be my guess.>> I don't know! Please help... <<I would just keep my eye on it - a single parasite isn't going to harm your puffer, a whole fleet of them would be a different story. As long as it is still eating and behaving normally, I wouldn't be overly concerned and just make sure it doesn't spread. If you see more of these lumps, then consider some isolation and treatment in a hospital tank.>> ~Alecia P.S. You have a WONDERFUL site! I love visiting it, it has just so much information. <<Glad it is useful for you.>> I also want to say thanks for answering my occasional questions and the questions of others... your generosity does not go unnoticed!!! I think the fish appreciate it too : ) <<I hope so... Cheers, J -- >>

Brackish Puffers Hi Bob, <<Hello, it's JasonC this time...>> I am attempting to set up a Brackish Aquarium and am finding info. that is quite contradictory to that of our local fish stores.... <<Not unusual at all.>> I had owned a green-spotted puffer a couple years ago, unfortunately fell deeply in love with the fish...he died about a month after I purchased him. I was quite heart broken and decided to go back to freshwater. Admittedly, I did not do much homework on caring for such a fish. I have a 55 gallon tank, w/ lots of plants (artificial) and caves, rocks etc. I was told to acquire a PH of 7.5-8.0. Which I have...on every site I read, it states low 7's..that is a big discrepancy. I was not told anything about salt at all. I need salts?? <<Oh yes, brackish is specifically something between ocean water and fresh water, and even this can vary a little bit depending on the species you want to keep.>> Another issue is that of food...I was told to feed roughly 6 guppies/wk for one puffer. But, I have heard nothing of guppies, only of brine and shrimp pellets. <<I wouldn't recommend the brine shrimp or live guppies. There are many pellet and flake foods which would provide more complete nutrition.>> I am only bothering you because I have read so much and to be quite honest, growing impatient and discouraged due to all the different info. <<No need to be discouraged. Continue with your research and at a certain point you formulate your own consensus.>> I currently have a green spotted puffer on hold at the store.. pls. help. I just need the basics. <<Here's a great place to start: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/bracsetup.htm >> Thanks for your time, Kim De Cell <<Cheers, J -- >>

Spotted Puffers <<Greetings, JasonC here...>> How does one tell the difference in sexes among green puffers and green spotted puffers??? <<Sexual differences in these are internal, no way to tell from the outside.>> I cant find breeding/sexing information on this breed of fish anywhere... perhaps you know or will know where to look.  ~Thanx!! Alecia <<Cheers, J -- >>

Figure 8 puffer Hello, I have a figure 8 puffer and had him in my African C. tank. He and my green spotted pufferfish did well in that tank for close to 6 months. They have gotten beat up quite a bit recently so I took them out. the Green spotted puffer I threw (adjusted the salinity for him in about 30 min before dumping him) into my salt water tank and he is doing great.  <Yikes... this is a quick (and dangerous) transition... likely damaging to your puffer internally... these changes need to be made over a period of a few weeks to months> I then weeks later tried the same thing to my figure 8 and he has not fared as well. His eyes got extremely cloudy and his color faded. He was only in the saltwater for a night. I then saw my poor fish in the morning and put him in my molly (brackish) breeding tank to recover. <Good move... you likely saved its life> I added some Melafix to the tank and his eyes are clearing up slightly. What should I do to further his recovery? I also thought the figure 8 could go to full saltwater. <Please read over the brackish water articles posted here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/BrackishSubWebIndex.htm The Figure Eight, Tetraodon biocellatus is actually a freshwater fish... not brackish or marine. Bob Fenner> Thanks, Chad

Puffer Problem I think I may of messed up when selecting my fish. I have a 46 gallon bowed tank with 40 pounds of live rock etc. My ammonia is 0, nitrate is .2, ph is 8.2, and salinity is 1.021 with temperature a stable 79. I have had in the tank for about a month, a dwarf lionfish, and 2 green spotted puffers. Now I realize that the salinity may be a bit high, but I don't want it too low because of the lionfish, is this correct? The lionfish seems fine (he's just lazy), and the puffers seem to be getting a little lazier as time goes by. I have noticed that the puffers stomachs can turn brown almost daily now, but can clear up at any given time. I do feel the puffers have been overeating. I feed them a variety of food twice a day, and every second day, they feast on ghost shrimp, because I put enough in the tank to ensure the lionfish gets enough. (I can't trick him into non-living foods as of yet). So I guess I have many many problems, and my LFS gives me the worst advice in the world. So I guess I'm down to these questions: Is the salinity of 1.021 wayyyy to high?......Are the brown bellies the puffers get a sign of disease or stress?..... I'm sorry to bother you, <no bother at all. Salinity should be somewhere between 1.021 to 1.025. I have seen green spotted puffers in freshwater, salt water, and everywhere in between. I personally like to see them in brackish water. If they were acclimated slowly to full-blown salt water they should be ok. The color change is normal, as long as they are not showing any other signs of sickness. Does not sound like too much to worry about, just keep an eye on water quality and let us know if they are showing any other symptoms. Best Regards, Gage> Thank You, Brandon Roth

Puffer sickness <<Hello, JasonC here at your service.>> I have two puffers with problems. One is (I think) a Tetraodon nigroviridis--and an exceptionally beautiful one at that--and the only way I can think to describe the problem is that the puffer looks like its skin was painted on, only to have some youngster come along and touch its back before the paint was dry. It is eating fine, swimming around pretty well, etc. I first thought that one of my figure eights may have bitten this fish on the back, only I have moved it to a different tank, and the problem persists. At one time it appeared as if part of this marking was slightly raised on its back, but it now seems to have subsided. There are actually 2 spots on its back that look this way--maybe only a couple of scrapes?--but I cannot identity what they may be. <<I agree, it's probably just a scrape or previous bite from the puffer-removed.>> I should add that this particular puffer has been with me for little more than a week. <<Give it some time.>> The second puffer is a figure eight that I've had for a couple of months now, and its back also has a spot, only it looks very much more like a bite. It has a white tinge to it, and it was definitely raised for some time. I believe that ick developed for a while, because the white spots came on and seemed to be connected to the original big white spot on its back. I treated the fish for ick with alternate treatments of Melafix and ick remover, but while the little spots went away, the white fleshy bump remained on its back. Is it simply taking a while to heal, or could it be something else, and entirely unrelated to the ick? <<These things always take time... usually a month or more.>> And by the way, it too is eating well and moving about pretty much all of the time. <<As long as it's eating and getting around fine, I wouldn't be too concerned.>> Thanks a lot-- Andy Barton <<Cheers, J -- >>

Sick Puffers <<Hi Andy! This is Ananda. The WetWebCrew sent me your puffer questions.>> I have two puffers with problems. <<Okay, first set of questions, since they may help with the diagnosis: how many puffers, and which types, do you have in with the two that  have problems? Are they in different tanks, or the same tank? And what  are their tank conditions? I'm looking for ammonia and nitrate values,  and specific gravity values if you're keeping them in brackish water.>> One is (I think) a Tetraodon  nigroviridis--and an exceptionally beautiful one at that--and the only way I can think to describe the problem is that the puffer looks like its skin was painted on, only to have some youngster come along and touch its back before the paint was dry. <<Is the spot perfectly round, or oval, or irregular?>> It is eating fine, swimming around pretty well, etc. <<Good signs.>> I first thought that one of my figure eights may have bitten this fish on the back, only I have moved it to a different tank, and the problem persists. <<If indeed it is a bite from one of the figure eight puffers, it may  take a while to heal.>> At one time it appeared as if part of this marking was slightly raised on its back, but it now seems to have subsided. <<Could be a sign of irritation of the area: when the irritation is new, the area would swell up, but then the swelling might subside later. I remember numerous childhood scrapes would do the same thing.>> There are actually 2 spots on its back that look this way--maybe only a couple of scrapes?--but I cannot identity what they may be.  I should add that this particular puffer has been with me for little more than a week. <<Hmmm. How big is this puffer in relation to the others in the tank? It may be that a figure-eight (or other puffer?) is trying to establish dominance and bit the new guy in the tank. If this is true, you may  need a bigger tank to contain that group, or, as you did, split the  group. On the other hand, what kinds of tank decorations do you have?  If you have anything remotely sharp, they could indeed be scrapes.  Puffs love to hide in, around, and under things, so I can imagine the  new fish in the tank might easily scratch itself on the decorations  while it's hiding.>> The second puffer is a figure eight that I've had for a couple of  months now, and its back also has a spot, only it looks very much more like a bite. <<How so? How long has it had this spot?>> It has a white tinge to it, <<A white tinge? Not pure white? Is it a paler version of the color  around it?>> and it was definitely raised for some time.  I believe that ick developed for a while, because the white spots came on and seemed to be connected to the original big white spot on its back. <<Were there any white spots on its fins or tail? I would expect both with ich.>> I treated the fish for ick with alternate treatments of MelaFix and ick remover, <<Melafix won't help with ich, but won't hurt, either. What "ick  remover" did you use? Puffers are particularly sensitive to many  medications.>> but while the little spots went away, the white fleshy bump remained  on its back. Is it simply taking a while to heal, or could it be something else, and entirely unrelated to the ick? <<My suspicion is that it is something else entirely....Can you send us digital photos, of both fish? That should make it *much* easier to  identify this.>> And by the way, it too is eating well and moving about pretty much all of the time. <<Again, this is a good sign.>> Thanks a lot--Andy Barton <<No problem. Always willing to help.--Ananda>>

Re: Sick Puffers Unfortunately I am having a hard time getting the pictures to come out.  Do you have any suggestions?  Should the room be well lit? or dark with only the aquarium lights?  et cetera. <<Ananda here while the regular WetWebMedia crew is off at MACNA....  Usually, I keep all the lights on -- tank lights, room lights, etc. If you're getting flash glare from the glass, try taping a piece of tissue paper over the flash. This will diffuse the light enough to keep it from causing glare on the tank glass.>> I've been using half dosages of Maracide and Melafix, and the figure eight seems to be doing fine.  The ick is gone, and the white bump on its back seems to be shrinking. <<Ah, good -- half doses for double the duration is what I use for all scaleless fish.>> The spotted puffer's marks have turned white.  No swelling--I'm hoping this is a sign of its skin healing itself (and not some creature inside fooling around. <<Keep an eye on it. And skin irritations are one of the instances where Melafix can help, as it may prevent secondary infections from setting in.>> I'll still tell you the conditions of the tank, just in case you see something that sounds fishy.  The pH was always around 7.8, the nitrates and ammonia has not been a problem at all since the first cycle of the tank some months ago. The salinity in the water was between 1.001 and 1.004, and there were roughly 8 or 9 African cichlids in there.  There were hardly any instances where the different species attacked one another.  The fiercest cichlid occasionally started for one of the puffers, realized who it was, and left.  So I don't really think it was one of them that caused any of these problems. <<That specific gravity is fine for both types of puffers you mentioned. I've heard other tales of cichlids and puffers together, but haven't tried it myself.>> One last thing--I don't really know the hardness of the water.  When I tried to do the test, I could never get the orange liquid to turn green.  I must not understand the procedure, because otherwise my general and carbonate hardnesses are off the charts. <<One thing they don't tell you about that particular test: once you start adding salt, whether it's cichlid salt, brackish salt, or marine salt, you're increasing both the general and carbonate hardness. All of those salts include other minerals, since cichlids and brackish fish do not live in soft water, and marine systems need a lot of extra minerals... so I'm not at all surprised that you can't get the color change to happen. The one time I tested my brackish puffer tank and decided to keep going until the color changed, I used something like 58 drops!>> My basic understanding was that I needed to worry more about the water being too soft, so I didn't worry much about it. <<Good. Your water hardness is fine.>> Now I have two final questions, and unless you hear from me again you can assume that the ailments went away.  First of all--pH--how important is it? <<Varies depending on the fish species.... less so overall for fish that are brackish or somewhat brackish-tolerant like your puffers. What is more important is that the pH remain constant, rather than keeping it at, say, 7.0 rather than 7.2, for example.>> Figure eights require a lower pH than green spotted puffers, so will this be a big problem to keep it at 7.8 (that's what it comes out of the tap at)? <<My tap water is 7.6, and my puffers are not complaining. I think you should be okay.>> And what is the method of adjusting pH?  I used proper 7.0 for some dwarf puffers, only to find out later that it was unsuitable for use with live plants. <<Interesting. You might look for some plant-friendly pH adjusters... or, perhaps, look into using RO/DI water, which is usually quite acidic, and then buffer the RO/DI water accordingly. I have never tried to decrease the pH here, so will pass this question along to the rest of the WWM crew.>> And in general it just seemed to make the pH much more unstable than when I just left it alone. <<Exactly the reason I have never tried to decrease the pH of my tank water. One thing you will need to watch is "alkalinity" -- not how "alkaline" the water is in terms of pH, but how resistant the water is to having its pH changed by other factors. Read here for more info: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/phalkbrackish.htm >> Additionally, one of the local pet stores has been telling me that he'll get some target puffers in soon, and these prefer (all of my numbers are from fishbase or PufferNet) 7.0.  Would this be a bad idea to group these different puffers?  Not much written on target puffers. <<Are you referring to Tetraodon leiurus? If so, the reports I'm seeing are that it is very aggressive and is best kept in its own tank. >> What's a reasonable salt level? Most people say that figure eights are freshwater, but spotted's (either nigroviridis or fluviatilis) prefer some salt.  What's you advice here? <<Several things to consider here. When they are very young, spotted puffers can tolerate freshwater; conversely, figure eights seem to be tolerant of low levels of salt (s.g. of around 1.004). The spotted puffers require more salt as they get older -- one first-hand report tells of them being in an area with specific gravities from 1.010 to 1.019. Also, the spotteds get significantly larger than the figure eights. My inclination is that the two species can be kept together for a while, in freshwater conditions and later low-brackish conditions (sg 1.002-1.006, tops). Eventually the spotted puffers will get sufficiently larger than the figure eights and the two species should be separated. Then the salinity in the system for the spotteds can be increased gradually, until it is over 1.010 when they are adults.>> and what about if I get a target puffer in there? <<I've read that they are freshwater and brackish, so IF by chance it gets along with the other puffers, it should be okay in the same conditions. From what I've read, I don't think I could recommend the combination.>> Lastly, the pet store folks simply have no idea as to what sort of spotted green variety I have, so do you have any suggestions as to how they can be told apart?  This one definitely has no spikes on its belly (mark out spotted Congo).  It also does not seem very round.  Its head is pretty large and wide, and its back and belly are relatively flat.  If I were judging from PufferNet, I'd definitely call it a fluviatilis (more the torpedo than the club), but judging from most other people it's a complete toss-up.  The guy at the pet store swore up and down that it was freshwater, but I can't say I trust him since they can't tell me which species it is, and since the other workers say it is brackish. <<The Puffernet article is the best one I know of...though I do wish it included more photos. I have to admit to not being adept at telling the two species apart.>> Thanks, and hope this isn't too long. Andy Barton <<No, not too long -- more information is good. Also, please consider sharing your experiences on the WetWeb forums at http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/index.jsp -- many of the brackish crew there would love to hear about your puffers! Thanks, Ananda>> Puffer Problems Hi Bob, As always, thanks for the great site. Here's a good one for ya... I see Puffers develop a graying area in the skin, which eventually spreads. We call it "Puffer Cancer", for lack of better terms. Once it starts, there is no repair, and the fish eventually dies. Any idea what we are dealing with here? <I have seen it in other stores and always thought it was because of use of meds.> We love our Puffs, and any input you have would be most appreciated! I only see this malady in Tetraodons, not Tobies. Is it a reaction to copper? <Could be or a reaction to formalin, malachite green, Methylene blue, either in your store tanks or your wholesalers. -Steven Pro> I await your response.

Puffer Problems Follow-up Do you have any suggestions to prevent this occurrence? <Only, not to use any meds that scaleless fish are sensitive to, but not much you can do about your wholesalers treatments. -Steven Pro>

More Puffer problems Yes, we have a green spotted puffer who has been very healthy until a few days ago.  He has stopped eating (blood worms, plankton etc), hides a great deal, is losing weight and now appears to have a slight bulge on the right side of his mouth.  I have checked into the diseases that I could find online and nothing matches this description.  There is nothing protruding to indicate internal parasites.  What could this be and what can we do about it.  Thanks, Lori. P.S. His teeth are not overgrown at this point either. <Hi Lori, You don't mention any facts about your tank, water, etc. so I can only give you a very general answer. The best place to start is matching the conditions required by your fish. Check this link for the information you need. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwpuffers.htm Any variations from the conditions provided for your puffer should be corrected. Read down to the bottom of the page to cover disease and parasites. These guys are subject to several of these, but treatable. The FAQ's and links at the top of the page will provide you with a bunch of needed info.  Good luck!  Craig>  

Re: More Puffer problems Hi again, well we lost our puffer last night.  My six year old was very upset.  We have had him about 5 months.   <very sorry to hear it. Have you read through our archives (Craig mentioned in last e-mail) for the species survey(s) and all the many FAQ pages? This is one of the most commonly mishandled fish and we get a lot of mail about puffers. Common problem include incorrect or inconsistent salinity (have you been using a hydrometer with your salt additions?), feeding small hard shelled crabs and shrimp (live ghost shrimp, tiny crayfish, hermit crabs and their shells) to wear their teeth down. Else they get overgrown in months and the fish can suffer/die from it, etc. There are many issues to know with puffers. If you haven't had a chance yet, please do navigate the archives from the homepage for more information>> Anyway, I am guessing that our water quality has never been consistent and that is what finally took his life.   <yes, my friend... a common problem. The lack of a consistent salinity is very stressful. We simply must use a hydrometer to coordinate salt levels and top off for evaporation daily to prevent swings. Hydrometers are inexpensive ($5-15) and easy to use> In a last resort to keep this aquarium for my kids let me give you the rundown.  We have a 20h with a spotted cat, 2 clown loaches, a blood parrot fish and a Gourami.   <a huge problem here... the loaches need soft acidic water, the others are somewhat similar and the puffer needs hard, alkaline and salted water (full brackish). It is inevitable that one or the other groups of fishes would die. Its like mixing polar penguins and Amazon parrots in the same cage because they are both birds... one is going to die under the standardized husbandry (if not both)> They all get along great even when the puffer was with them. <not exactly, my friend... it was only ever going to last short term. As the puffer matured it would have become increasingly aggressive and literally picked the eyes out of the other fishes. The clown loaches mature at more than 12" long and will outgrow their tank mates, possibly eat them or simply stunt and die prematurely if kept in a small aquarium. If the spotted cat is a Pimelodella (pictus), it is a fish predator and can eat live goldfish at about 2 years old. Sorry, bub... but somebody had to mention it if the LFS didn't> Anyway, we have a whisper box filter, underground filter with powerhead, do not overfeed and change the water partially at least once a week <all excellent!> and I can never keep the ammonia down in our tank for more than a day.  Each of our fish is no more than two inches long!!!! <very simple then... 1) you really might be overfeeding (which I doubt and take your word for) or 2) (my guess) Your under gravel filter has large pebbles (lousy for filtration) and/or less than 3" of gravel (too shallow for adequate bio-filtration)> In the last couple of weeks, I took out the UG filter because not only was the ammonia high but the nitrite as well.   <Doh! A properly installed UG can be an excellent filter. I would return it> Now, my ph is perfect at neutral, nitrites are zero but the ammonia is still too high.   <you need a primary bio-filter, buddette. If not the UG, then a canister filter or like unit. Again... return the UG or shell out $100 for a canister filter> Also, I cannot seem to get rid of green algae in our tank.  I know that the puffers diet was a bit messy but we were careful to feed only what he would eat.  In fact, all of our fish enjoyed "his diet" of blood worms, plankton etc.  The only thing I can figure is that the size of our tank is the issue.   <agreed... the smaller vessel is a lot more difficult/less stable> When I was a kid we had a 55 gal tank and hardly ever had to do water changes.  We changed the filter once of week and at best once a month did water changes.   <agreed> Once a year we tore down the tank.   <not necessary...ever with a properly maintained tank. Too stressful (for you and the fishes <wink>)> What am I doing wrong that is making this tank such a chore and heartbreaking to my family?   <water quality as you suspected my friend> Please help.  Thanks, Lori. <best regards, Anthony>

Puffer fish behavior Hi, my name is Caroline, and I just bought a green spotted puffer fish, and I have been searching the web trying to find information on their antics, to see what is normal and not. My fish bobs up and down along the corner of his tank, and I think it is a little odd. It would be greatly appreciated if you could tell me if this is normal or not. I just got him yesterday, so it might be adjustment, I would just like to make sure. Thanks in advance for your reply, Caroline <Yes, Caroline, these small puffers do go up and down the sides of their aquariums... perhaps in response to their own reflection... and will "sit on the bottom" as well... all normal/natural behavior. You might find more on these fishes by using the "Google Search Tool" on the bottom of the homepage, here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ Insert the word freshwater (or) brackish puffer. Bob Fenner>

Green Spotted Puffer Hi Gang, My Green Spotted Puffer has developed what looks like a whitehead on it's nose - Any ideas as to what this could be? Jason  <Hi Jason, This is likely Lymphocystis, a viral disease related to environmental/water quality.  Please test your water for wastes and make any changes necessary to improve your water.  Likely nitrates...  We get more mail on puffers than about any fish....many misconceptions and problems with water conditions. Please go to: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwpuffers.htm  and read about the conditions your puffer requires. There is much more on Lymphocystis on WetWebMedia.com...scroll to the bottom of the page and type Lymphocystis in the google search engine.  No worries, this is curable, Craig>

Re: Green Spotted Puffer Problems Please explain to me again why the fish we have are not compatible with each other. <Please see the previous four emails. There is not much else I can add.> The catfish is a pictus by the way. They all get along fine <For now> and are very healthy especially since the very unfortunate passing of our pufferfish. Their water quality has been perfect, at a pH of 7, neutral. <There are many other aspects of water quality beyond pH; presence of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, dissolved organics, hardness, oxygen, etc.> I understand that the loaches prefer acidic water and others alkaline but I have been told by other sites that as long as there is a neutral pH that pretty much all fish will adapt to and be healthy. <Fish can adapt to this middle ground, but it is not the best situation for them. It is a compromise where all live but none thrive.> I have owned pictus cats before and they have never shown aggression as someone mentioned previously. <They are capable of eating small fish.> Even in a 55 gallon tank. So except for the size of tank, why are they not compatible? Sorry to be confused. <If you are truly confused, I am sorry. We have given you the best advice we can. There is nothing more to be added at this point, but I get the distinct impression that you are not confused, you merely do not like our answers. You mention searching other websites and finding information that supports what you want to do. There is nothing else to say now. You have the information. Make your own decision. -Steven Pro>

Re: Green Spotted Puffer Problems If it was because I did not like your answers I would not even bother asking. I find that quite a rude response to someone trying to get information from all available avenues. <I have no problem with people searching out all available means of education and them making an informed decision about their situation. I find it rude and a waste of our time for someone to come back with the same question five times for the same answer.> Who is to say that all of your information is the end all be all anyway. <I never said it was. I can tell you factually how large each of those fish reaches as an adult and that a 20 gallon tank will assuredly stunt their growth and kill them.> You site should be dedicated to helping people pursue this hobby <Our website and the Q&A is available to help others help themselves.> and not try to make them feel inferior because you think you have more knowledge. <I never meant to make you feel inferior. I was just tired of repeating myself.> I represent the majority of people out there. I can assure you that most novice fish owners do exactly what the pet stores say. <Absolutely correct, but in the face of conflicting information based on the actual, undeniable adult size of your animals, you continue to doubt our collective advise to this day.> I being more than a novice pet owner know there is a middle ground between you and the pet stores. Both on opposite extremes. <I would not say that. I think many times we agree with good stores. Not all stores are bad. There are many excellent fish stores with highly trained and knowledgeable staff.> For example you say that our clown loaches need a 125 gallon tank to be "happy". <Perhaps I should have stated it differently. It will need a tank that size to turn around.> Well, I am sorry but if you are truly a fish advocate you would know that for them to be truly "happy" you would not take them out of the wild in the first place since the are all wild caught. <I am not a fish advocate. I am an industry professional, advocate, and mentor.> Again there has to be a happy medium. Anyway Steven, since you have chosen to be disrespectful I would appreciate you forwarding any future emails to your co-workers. <Do not worry, I will avoid you like the plague.> I do value some of the information I have been given but your attitude is totally unprofessional. <I found you repeatedly returning saying (to paraphrase) "So and so said I could do it. What do you think now?" disrespectful and a tremendous waste of our time. Sincerely, Steven Pro>

Green Spotted Puffer Problem Good morning guys! One of my green spotted puffers is having a problem, and I'm not sure if it's constipation or something worse. He is producing VERY large feces, and seems to be a bit sluggish. When I fed flakes yesterday, the other spotted puffer and the large Cory that shares the tank both fed, but the affected fish just mouthed the flakes and spit them back. Later in the day, I fed a ration of frozen bloodworms - which all three fish completely devoured. <Puffers should not be fed flakes, they should eat pellets and hard shelled crustacea to wear their teeth down. ghost shrimp, tiny crayfish, krill, etc> What really has me concerned about this particular puffer, though, is the presence of small red dots on his left flank, somewhat near the anus. I don't know if he has bled internally, or if these are just marks from lying on the slab of shale that he enjoys resting upon. I am really concerned, though - I love these little guys, and hate seeing one of them in less than optimum health. Any thoughts? <Sounds like a bacterial infection. Improved diet and possibly quarantine with medication. Medicated pelleted food is available from Tetra. Best Regards, Gage> Thanks, Chris

Figure of 8 puffer/green spotted puffer Please can you help me? <I will try my best!> I have 1 figure of 8 puffer and 1 spotted green puffer in s 250 litre approx. community tank with a mixture of both large and small fish including my 4 Discus which obviously means that the water is soft. They were previously together is their own tank but I thought it would be a good idea to put them in my larger tank.  The Aquatic place that I got them from said that it would be OK but I'm not so sure that it suits my dear little spotted Puffer.  He doesn't appear to be very well.  He's not eating anything anymore and one of his side fins has stopped moving or is not there at all, he is just floating around and bumping into everything.  They are both very placid fish and I don't want to lose this little guy.  Can you help?   <Were they happy and healthy in their old tank? I would move them back...pronto!> Is he in the right conditions or should I move them into their own tank again?   <Well, as sensitive as the discus are you certainly can't change their water conditions...right? If the puffers aren't going to adjust, and it sounds as if they aren't, then move them back and put something else in with the discus> What should I do to save him? <That is what I would do. David Dowless> Regards, Dena Richardson

Hurt puffer......... Hello! I have a spotted green puffer. He is in a freshwater tank with  female swordtails and guppies. I feed the other fish tetra color and I feed  him brine shrimp pellets. His tail is curled up and his left fin is  starting to rot it looks like. Not like Ich but just deteriorating. I have  only had this tank set up for a week and the day after I got the tank set up  I had baby swordtails. My fish went through a lot of stress separating the  babies from the tank so that is probably the cause of this. What could be  wrong with him? Ich? Fin rot? Maybe just a fight with another fish? :(  I love my fish so much and I don't want to loose any! :) PLEASE help  me?!?! Thanks so much! > <Likely the tail curling is nothing (this is what these puffers do) but pectoral fin is trouble... and likely due to being in a strictly freshwater environment (this species is actually more marine) and a too-limited diet... I would add "some" salt (a teaspoon per gallon ultimately... a teaspoon per day until you reach this amount... if you have no plants... or other livestock... the swords are fine... that are salt intolerant. And do look into other frozen, freeze-dried foods like Tubifex, mysids, krill, bloodworms... for your puffer. These two changes will reverse the current trend. Bob Fenner>

Green Puffer  Hi Bob!  My husband and I have 4 Green Puffers. Two adults, and 2 babies. One of the adult puffers fades really bad in color. Going from his beautiful bright green, to a pale green to where you can barely see his black spots, and then back to his beautiful green again. Is this a sign of stress? He isn't acting any different and is eating like the fat boy he is. I am hoping that you have the answer!  Thanks!  Stephanie and Doug <Thanks for writing. Likely there is nothing wrong with the "flashing" adult puffer. These fish do shift brightness and markings with their moods... this one is likely just communicating with its kin. Do take a read over the freshwater puffer section and FAQs on the www.wetwebmedia.com site for more input on their care. Bob Fenner>

Puffers and brackish water Dear Mr. Fenner, Thank you for making yourself available to us for questions! <An honor, privilege and pleasure my friend> I have two green puffers in a 5.5 gallon tank. How much ocean salt do I put in to make it brackish?  <Hmm, better to encourage you to purchase a simple "hydrometer" a tool for measuring specific gravity/density of liquids... and to "shoot for" about 1.010 or so... but not all at once. Get a good grade of "synthetic sea salt" like Instant Ocean, and add a tablespoon or so per day (over many days) till this is about so... and take care to learn about how much to add to pre-made "water change" water so it's about the same for your routine maintenance> And will doing this improve their appetites?  <Assuredly yes... and color... and health overall> I have read that they should be voracious eaters, but as yet they are not. <Try a variety of meaty foods... along with the salt additions> Thank you so much for your time!! Sincerely, Kathy Grove <You're welcome. Bob Fenner>

Puffers I was wondering if you could help me in figuring out what is on the bottom of my tank. I have two small green puffers and I feed them shrimp pellets and meal worms - as I was told by the people I bought them off of. I have been reading your web site and do plan on feeding them more of a variety. What my problem is that a cottony growth develops over the rocks and any leftover chewed up food they leave. It looks like a moldy fungus and I am afraid of what it is doing to my fish. I clean their tank once a week and this stuff appears almost right away. Do I need to stop feeding them what I have been immediately? What could be the cause of this growth and is their a way of preventing it? <Good descriptions... and yes, you are very likely correct about the "moldy fungus" here... this is probably a mix of decomposers that are having a "field day" due to the abundance of ready foodstuffs and lack of competitors for such... do look to changing your food offerings as you say, and increasing aeration, circulation and filtration here... and you will find less of this material as time goes by> Thank you so much for your time Nicole P.S. I also have a 45 gallon tank running with no fish in it because I plan on putting the puffers in their; the problem is it is very salty and I wasn't sure whether too much salt is as harmful as not enough salt?! <Yes... best to "aim for medium saltiness, and steady"... a specific gravity in the "teens" (1.011-1.018)... and pre-mix, store new water for changes... for a week or so ahead of using... and to acclimate your puffers for a day or more "per thousandth" ahead of moving them into a different system with a different specific gravity. Bob Fenner>

Puffer confusion!!! (brackish id) Dear Robert, First of all I'd like to thank you for a great website. I'm in the process of putting together my second website at the moment, and I'm running into some difficulty with classifying Pufferfish. My confusion lies in the fact that there exists t. fluviatilis and t. nigroviridis. I have been researching and trying to differentiate the two the best I can, since I'm going to be profiling them in my website, "Puffernet". If I'm not mistaken, the two are from the same part of the world (southeast Asia) but are brackish and freshwater, respectfully. Is this correct? <Both these Tetraodons are brackish and fresher water... take a look at the coverage of nigroviridis (note spelling) and fluviatilis offered on the fishbase.org site> I don't seem to be the only one confused on this matter, as many genome sites (you'd hope they would know the difference) are calling them the same fish when there's two different species as per you and fishbase). It would seem to me that t. fluviatilis has a more torpedo-like shape and is brackish, while t. nigroviridis exhibits a more club-like form and is freshwater. <Like, agree with your morphological assessment> If I am correct in my nomenclature, are there any other distinguishing characteristics for these two fish? I do realize that t. nigroviridis is an inhabitant of freshwater streams and rivers, and wish to pass that information onto the masses so these fish can be properly cared for. Once again, I was wondering if you could shed a little more light on differentiating the two fish. Thanks so much for your time. Fred <Both fishes do best in water with some consistent salt mix make-up... both pugnacious, nippy toward unwary tankmates, both require meaty foods in their diets... fluviatilis "shinier", more discrete, consistent, smaller dots... Bob Fenner>

Death of 2 puffers hi there... <Hello> will be grateful if u could help enlighten me... I bought 2 green spotted puffers... let's call em A and B... I put them in a fairly large aquarium round 4 to 5 feet wide kinds...A was pretty active when I brought it back, eating all the bloodworms I'm feeding them... but B is kinda sluggish... and when tries to eat something, A chases after it, so B gave up and I haven't seen it eating at all for few days... and soon B develops this horrid brown black colour all over it's body and start getting real skinny... after a few more days it died... I tot it was some rivalry stuff with the 2 of em so I ignored A...is still eating fine and pretty active until one day it refuses to eat and at the end of the day it turn brown like B and died... I don't know what's the problem cuz at first I thought it was the water ... I just use freshwater without adding salt) cuz some sites says that puffers can survive in freshwater... so I tot B was weaker... but then the active A sudden death just puzzles me... before they died they don't seem to have any growth whatsoever on em and the color on their body always fluctuates from yellow to brown patches... is it really hard to keep puffers?... I heard they are hardy fish and the thing is my dad rear his other tropical fishes in his tanks till the water turns green and they still seem to be all right... thanks <Yikes... very likely these "freshwater" Puffers were not so "fresh"... Please take a read over the "Freshwater Puffers" materials stored on our site: www.WetWebMedia.com and try to identify what type you had... I suspect these two perished mainly for lack of the salts found in their natural waters. Very common, and unfortunate. Bob Fenner>

My 3 Puffers Hello. I am hoping that you will be able to help me with my puffer fish. I have 3 of them, in a 6 gallon tank. They are pretty small still, and I think that they are MBU Puffers. <Yikes... a very small volume of water for this species... hard to maintain stably... and these can be very "mean" toward each other> They are the green one's with the black spots on them.  <Hmm, actually... this may be another species. Please see our site: www.WetWebMedia.com and in turn Fishbase.org for identification of this "freshwater puffer".> Lately I have noticed that their colors are changing. Sometimes the green is a deeper green and sometimes it is a more fluorescent green. But then sometimes there is some brown coloring between the white area and the green. What is this caused from?  <Could be simply "mood" changes, nutrition, water quality, even communication amongst them> I was reading some of the other people's problems with their puffers and one person said their puffers turned brown and then died. Are my fish sick?  <Maybe... most likely from "water quality" issues... may well be "brackish", needing some regular concentration of salts...> I feed them blood worms, and all 3 of them eat them aggressively, so I don't think that it's from lack of food. <Solely this one item? Their diet needs to be expanded my friend. How healthy would you be only consuming your one favorite food?> I have also noticed that one of them is always trying to jump out of the tank. Is the tank too small for them.  <Yes, for sure> I have heard that the puffers will do okay in either a large or medium size tank, and like I said before, they aren't very big. What does it mean when they don't have their tail flared compared to when they do have it flared?  <Once again, a number of possibilities: the beginning of a rapid flight/swimming due to... aggression, fear... communication?> I have also noticed lately that one of the fish is hanging out in the very top corner of the tank where he is cornered in behind the heater and the filter. Is there something wrong?  <Possibly... likely this is the more subdominant individual and it's finding solace in staying out of the way of its nippy conspecifics... do look into either a larger system, making it brackish, and/or trading in all but one of these fish.> Sorry for all of the questions, but I am new to this and I love my puffers and don't want them to die. Thanks - Kari <I appreciate this... extend your caring to investigating proper husbandry of your wet pets. Bob Fenner>

Puffer Info Hello again. Thank you very much for your advice before regarding my puffer fish. I had questions about my 3 green and black spotted puffers in a 6 gallon tank; one of them was starting to turn brown. Well, the one that was turning brown died the next morning, <Yes, sorry to learn of this loss> it was sad, but the other 2 are still ok for now. I put a couple of rocks in the tank and they seem to like that. But one is a lot bigger than the other, and is constantly starting to chase the little one around. The little one spends a lot of time hiding behind the rocks now. I am afraid that it will die. <All very typical... need larger quarters to get away from each other> It is still eating great and everything. Today I was in a pet store and I noticed that one of the tanks had little puffers the same as my small one with other bigger fish. Unfortunately I don't remember what kind of fish they were with. I was wondering if the little puffer would do okay in a 30 gallon tank that has about 5 mollies in it, a small guppy sized fish that has horizontal stripes on it, a Gourami, and 2 fish that look like bleeding hearts but they are darker shades of reddish orange. They are all pretty lively but docile in the sense that they don't nip at each other and pretty much leave each other alone. They are all bigger than the little puffer except for the one with the horizontal stripes on it. But it's an extremely fast little guy. Would the little puffer eat him? I would really like to get the little puffer out of the small tank with the mean big one in it. What do you think? Thanks! Kari <Well... the Puffer is not likely to be bothered too much by the fishes you list... in fact, the Puffer is much more likely to bite bits out of some of the new tankmates... You ought to check the physical/chemical requirements/ranges of these fishes to assure that they are mixable... maybe on fishbase.org... many of the fish species you list tolerate/enjoy hard alkaline, even brackish water, the "tetras" you tentatively identify do not... Bob Fenner>

Juvenile Green Puffer I have two green spotted puffer, and two figure eight puffer's in a 30 gallon brackish aquarium. All have been living peacefully together (more or less :) for a couple weeks now. My question; one of the green spotted puffers developed a cloudy "film" over one eye last night while I slept. Do you have any idea what this could be? <A "sort of secondary" infection, likely bacterial, stress-related... likely from the system being so new... crowded puffer-wise... and likely will solve itself> None of the other fish have any evidence of this, and the one fish with the cloudy eye still seems to be swimming around healthy, and eating. Did he maybe get in a fight? Or do you think he is sick? Thanks for your AWESOME site, and priceless advice. Good-day! <Maybe a fight, and not really so "sick" as in treatable for a condition, agent. I'd just keep the system on an even keel and wait this out. And you're welcome. Bob Fenner>

Pufferfish (brackish...) Hi Bob, Thank you so much for all the information on this website. We recently (3 weeks ago) added a spotted green puffer fish to our established freshwater plant and fish tank (30 gallons). He seems to be doing very well. We feed him living and frozen brine shrimp. Just today, I noticed that he has two small white spots on his one side. I'm very worried about this.  <Are they "symmetrical", as in evenly placed on both sides of the body? If so, these may be nothing more than "tubercles"... natural structural parts of the puffers body... Otherwise, you may have cause for concern... as this isn't really a freshwater fish, as you likely know, but a brackish animal... that likely has too different water quality requirements than your plants, likely your fishes as well... As in a need for hard, alkaline water with ionic/salt content: http://wetwebmedia.com/fwpuffers.htm > From looking over your site, I think I should feed him a more well rounded diet (addition of blood worms?  <A good idea... a favorite food of this group, as are tubificid/black worms> I've tried dried plankton, he hates that), and maybe add some salt to our tank. But we do have some plants and other fish, including Corydoras julii, Siamensis, and albino shrimp, so I am worried about adding salt into the system.  <You should be... the Corydoras can take some salt, the shrimp, not much...> The fish store supposedly has acclimated their puffer fish to freshwater. <Though they cannot live permanently in "very" freshwater... this species migrates in/out of the sea...> I really love this Pufferfish, so I am willing to do what it takes to keep him healthy. Your help is greatly appreciated. <In any length of time (months) this animal will need different water conditions. I know this is hard to come to grips with... but I'd either trade it back in, or place it in a different type of system... There are other brackish livestock, including fishes, invertebrates and plants... but what you have cannot practically be kept together. We can/should chat this over if it's not clear. Your friend in fish, Bob Fenner> Sincerely, Carina Howell

Green/gold puffer Robert,  first off, a very informative sight. <Where? Oh, you mean site...> Next, a question which no one at the pet store could answer. I bought a freshwater green/gold puffer. All was well until she (I am assuming it is a she) got sluggish. A couple of days, she was hanging on, not doing too well. However, I noticed a small bubble egg-sack with eggs inside. It was laid on the slant of a rock. My questions are : does this sound like an egg-sack? <Maybe, but not of a puffer> also, does this breed lay pre-fertilized eggs?  <No, egg scatterers, no parental care... eggs float about in the epipelagic environment...> or does the male come  and fertilize after?  <They spawn (release their gametes/sex cells) into the environment after a bit of "courting-dance"> it seems that throughout the past days, the eggs are getting more white (or yolky?) <Likely "fungussing"... if these are eggs (from somewhere), they are "going bad", decomposers consuming them> for now, I have removed the dead puffer and all other fish to see what happens. I have a real small tank (under 5) and want to see if they will hatch (or if they are even fertilized) Also, how long approximately does it take from lay to hatch? I appreciate your expertise, Glenn <Do you have any snails in this system? Other sorts of life? Bob Fenner

Re: green/gold puffer Robert thank you for the response. here is the thing...there were only two other animals in the tank. One a guppy which the sack is bigger than, and a snail smaller than half a pinky-nail....Leading me to believe that it was the puffers work. These are the only three to have ever inhabited the tank. Now, the sack is in there alone. Any ideas? <Hmm, think this may be that small snail, or perhaps others hiding in your substrate... Next most likely possibility, an insect (from outside the tank) using your system to reproduce... next category? Algae of different sorts that look "egg sack like"... Have you got an inexpensive microscope (up to fifty power?) or friends in a bio. lab with same? Perhaps a closer look would be revealing. Bob Fenner>

Re: green/gold puffer I've got a microscope...ill take a look. thanks for your help. <Ah, and likely a doctorate in invertebrate zoology! Make it known if I may be of assistance my friend. Bob Fenner>

Eating Problems Hi there, I just browsed through your FAQ page and I think you may be the only one to help me. I have a common spotted puffer (the brackish variety), about 1.5in. long in a 10 gal. tank. Actually, there WERE two of them...unfortunately I fell for an undergravel filter system which, because it trapped all the waste, caused my nitrite levels to skyrocket. (strangely, the ammonia was fine) Daily water changes did nothing to alleviate the problem, probably because the readings were way off the charts. The one little fellow died as a result (I think that's what it was, anyway). Not wanting to kill another, I took the whole system out and replaced it with a canister filter (Aquaclear). The powerhead from the undergravel is still in there (with a small Quickfilter) for extra movement and hopefully so a biological filter will develop in there.  <Yes> The nitrite levels are fine now BUT, and here's my current problem: the fish won't eat (at least not the way he should). Even in the cruddy water, he ate like a pig, but now he just picks at his food. Furthermore, he likes to explore the tank a lot (tons of rock-caves), and every once in a while, he disappears behind the powerhead. Whenever he reappears from there, his belly is completely black. After a couple of minutes, he'll go back to a nice bright white (belly) but I am a little worried. Could he just be moody (as was suggested by the LFS)?  <Yes, likely so> Also, I put a java fern in there, hoping it would live, and so far it's looking pretty good (except when he tears chunks out of it). I read that it is a good idea to make plant matter available to them as food every once in a while. Does this go for all puffers? <To some extent, yes> My species? He seems to love it (at least he did, when he still ate...). Besides the plant, he gets a variety of silver sides, brine shrimp, salad shrimp (the little ones from the supermarket) and blood worms (all frozen) and (when I can get them form a reputable tank) live snails. He hasn't had snails lately, but he's not interested in any of the other stuff. Any ideas?  <Likely no problem here. Some residual reaction from the nitrite poisoning... and these puffers do go on feeding strikes for no apparent reason from time to time> Also, I'm getting conflicting info on the salinity levels: some say 0.800, others 1.005 and others again 1.020. Mine is at around 1.008-1.010. Could this be the problem? <Could be a contributing factor... the high side I'd use is 1.010... low 1.005> How quickly should I elevate salinity if it's too low?  <Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/bracmaint.htm> The LFS had him in water which was barely spiced. Anyway, could it be that he's still getting used to the new system?  <Yes> Is he, maybe lonely?  <Not likely> I know they're supposed to get nasty as they get older but these two seemed to play really nicely together. I plan to get him another buddy but not until I get everything straightened out perfectly. I'm still doing frequent water changes, but I test for levels first so I don't stress him unnecessarily. He gets treated with StressCoat (when necessary) and I add Stress Zyme with every water change. Also, my pH levels are right around 7.0. <Should be a bit higher...> Again, I've gotten conflicting info on ideal levels, but the general consensus seems to be that it should be a little more alkaline. I didn't want to mess around with too many things at once, but could this be the solution for my problem? <Once again, likely a contributing factor> (If so, how quickly do I change the pH level?) Anyway, I think I've written too much but I'm hoping you can give me the info I need. Many thanks, Nina <Do read over the WetWebMedia.com re pH/Alkalinity in freshwater systems. Bob Fenner>

Re: Puffer Eating Problems Very grateful for the quick and helpful response. He IS eating now, just not as quickly as he should. Again, thank you very much. Nina <Good to hear/read of the improved appetite. Should continue to do so. Bob Fenner>

Spotted puffer Hi I have a question about Pufferfish. I bought a spotted puffer about 2 months ago and he acts and looks really healthy. The other day I noticed something strange , he turned a different shade. He was laying near an ornament I have and was really dark. When I looked in the tank he came swimming over to me like always and his color went back to his normal shade. A friend of mine has a spotted and a figure 8 and he said he noticed the same thing only one of his turns lighter. Is this normal?  <Yes, normal> Do they do this for camouflage? Or is it a mood thing? <Both as far as I'm concerned. Bob Fenner>

Interesting puffer observation Hi Bob, I was wondering if you could give me your opinion on something that has been puzzling me regarding the green spotted puffer. I have spoken to you before, I have a large tank with 15 puffers, a mixture of figure 8's (Tetraodon biocellatus) and Green Spotted (Tetraodon nigroviridis.) I have been keeping puffers for a long time and have a keen interest in them. On observation of my puffers I notice that there is a distinct difference between the green spotteds and for some time I have been convinced that some of them may be a slightly different species. I have attached a picture (scanned for viruses-don't worry) for your to view. I find that some of them are rounder in the face with large spots and black eyes and a more 'cartoony' appearance. Others have a longer nose with very reflective blue eyes and a wiser look about their face and more erratically patterned spots (as in the top picture.) Do you think there could be a slight difference? I have looked up all the literature I could find and they all seem to be labeled as the same species. Only one of my specimens displays these blue eyes and it is very young, perhaps this goes with age? <Have noticed these differences at times as well... think they may be due mainly to size, geographic variation... perhaps developmental history (winners, alpha types versus not)... Worth investigating the root papers dealing with the morphometrics of the species. Could be searched through fishbase.org to start bibliography. Bob Fenner> Kris

Picked a Peck of Pimpled Puffers (marine, but applicable to FW puffers as well) Mr. Fenner, <Geri...Anthony Calfo here answering Bob's mail while he is away studying to become a Tibetan Sherpa> I have 3 small green spotted puffers in a 30 gal brackish tank.  <adorable fish... you are keeping them brackish, right? what's your salinity?> They are all eating well and are very lively. I have had them about two weeks and two of them have developed small bumps (no discoloration-just raised areas) under their skin. The bumps were first noticed on their bellies and now one fish has a couple on his side. I need help in determining what these bumps are and if I need to treat them. Please reply-Thanks for the advice. <tough to diagnose from a general description of the symptom, but here goes: if the bumps/dots are symmetrical and identical in size... and not larger than a common grain of salt (as opposed to an uncommon 5lb grain...in which case you can forget the quarantine tank and just find a small deer to lick it off, hehehe) you may very well be dealing with an external parasite. Not at all uncommon with this species and not as obvious to you compared to pictures of large-scaled fishes in books. You must be very careful using medication with these fish and follow manufacturer's recommendations for scaleless fishes (or halve the dose for twice the time). Otherwise, large or asymmetrical bumps will rule out most if not all common parasites and you'll look for other pathogenic symptoms. I would highly recommend Dieter Untergasser's Handbook of Fish Diseases. A great and easy to understand book with pictures and fool-proof flow charts. We need to narrow the puffers condition down before we medicate. In the meantime... look for medicated fish food at the LFS and maintain consistent water quality. I'm (educated) guessing that your fish have common white spot and will need a parasite medication. Keep us posted, Anthony>

Pufferfish (again!) Hi Bob, Please accept my apologies for burdening you with yet another Pufferfish question! <Okay> I recently obtained an attractive 30 UK gal tank as a gift and I have chosen to be boring and fill it with brackish puffers as with all my other tanks!  <Nice gift> I have heard from various sources that keeping two puffers together results in one being dominant and bullying the other to death whereas keeping them in a small group would ease the one on one bullying as it has in my 150gal puffer tank. My proposed stocking ideas for my 30 gal is either two figure eights puffers or one green spotted puffer on its own (or if I have any luck, a Ceylon Puffer!) Would it be wiser for me to add 3 figure of eights so its more of a group?  <Yes> Or would it be better to go for just one larger fish such as a Green Spotted rather than keeping several Figure of eights together in a small tank? Many thanks for your advice once again, <Worth trying the group first. Do keep an eye out, perhaps a phone call in to suppliers for "oddball" puffers in their imported shipments... from Africa, Asia... there are very often "contaminants"... not-listed species mixed in... Bob Fenner> Kris

A Puffer by any other name would smell... Hi! <Hi, Trish... Anthony Calfo here answering Bob's mail while he is away on a fantasy fish collecting trip, as we are told, wearing nothing but a natural bikini made from the hide of a capybara that he caught himself, and armed only with a buck knife clenched between his teeth> I recently bought 4 baby puffers - the spotted green kind. <AKA: Green Puffer, Spotted Puffer, Leopard Puffer, etc.>  However, different websites seem to give it different Scientific names. Some say it's TETRAODON FLUVIATILIS, others say it's TETRAODON NIGROVIRIDIS. <I'm not certain...Bob can confirm, but it is my understanding that they are one in the same and that T. nigroviridis is the valid name> The pictures of both species on the internet look the same so I can't tell which species mine is. My puffers have an iridescent green background with round spots. What is the difference between Tetraodon Fluviatilis and Tetraodon Nigroviridis? Would really appreciate it if you can clear up my confusion...Thanks, Trish <I'll borrow your confusion and add it to my own cerebral clutter... best of luck to you, Anthony>

Unwell Leopard Puffer Fish >Hi, >>Hello, Marina here, but am also sending this to the resident brackish expert, Ananda. >About three weeks ago, I purchased two Leopard Puffer Fish (about 1" long).  They're currently in a 90 Gallon Brackish Water aquarium that I've had for about two years.  Partial water changes are made religiously once a week.  The one puffer fish is doing fine, looks healthy/eats/moves around a lot.  The other puffer started off fine, but after a few days, I noticed his belly had a few thin dark lines.  It almost looked as if food had leaked out of his stomach, but not through the surface of his skin.  Since then (about three weeks), his belly has gradually gone from white, to a dark black color (from his tail, moving up towards his head).  He spends a lot of time laying at the bottom of the tank, still get's excited during feeding time, but seems to have problems eating (choking). As of today, I also noticed ick in the tank (two visible ick cysts on our Australian Finger Fish, and upon closer inspection, both puffers are speckled with ick as well).  I returned to the pet store to learn that the puffers we purchased were from a tank that was placed under quarantine shortly afterwards due to ick. >>Great.  At least you know, yeah? >I'm now treating my tank with ick medication, but my concern is still with the one 'black bellied' puffer.  Could this have been caused by the ick?  The other puffer does not seem affected in the same way, and aside from the ick, all other fish are doing fine.  Should I be considering some sort of internal parasite or infection?  I asked some of the employees at the Pet store and got strange looks as a result.  Searching the internet has not provided me with much information on any Puffer Fish related illnesses.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. >>I'm giving you this link on f/w puffer FAQ's.. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/fwbracpuffaqs.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwpufffaqs2.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/bracpuffaq2.htm Please follow the links within links, sorry I can't be of better help at this time.

Specific gravity for a green-spotted puffer? <Ananda here today fielding the puffer questions...> I bought what I think it a Tetraodon nigroviridis about 6 months ago.  The store had it in water with a specific gravity of 1.016, but because this did not correspond with most of the research I'd done, I took it down to about 1.005.  Do you agree with this, and is this puffer that specific as to what its salt level can be? <Actually, this puffer can go from fresh water as a baby to full marine water as an adult. One guy in Malaysia reported finding them in the wild in waters with the specific gravity ranging from 1.012 to 1.019. These were probably the larger fish, which would be more visible.> I ask for two reasons, which I hope you'll comment on.  First, the puffer is now much less colorful than it was when I first got it.  It went from a bright yellow with distinct spots to a dull grayish color with less distinguished spots.  I'd like the brightness, but I also want the fish to live. <I'd say he'd appreciate some more salt.> Secondly, I have two larger tanks.  My 55 gallon has two Brazilian puffers and three figure eights, and this tank has very little salt.  My 30 gallon houses this spotted puffer in 1.005 water.  My wife and I are thinking of turning the 30 gallon into a salt water system, and I'm wondering if this spotted puffer would do fine in the fresh system with the other puffs, or if it could even stay in the 30 and go to salt.  Or if neither would be a good thing. <How big is the puffer? If you gradually turn this into a saltwater system, your puffer should be fine. Do check out our puffer FAQs, starting with the links here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/fwbracpuffers.htm > Thanks, Andy B <You're welcome. --Ananda>

More on green-spotted puffers and specific gravity... Thanks for the response.  This puffer is about 2.5 inches.  Do you think it is too early to take it up to 1.019? <Probably not... but personally, at that size, I'd keep it lower -- maybe 1.010 or so.> By the way, I did look at the wetwebmedia puffer links, but on this particular puffer no salinity info is given.   <Hmm. Another thing to add to the to-fix list...> Thanks again. Andy b <You're welcome. --Ananda>

Copper and puffers (07/26/03) <Hi! Ananda here tonight...> 1. Had beautiful gold spotted puffer in tank with serious ich outbreak.  LFS said treat with copper power in show tank.  NOW know that was a bad idea. <I would never treat anything in a show tank...> Conscientious Marine Aquarist suggested puffer fish OK with copper Ananda said get out of copper and do daily water changes in QT tank Which is right????? <To some degree, both. I always try to steer people away from using copper with puffers and other scaleless fish because they are *so* touchy with copper. While it is *possible* to treat puffers with copper, it is also *difficult* to maintain the copper at a level which is sufficient to kill the parasites without endangering the puffer. (As an example, a couple of days ago, one reader lost a puffer moments after putting it into a coppered tank. The tank had been used to treat an angel, which survived the same level of copper that was lethal for the puffer.) Add to that the fact that copper will also kill all beneficial bacteria in a setup, and that means the hospital tank is likely to have some ammonia -- which is deadly to any fish. The combination could easily prove too much for a puffer to take. Freshwater dips are significantly less dangerous to the puffers (as long as you keep their heads submerged so they can't gulp air!). And the daily water changes are designed to do accomplish two things: keeping the ammonia levels down and removing any ich from the bottom of the tank.> 2.Also, tank had constant bubbles from Iwaki 55rlt pump with wrong sump ( too small) and couldn't keep up with water flow and was sucking air too.  Is this a source of stress for fish? <It could be.  --Ananda> Thanks, Russ

Redtail Catfish death, is a GSP the Culprit? Our South American Redtail Catfish looked like it went into shock, and eventually died awhile later. We have a green spotted puffer in the tank too, is the puffer poisonous, and could he have killed the catfish? The catfish was a very good size, a lot larger than the puffer. Ricardo & Stephanie <GSP's are not "that" toxic... the cause of death very likely unrelated. Most often Phractocephalus die from mis-feeding (feeder goldfish, or choking on another too-large, spiny fish), or "jump out"... Bob Fenner> 

New GSP Owner 3/19/05 <Hi, Pufferpunk here> I have read lots of things on the web about GSPs and the set up of their tanks. I have two in separate tanks, 1 - 10 gal & 1 - 20 gal. and I just love them. I have been all over your website and have gained lots of information. I thank you. I know have a better idea of how to control the levels in the tank and keep my little guys happy. My question is just how big will they grow? I have seen 3" to 6". Does this depend on the size of the tank? Or do they have a max growth? My last question is how long do they usually live?  <Their growth & lifespan will be greatly reduced in a smaller tank. They grow to 6" & live into their teens, with the proper housing & care. It looks like you must have missed the most important info we have on these puffers: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm  ~PP> 

Pufferpunk's Sick Puffer Thu, 17 Mar Hi all, I know I'm Pufferpunk & should have all the puffer answers, but my own green spotted puffer (T nigriviridis) has stumped me. I keep his water pristine (50% weekly water changes) & none of his puffer/non-puffer tank mates are sick. I can't imagine what has compromised his immune system like this. His eyes are so cloudy, he's practically blind & his fins are fraying. He looks as if he's interested in food, but can't find it, cause he's blind. The other 2 puffers have rallied around him & the damsels keep going over as if to say, "Are you ok?" Any advice here? I'm treating with Melafix & water changes right now. I do not have a extra tank large enough to quarantine him--he's 6". ~Jeni <Does sound like a deficiency syndrome... have you tried force-feeding this fish? I would... Is the lighting very bright over this tank? Bob F> 

Re: Pufferpunk's Sick Puffer Bob, It's only been a few days & he is already quite plump, so I don't think force feeding is necessary as of yet. I found an old response in my puffer forum about cloudy eye in a porcpuff, from Leslie:  "It could be a bacterial or fungal infection. It's hard to say. I have a friend who has been using 7cc of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) in 1 liter of clean tank water for an 11 minute dip. He swears by it and has been using it for 25 years." Are you familiar with this? I still can't account for the frayed fins.  This is very strange. What would cause a fish's immune system to crash like that? ~Jeni <Is it both eyes affected? And only one fish... Is strange... the dip idea is a good one... relatively safe and effective... I would super-dose the system with a HUFA/Vitamin mix as well. Bob F> 

Re: Pufferpunk's Sick Puffer Ok, he's in the peroxide dip right now, since I already have that in the house. Does peroxide have a shelf life? <It does... particularly if it's been opened...> It's pretty old. How often should I be doing this? Should I leave him in there longer than 11 minutes? ~Jeni <No more than this time. BobF> 

Anthony's Take on Pufferpunk's Sick Puffer and MelaFix I really think Melafix and many other such homeopathic treatments are at best "stimulating", but really touted way too much as "cures" for a wide range of ailments. I suspect a search of the archives will reveal far more queries in frustration that the tea oil did not cure Ich, balding, jock itch and everything else they claim this product treats. I do believe it has some efficacy... but claiming (as they did at least at first) that it treats bacteria AND parasites AND X other things... is... well... hard to believe. And apparently hard to quantify. Requests for data to back it up have been ignored. Ahh... the pet industry. Hmmm... point of this rant: I would not use such tea oils as a first course of action with expressed pathogenic symptoms. Rather... save your Melafix for QT on arrival as a "preventative". It worries me to so many people opt this way first instead of using proven medications :( The time lost is often at the cost of fishes lives. Lest there be any doubt of my perspective, I'm friends with an Aqua Pharm rep... and got gallons of the product to try when it first came out. Used them when I was wholesaling a few hundred to one thousand+ fish each week. I used it weekly for the better part of a year before giving up. It seemed to mildly help some maladies... but really did not live up to the claims at the time. FWIW My advice... get this fish into bare-bottomed isolation. Use the standard Nitrofurazone/Furazolidone cocktail for at least 5 days (follow mfg dosage). Add B12 to the food if the fish is eating... or to the water if not (appetitive stimulant, proven ;)). If you want to continue Melafix. No worries... all good. For other homeopathic meds: garlic and beta glucan (for parasites and immunity boosting respectively). If parasites are indicated at any point... formalin and malachite watched closely (short baths or in the QT tank). Best of luck!  Anthony <Marina's note: It didn't help my dandruff, either!>

Re: Pufferpunk's Sick Puffer - Don't Use Ten Year Old H2O2 Since that peroxide solution is probably 10 years old (or older) & has been opened for that long, I think I should do it again. How often should I do this--several times/day, daily? ~J <Once should do it. B> 

Michael Maddox's Opinion on the Puffer From personal experience, I will have to agree regarding the anti-biotic treatment. As much as I am against  indiscriminate use of these medications, cloudy eyes\frayed fins usually indicated a bacterial infection, as well as the possibility of abuse by tankmates. We like to attribute human characteristics to animals, but puffers are NOT each others' friends, and I know from first hand accounts they will kick each other while they're down, every single time. Please isolate him ASAP, before another puffer decides to make him into a chew toy! (learned this the hard way, 9 years ago ^ ^). Good luck! Let us know how he\she fares.  M. Maddox

Quick Update on Pufferpunk's Puffer Conveyed this morning: after the H202 dip (with fresh H202) the puffer's eyes are noticeably clearer.

Justin's Suggestions for Pufferpunk's Sick Puffer Well if you cannot get this guy into another tank, do you have access to any large Rubbermaid containers?  That will do for a q/t as well. But get him out of the main tank.  Anyway please q/t this guy for several reasons, one I dont think its tank mates are saying hello, as other puffers and damsels are notorious for picking on the weak and sickly, especially at night. Also you need to get an antibiotic in the water ASAP not tea oil anymore. I use Fungus Eliminator by Jungle Products since it has two antibiotics, Nitrofurazone and Furazolidone. Which should help its general well being. If you truly cannot treat outside its tank this can be added into the display without staining or killing off the bacteria cycle... Also that tea oil is probably doing more harm than good right now, as it irritates the fish to force them to heal, and that might be creating more of a problem then the puffer can handle. If you must use MelaFix in the q/t you can but do be very watchful. Also go buy a marine predator pack of frozen food cubes. These have shrimp, clams and other foods in it as well as having a very appetizing smell for the GSP (mine finds it seconds after it hits the water, even if its hidden behind power heads etc as it floats) if it wont eat this should help it to and it will keep the teeth down as well.  Hope it does ok, and gets back to normal. I am sending you another email with other info enclosed solely for you as well on this. <Justin (Jager)>

Thread-Like Worms 3/12/05 Dear Crew, <Hi, Pufferpunk here> I have a GSP in a 10 gallon brackish tank. The fish appears fine and is eating fine. His right gill slit is slightly opened (you can see a pocket of pink) compared to the left but he is not laboring to breathe. I think he was like that since I purchased him 1 month ago? No parasitic infestations are apparent on the fish. There are however wiggly 3 to 5mm thread-like worms swimming freely in the water and appear to be multiplying (not sure). The fish is fed frozen and dried krill, blood worms and brine shrimp and also live snails a few times per week. He is feed once a day six days a week. The GSP is uninterested in these creatures but are these worms parasites and potentially harmful to the puffer? They do not appear to be Planaria or leaches or insect larvae. They might have a head-really hard to make out however. Please advise or reference. <The white worms you speak of appears in tanks that are overfed and contain less than optimal water. They are harmless, but the fact that they're in the tank means you need to feed less & do more water changes (50% weekly is recommended). A 10g will not hold a GSP for long. See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm  ~PP>

Brackish Fish 3/3/05 Thanks PP <Sure!> However, if frontosa cichlids aren't brackish water fish, then someone ought to ring up Petco, who sells them with other African cichlids as brackish water fish!! <I wouldn't trust anything a chain store like that says & believe less than half of what most LFS tell you.> The frontosa's been doing extremely well in my brackish water tank... <For now--they are not BW fish & are not equipped to handle the salt, long-term. Especially the salinities GSPs require.> ...with the silver- tipped cat sharks either way, eating small pellets and guppies. So now I have four 4 silver- tipped catsharks, 4 African cichlids, and one frontosa. Again this is a brackish tank. I have been adding one whole box of sea salt for my 36 gallons of which I change the water every 2 1/2 weeks. <You really need a hydrometer to know the exact specific gravity of your water.> I want to return 3 African cichlids and add 2 BW figure 8 or spotted puffers. <Sorry to tell you, but that tank is only large enough for 1 GSP, as they grow to 6" as adults & need a minimum of 30g ea. Didn't I give you the link on their care? http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm  The catfish will grow to 18" each, so I'd return them too.> Please advise, -Raulph <I feel you have some rethinking to do on your tank. ~PP> 

Puffers in Tight Quarters 3/3/05 <Hi, Pufferpunk here> Hello, I've got 3 GSPs, 2 at about the same size and doing fine but I also have a little tiny one too (a pup) and it will swim around like a mad man but MOST of the time it just sits at the bottom of the tank like its almost afraid of the others or like its sick. Any suggestions on what's happening?  <The larger 2 most definitely could be picking on your little one, but I couldn't tell for sure, without your posting water parameters. Ammonia, nitrItes, nitrAtes, pH, SG?> Also I noticed my Mono had like a scratch on him near his dorsal fin but not actually on the fin. Do you think one of the puffers attacked him? They're in a 15 gallon tank but I'm getting a 36 gallon tank soon. Will this help? <A larger tank would help, but a 36g tank is not large enough, if you planning on keeping the puffers to maturity, as they grow to 6" & need at least 30g each. See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm.  The mono will get bitten by the puffers. They also are schooling fish that grow to 1 foot. I'd upgrade that tank as soon as possible! ~PP>

Green Spotted Puffers 2/24/04 Dear Crew: <Hi, Pufferpunk here> I recently purchased 2 small FW Spotted Puffers at my local fish store. After introducing these fish into a 38 gal. tank w/Cichlids, they were attacked by 2 of the bigger fish. The bigger fish did no damage to the Puffers. Soon after the attack the 2 larger fish were floating on their bellies. I filed a complaint with the store, but nobody could answer my question. Are these fish poisonous to other fish? <Yes, in addition to the fact they have very though skin, they can puff to 5x their normal size & produce prickly spikes to make a very unpleasant meal, their skin & organs are also poisonous. Have you ever heard of eating fugu? 1% death rate, among folks that eat it. Your LFS also mislead you about their being FW. These are high-end BW fish that require SW as adults. See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm  If these are the only fish left in your tank, you can now make it BW. ~PP> 

How much salt for GSPs? Hey Pufferpunk! <Hey yourself!> I was using African Cichlid salt but I guess that isn't considered Marine salt?   <Nope> I went out and bought some Red Sea salt.  On the directions it says to use 1.4 lbs per 5 gallons.  What is the proper amount to use for my brackish tank?  I was going with a tablespoon per 5 gallons of the African mix. <1 tbsp/5 gallons probably won't even register on a hydrometer.  It takes around a cup of salt/5g to raise the SG by .005.> I also bought a hydrometer.  I tried using it but either there is almost no salinity in the water or I am not using the tool correctly.  I bought the Instant Ocean one and it starts at .001 .  My tank is registering at .004.  Is that correct?  I read the directions and I just filled the whole thing up till the whole thing is full.  HELP!! <I don't understand. You say it won't register (as I would expect, with the small amount of salt you are using), but you also say your tank is registering at .004 (do you mean 1.004?)?  Here's a great link for your puffers: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm  ~PP<

Green Spotted Puffer 4/16/05 <Hi, Pufferpunk here. For future reference, please try searching our site & FAQs for answers before coming here. Not that we don't want to help, it's just that the answers are there, if you look. Also, please use proper capitalization & punctuation, as I have to correct all of that, before it can be posted into our FAQs, thanks.> I have a 55 gallon and I purchased a green spotted puffer last week. I have him with a cichlid and other tropical fish. For some reason no one harms him. Anyway my question is, why did his color go away? He looked yellow/green with spots now he looks brown w/spots. The guy told me to add A+ aquarium salt. Also to the Texas cichlid his color became brown. What's wrong? Please help! <Start out by reading: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm. If you have more questions after that, you can write back & I'll be happy to answer them. ~PP> 

Green Smelly Water        Hi, again. <Hi, Don here today. Just got done reading your earlier questions to get up to speed with the advice given by Jorie and Mike D.> Well, I didn't know that about being able to tell about how far along a fish is in pregnancy. As you probably can tell I am a beginner at all this. <As we are all/were> I just want to try to do things right, I am very much an animal lover and I don't want to hurt any animal (fish or otherwise) in any way. <Agreed>         To answer your question on the 2 green-spotted puffers I just got, no they have not killed each other yet. <"Yet" being an important part of that sentence. Some will get along fine then one day you wake up to only one puffer> Actually, they seem quite content with each other. The only time they show any slight irritation with each other is when they eat. All they do then is if one is going for food that the other one is trying to get, it will chase the other one off a little bit. Other than that they are always by each other. I do plan to move them to a bigger tank in the near future, but right now they are both small and have plenty of room to swim and play and eat. <They will grow to about 6" and need brackish to full salt to live a healthy, full life. Read here for more info from Pufferpunk, our keeper of all puffer knowledge. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm >        Thank you for the compliment on my persistence. I don't work and I always wanted to have an aquarium full of fish (and now I have 4 aquariums) and like I said before I love animals of all kinds. <An aquarium "full of fish" is not a good aquarium. Much better to have a few well kept "display quality" fish then a bunch that are small and unhealthy from overstocking> Oh, by the way still no babies, but that's ok she will eventually have them. <Yep, I assume you are referring to the guppies from the earlier post here>            Sorry, I do have another question. <No problem> I am looking to give a home to 11 different varieties of goldfish. I can't keep them, I am having trouble with my 55 gallon tank that I have them in. My water is always green and smells horrid, <If it smells bad to you, imagine what your fish are thinking> I was told that the goldfish are the reason the water is like that. <Yep, Too many of these large waste producers> I have to change the water at least 2 -3 times a week to keep the water from smelling so bad and to keep the ammonia levels down. I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both of my hands <Ouch, I understand the pain> and I just can't keep up with that tank. Do you know how I can try to find them a home? I am not looking to get any money off of them, I just want them to go where they will be taken good care of. I have tried calling a few local pet stores but they said they weren't interested. Again sorry for taking your time up, I just finally found someone who knows what they are talking about. Trust me I have gotten some really bad advice. <Wow, eleven goldfish in a 55 would be a challenge. Look into a Python siphon system. It hooks to your tap and will both drain and refill your tank. No more bucket lugging and lifting. Even has a gravel vac nozzle to get all the waste out. I'm sure it will save you a lot of pain in maintaining four tanks. But you still need to lower the number of fish in the 55. Just take them to the LFS, don't call ahead. I'm sure they get that call several times a week and have been told to say no. But if you just show up with some nice fancy goldfish, I bet they take them. As to the green, smelly and ammonia tainted water, you are under filtering and over feeding. Even if you are feeding the fish the perfect amount to thrive, it's too much for your filter to process into nitrite, and finally nitrate. Reducing the bio load, cleaning the gravel and adding more bio filtration will clear the tank. I like Marineland's Bio Wheel design. They take a little work to maintain, but do a great job of removing ammonia and nitrite. But even the best filter will not slow the water changes needed for this many goldfish. You'll still be doing 2 or 3 a week to control nitrates. Lowering the number of fish and removing waste via a gravel vac will help greatly. Don>     

Maid Service for GSP Tank? 3/7/04 <Hi, Pufferpunk again> All right, everything so far has been right on point. Thanks man. <Hmmm, I'm a girl =o)> Got the snail business down. Got the brackish water in progress. Now, I have one GSP in a 20 gallon tank. <Great!> I would like to add just one more something or other that can take care of a little algae, but something that the puffer won't tear up. <Algae growth also needs to be removed by the fish keeper.  There are no BW algae eaters that can live with a GSP.  (Sorry, youll have to do your own maid service!)  Because of their aggressiveness towards tank mates and the high amount of salt they prefer, there are not many fish that can live with them as companions in general, or for clean up. Any suggestions or do I have to scrape around like I hate doing (thank god for Plecos in my cichlid tank). I thought about adding a little pleco but they get so damn big. I want the puffer to have as much space as possible. <Only after my puffers were raised to SW, was I able to  trick them into letting me keep hermit crabs with them by scattering many empty shells around the substrate.  They just cant tell the hermit crabs are there.  (Have lost a few though)  Of course, it's in a very heavily decorated 55g tank.  Check out my tanks if you wish: http://wetwebfotos.com/Home?actionRequest=userview&userID=1918> I also thought about throwing some of my bigger snails in there, but I guessed their tentacles would be chomped over the first night. Thanks again ... <Yes, snails=puffer food!  ~PP>

GSP Problem? 2/29/04 <Pufferpunk again> Ok. I have a problem. I have started salting my tank for my puffer. <Are you using marine salt?  What SG is it at?> I also started feeding him shrimp from the grocery store, but now all he wants to do is lay on the bottom of the tank. I put him in a breeder net so that he isn't out of my sight so that I can make sure he is ok, but I am VERY concerned. <I'm afraid that may stress him out.  Leave him to swim where he wants.> I really love my puffer. His belly looks like it is very full and he doesn't want to eat, so I don't think he is starving again like when I first got him from the fish store. Do you know what might be wrong with him? <I don't understand.  Is he eating?  When puffers are extremely full, they can't swim very well & may sit on the bottom of the tank rolling back & forth on their full belly.  Maybe he's been overfed.> I would really appreciate your help with this. Thanks, Tim <Good luck, let me know if there's anything else I can do.  Have you read the article just posted on the website on GSPs?  ~PP>

Feeding Green Spotted Puffers 2/29/04 Great article, thanks! <thanks a lot!  ~PP> Now about the snails: I have 3 pond snails I'm trying to get to breed. It's only been 2 weeks so I'm sure I need to give it more time. I'll be adding 2 more snails this week to try and up the chance. Try raising the temp in the snail tank.  If not (just a bowl, or something too small) just be patient.  Supplement snails from as many LFS as you can get to.> But, what size snails will a puffer (GSP about 2.5") eat? I figure I can give him one the smaller ones I have just to tie him over till I get some snail babies. Yes? No? <Usually, the rule of thumb is snails as big as their eye, or you'll have to crush them a little (yuck!).> I've had him/her/it on a ghost shrimp, blood worm diet. those don't grind down the teeth do they? Anything else besides snails that will work till my "breeding program" comes thru? <You can try all sorts of things from the fish dept of your grocery store.  Small mussels, pieces of crab legs, shell-on shrimp, small crayfish, fiddler crabs, etc.  Happy dining!  ~PP>>

Tap Water for Puffers? 3/1/04 The large puffers I feed every other day or so, as I read. The little guy eats once a day. They tend to sneak some of the food for the other fish but not much. After 5 minutes I clean out what I can with a net. <Try feeding less amounts, so none is left over.  Pieces can still float into plants & between decor.> Ill do the water changes and keep you posted. Do you have any advice for an easier way to filter our tap water? I've been using a regular tap filter, but it takes ages for the water to go through. <I fill my tanks directly from the tap (no filter).  I add drops of Dechlor directly to the tank before filling with 80 degree water.  ~PP>

Testing Water Parameters  for GSP 1/3/04 I am not sure what the water conditions are. We use regular tap water and treat it with Doc Wellfish's Stress Coat and water treatment stuff. He is about 2" maybe a little bigger. His color is very dark and his yellow spot has vanished. How exactly do I check the water conditions?? I was not told how to at the fish store. <Ammonia, NitrItes, NitrAtes & pH, are some of the most important tests to keep an eye on for an aquarium.  Puffers especially, are extremely sensitive to toxic ammonia & nitrItes.  Both levels should be 0 at all times.  Search through the WWM site to find out exactly what these things do & how to cycle a tank properly.  I am positive your puffer is suffering from some kind of bad water problems.  You should purchase a Master Test Kit, to keep an eye on your water parameters.  You should also be able to have these tests done at your LFS.  After a tank has cycled, Weekly 50% water changes usually help to keep your tank water healthy.  `PP>

Mopey Puffer 3/01/04 <Hi Tim, PP again> The salt that we are using is Doc Wellfish's Aquarium Salt for freshwater fish. This is what the fish store gave us to start off with. <Like I said, GSPs come from the streams between FW lakes & the Ocean.  You must use Marine salt to duplicate those conditions.  What is the SG?>He isn't looking to swift now. He looks worse than when I initially mailed you last night. I am going to let him swim around where he wants like you said but what should I look for?? Any signs that I should watch for?? And about how long does it usually take for them to digest the food? <I forgot how large you said your puffer was, but to repeat the article, it says: "Smaller puffers (under 2) need to eat every day, skipping one feeding/week.  Feed them until their bellies are slightly rounded.  Medium sized puffers (2-4) should be fed every other day.  Larger puffers (4-6) should be fed every 3-4 days.  You may find this schedule difficult, as puffers are very adept at begging for food!  Feeding puffers every time they beg will cause fat, lazy fish and eventually you will be killing them with kindness."  I am still always concerned with water parameters, whenever a fish is acting poorly.  What are they (ammonia, nitrItes, NitrAtes, pH) exactly?  Are you doing regular water changes?  Try the marine salt & water change.  I forgot what size your puffer is?  Get back to me & I'll see how else I can help.  ~PP>

Puffers hanging out by the carbon <Ananda here answering puffer questions...> I have 2 spotted green puffers...  At least once a day (usually @ night w/ the lights on) they like to hang out right under the carbon cartridges at the top of my riser tubes...  why do they do that... <Not sure, but given the question below can hazard a guess... you may have water quality problems. The area of the tank near carbon cartridges may have the cleanest water in your tank. I would suggest a water change as soon as possible, with more frequent water changes in the future. I would also suggest you get additional filtration to supplement your undergravel filter. Puffers are messy fish, so you should "oversize" the filtration on your system, i.e., get filtration rated for a tank larger than the one the puffers are in.> Also, why to they get pale (grayish) in color from time to time? <Grey on a puffer belly is an indicator of stress. If you're referring to the colors on the back of the puffer getting pale, that can be caused by camouflage attempts, boredom, or even mood changes!> thank you!   Dionisi <You're welcome. --Ananda>

White Rings on a Sick Puffer <Ananda here, fielding the puffer questions...> I need to know what is wrong with my puffer, no website OR person has been able to tell me what is going on.  My green spotted puffer is getting dark on its dorsal side and has white rings, I am very concerned seeing as how I haven't had him for long and I just recently (TODAY) found someone to ell me that those are bad, and not meant to be on the fish (after days of searching).  I NEED to know how to fix this!!!! Bob <Hmmm. Are the white rings raised, sunken, or flat on the skin? Depending on which, this could be a result of several things. Chlorine or chloramine in your water that wasn't neutralized by your dechlorinator can cause round white patches that look slightly sunken in the skin. Raised white rings may be indicative of a parasite. How large are the rings? Are they all the same size? Are they present only on the body, or are there similar things on the fins and tail? Puffers change color quite a bit, for camouflage and mood as well as stress. What color is the puff's belly? Also, how old is your tank, and what are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and temperature readings? Perhaps there are some environmental factors at work here... --Ananda>

Green spotted puffer with swollen jaw (02/28/03) <Ananda here with the puffer questions....> I have a Green Puffer, t. fluviatilis, and he's been sick on and off for a month. He's in brackish water (about 1.008). We've been fighting high nitrates for quite a while, and about 1 month ago, his cheeks swelled up really big.  We moved him from a 100gal tank to a 10gal tank for treatment. I looked up some information on the web and put him on a 5 day round of Maracyn-Two which helped almost immediately. <I'm curious what kind of filtration you have on this tank. The best way to control nitrates in a brackish tank is usually through water changes. Or, you could adapt a marine idea and connect a heavily planted refugium to the main tank. I would try ordinary corkscrew val.s; I have some in 1.004 right now and they don't seem to mind the salt at all. (Acclimate the plants to brackish water fairly slowly.) This would also be an excellent snail farm.> But 1 week ago, his left jaw/cheek swelled up again and the Maracyn-Two is barely helping.  He stopped eating 2 days ago (his diet is mostly frozen krill) and spends most of his time at the bottom of the tank. His color is off- he's almost always dark, and is totally non-interactive which is abnormal. He has bouts of itchiness where he'll frantically scrape his face along anything he can, but those are less frequent since he's been on meds (for 4 days). <It sounds like he might have some sort of gill parasite. See if you can get a look at his gills. You may need to carefully catch him and hold him pointing away from you; he may puff, so make sure his head is under water. I would start him on an anti-parasitic medication.> Do you have any suggestions for treatment and for keeping nitrates down (he eats any plant we put in his tank)? He looks miserable. <Aside from the above, start varying his diet. Since he's eating the plants, try including some green stuff in his diet. Other things to include are snails (the little roundish pond snails, usually free from pet stores), various shellfish, ... more in our puffer FAQs in the brackish sections. And do more frequent water changes!> Thank you very much <You're welcome. --Ananda>

Vacation Feeding for Green Spotted Puffer How many days is it safe to go without feeding a green-spotted puffer. He is about1-1/2 inches long & usually eats 1 small slug and 3-4 large spirulina flakes twice daily.  I will be gone for two days and then again 1 week in Sept.   I plan on having someone come by daily to feed him in Sept., but am not sure about the weekend thing.  Thanks, Donna <Feed well a few days before the trip and I think it can get by for a couple days. Don>

Sick Green Spotted Puffers (08/31/03) Dear Bob, <Hi! You get Ananda tonight...> Thank you for your interesting Web Site. <You're welcome.> I live in Cape Town - South Africa and I am in desperate need of your help. <My puffers and I are here to help.> I have 3 Spotted Green Puffers. They are beautiful little creatures. I have had them now for 6 weeks. Last night I noticed that all 3 looked bloated. Their eyes have become cloudy, and they are swimming around very slowly, bumping into things, and will not eat anything. They are greyish underneath and have become a strange yellow/orange faded colour. <Many of these behaviors/symptoms are indicators of poor water quality. I would do a 30% water change tonight and another one tomorrow. What are your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate readings? Ammonia and nitrite should be zero, and nitrate should be less than 10 in a healthy tank.> This morning I found one resting on top of the water. He had died........very upsetting. <Sorry to hear that...I know it's hard to lose a puff.> The other two are even worse. In the tank with them, I have one scat and one goby, who both still seem in perfect condition. <Different fish have different ways of reacting to poor water quality.> There is beach sand, which I washed thoroughly at the bottom, and two plastic plants which they seem to enjoy hiding in. The salt content in the tank is sitting at 1.02 and the temperature is sitting at 26. <26C is about 79F, which is a little on the low side for these guys. I'd raise it to about 27C. My puffs are happier when their tank is at about 81F (~27C).> Only the puffers have been affected. What do you think it can be..... Can I still save them? <I think so, if you act right away. You might increase their salinity a bit, too, with the water changes. I'd shoot for about 1.006 within a week or two. The goby should be able to handle that (what kind of goby is it?), and the scat won't even flinch.> Many Thanks Steven <You're welcome, and keep me posted. --Ananda>

Green-spotted puffer skin problems <<Greetings,>> We recently purchased a beautiful green spotted puffer. He is very healthy acting and eats very well. I have been reading a great deal about the skin problems they can have and I have come to the conclusion that something is going on now with ours. He has white patches about the size of his black spots all over him now. We have had him only about a week. It does not look like ick and no other fish in our tank has showed any sign of his similarity. Does any of this sound familiar to you? How would we go about treating him. <<I would look first to water quality issues - make sure pH is correct and water is changed often with chlorine-free water.>> We have recently started the salt thing and I am hoping that will help. <<Ahh good - these are brackish puffers, a small amount of salt is a must. If you haven't read this page, do check this URL and the FAQs beyond: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/fwbracpuffers.htm >>  It is very unfortunate indeed that pet shop employees don't have a clue about such delicate fish. <<indeed.>> Also, are there any books out there specifically on freshwater puffers that you know of? <<Specifically on these puffers, no but you might try a web-based search with a tool like Google or ask in the brackish section of our forum, http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/ >> Thanks, Lori.  <<Cheers, J -- >>

Re: Green Spotted Puffer Problems Please explain to me again why the fish we have are not compatible with each other. <Please see the previous four emails. There is not much else I can add.> The catfish is a pictus by the way. They all get along fine <For now> and are very healthy especially since the very unfortunate passing of our pufferfish. Their water quality has been perfect, at a pH of 7, neutral. <There are many other aspects of water quality beyond pH; presence of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, dissolved organics, hardness, oxygen, etc.> I understand that the loaches prefer acidic water and others alkaline but I have been told by other sites that as long as there is a neutral pH that pretty much all fish will adapt to and be healthy. <Fish can adapt to this middle ground, but it is not the best situation for them. It is a compromise where all live but none thrive.> I have owned pictus cats before and they have never shown aggression as someone mentioned previously. <They are capable of eating small fish.> Even in a 55 gallon tank. So except for the size of tank, why are they not compatible? Sorry to be confused. <If you are truly confused, I am sorry. We have given you the best advice we can. There is nothing more to be added at this point, but I get the distinct impression that you are not confused, you merely do not like our answers. You mention searching other websites and finding information that supports what you want to do. There is nothing else to say now. You have the information. Make your own decision. -Steven Pro>

Re: Green Spotted Puffer Problems If it was because I did not like your answers I would not even bother asking. I find that quite a rude response to someone trying to get information from all available avenues. <I have no problem with people searching out all available means of education and them making an informed decision about their situation. I find it rude and a waste of our time for someone to come back with the same question five times for the same answer.> Who is to say that all of your information is the end all be all anyway. <I never said it was. I can tell you factually how large each of those fish reaches as an adult and that a 20 gallon tank will assuredly stunt their growth and kill them.> You site should be dedicated to helping people pursue this hobby <Our website and the Q&A is available to help others help themselves.> and not try to make them feel inferior because you think you have more knowledge. <I never meant to make you feel inferior. I was just tired of repeating myself.> I represent the majority of people out there. I can assure you that most novice fish owners do exactly what the pet stores say. <Absolutely correct, but in the face of conflicting information based on the actual, undeniable adult size of your animals, you continue to doubt our collective advise to this day.> I being more than a novice pet owner know there is a middle ground between you and the pet stores. Both on opposite extremes. <I would not say that. I think many times we agree with good stores. Not all stores are bad. There are many excellent fish stores with highly trained and knowledgeable staff.> For example you say that our clown loaches need a 125 gallon tank to be "happy". <Perhaps I should have stated it differently. It will need a tank that size to turn around.> Well, I am sorry but if you are truly a fish advocate you would know that for them to be truly "happy" you would not take them out of the wild in the first place since the are all wild caught. <I am not a fish advocate. I am an industry professional, advocate, and mentor.> Again there has to be a happy medium. Anyway Steven, since you have chosen to be disrespectful I would appreciate you forwarding any future emails to your co-workers. <Do not worry, I will avoid you like the plague.> I do value some of the information I have been given but your attitude is totally unprofessional. <I found you repeatedly returning saying (to paraphrase) "So and so said I could do it. What do you think now?" disrespectful and a tremendous waste of our time. Sincerely, Steven Pro>

Green Spotted Puffer Problem Good morning guys! One of my green spotted puffers is having a problem, and I'm not sure if it's constipation or something worse. He is producing VERY large feces, and seems to be a bit sluggish. When I fed flakes yesterday, the other spotted puffer and the large Cory that shares the tank both fed, but the affected fish just mouthed the flakes and spit them back. Later in the day, I fed a ration of frozen bloodworms - which all three fish completely devoured. <Puffers should not be fed flakes, they should eat pellets and hard shelled crustacea to wear their teeth down. ghost shrimp, tiny crayfish, krill, etc> What really has me concerned about this particular puffer, though, is the presence of small red dots on his left flank, somewhat near the anus. I don't know if he has bled internally, or if these are just marks from lying on the slab of shale that he enjoys resting upon. I am really concerned, though - I love these little guys, and hate seeing one of them in less than optimum health. Any thoughts? <Sounds like a bacterial infection. Improved diet and possibly quarantine with medication. Medicated pelleted food is available from Tetra. Best Regards, Gage> Thanks, Chris

Specific gravity for a green-spotted puffer? <Ananda here today fielding the puffer questions...> I bought what I think it a Tetraodon nigroviridis about 6 months ago.  The store had it in water with a specific gravity of 1.016, but because this did not correspond with most of the research I'd done, I took it down to about 1.005.  Do you agree with this, and is this puffer that specific as to what its salt level can be? <Actually, this puffer can go from fresh water as a baby to full marine water as an adult. One guy in Malaysia reported finding them in the wild in waters with the specific gravity ranging from 1.012 to 1.019. These were probably the larger fish, which would be more visible.> I ask for two reasons, which I hope you'll comment on.  First, the puffer is now much less colorful than it was when I first got it.  It went from a bright yellow with distinct spots to a dull grayish color with less distinguished spots.  I'd like the brightness, but I also want the fish to live. <I'd say he'd appreciate some more salt.> Secondly, I have two larger tanks.  My 55 gallon has two Brazilian puffers and three figure eights, and this tank has very little salt.  My 30 gallon houses this spotted puffer in 1.005 water.  My wife and I are thinking of turning the 30 gallon into a salt water system, and I'm wondering if this spotted puffer would do fine in the fresh system with the other puffs, or if it could even stay in the 30 and go to salt.  Or if neither would be a good thing. <How big is the puffer? If you gradually turn this into a saltwater system, your puffer should be fine. Do check out our puffer FAQs, starting with the links here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/fwbracpuffers.htm > Thanks, Andy B <You're welcome. --Ananda>

More on green-spotted puffers and specific gravity... Thanks for the response.  This puffer is about 2.5 inches.  Do you think it is too early to take it up to 1.019? <Probably not... but personally, at that size, I'd keep it lower -- maybe 1.010 or so.> By the way, I did look at the wetwebmedia puffer links, but on this particular puffer no salinity info is given.   <Hmm. Another thing to add to the to-fix list...> Thanks again. Andy b <You're welcome. --Ananda>

Species Tank for GSP 2/23/04 <Hi, PP again> We no longer buy painted fish for that reason. <I'm so glad to hear that!> The one that we have is 2 years old. He was a fish bought for my sister when we originally set up the first tank. I have an odd shaped tank about 15 gallons) that I am thinking about setting up for him. <Are you talking about the puffer?  That tank should do well for a while, but eventually at 6", it'll need a larger one.  Please make sure you  cycle the tank 1st.   Please do not cycle your tank with puffers in it, or any other fish for that matter.  Fishless cycling is quick and doesnt do harm to a living thing. You can also instant cycle with Bio-Spira.  You need to add your fish immediately after adding these live bacteria to your tank. Aragonite or crushed coral substrates are used to help maintain a stable alkaline pH of around 8.  If you have any questions about making it brackish, let me know. ~PP>

Tank Mates for GSP? 2/23/04 1 Spotted Green Puffer + Electric Blue Lobster in 20 gallon? <Bad idea.  GSPs' staple foods are crustaceans.  Lobsters' staple food are fish.  One will eat the other, depending on who gets who 1st.  Puffers usually sleep on the bottom of the tank.  This makes it easy pickings for the lobster to grab.  An adult GSP can make an easy meal of a blue lobster & even a juvie puffer could rip off a claw or 2.> 1 Spotted Green Puffer + 1 Jade Puffer in 20 gallon? <If by "jade" puffer, you are speaking of the Ceylon, or Tetraodon fluviatilis, then they may get along as tank mates.  They both prefer saltwater as adults & are of similar temperaments.  I have 2 6' GSPs living with a 5" Ceylon right now.  The GSP needs at least 20g/fish, as it grows to 6".  The Ceylon needs at least 30g/fish, as it grows to 7-8".  There's not enough room for both in a 20g.  Also, there's always a chance you get a aggressive killer as a puffer (especially the GSP) that won't tolerate any tank mates of any kind.> Thanks. -LH <You're welcome.  GSPs are one of my favorite puffers!  If you have any other questions about their care & feeding, I'll be happy to help.  In the proper conditions, these puffers can give you enjoyment for 10+ years!  ~PP>

GSP Questions 2/23/04 <Hi Tim, Pufferpunk again> I didn't know about all of those foods. What foods can I find at my LFS that I can feed him?? <For smaller puffers, crickets, worms, krill & plankton should be found at your LFS.  Most of the food my puffs eat, I find in the fish dept of my grocery store.  I freeze & thaw in warm vitamin water as needed.> The snails are currently in the tank and he is free to eat them as he pleases. I don't know how I can control how much he eats. <Most serious puffer keepers keep a seperate tank for snail breeding.> The tank is a freshwater tank and he seems to be doing fine now. <Mostly sold as freshwater fish, they are really a brackish water species. Born in FW, they migrate through the estuaries (streams) between FW lakes and the ocean, to live out their adult lives in saltwater.  Although you may hear these fish do fine in FW, they will grow larger, have brighter coloration, suffer less disease and live longer in higher salinities.  It is our duty as fish keepers to keep our friends in the best possible conditions for their health and happiness> Is it normal for them to want their picture taken???? Mine does. If I bring the camera near the tank, his little yellow spot gets huge and really bright and his belly gets snow white. <He probably thinks you're going to feed him.  They are great beggars!> Also, are they sensitive to certain colors?? I put a little glass dome in the bottom of the tank on it's side for him to make into his home because I read on some sites that they like to live in caves and drift wood. The thing is red and he doesn't really seem to like it. Any info on living quarters for him would be greatly appreciated. <I've never noticed my GSPs hanging out in caves.  Although they do a lot of investigation of the decor, they mostly swim out in the open.>    He is in a 30 gallon tank with 1 painted glass fish, 1 hatchet fish, 2 tiger barbs, 3 zebra Danios, 1 fish (not sure what it is. It is clear with black tips on its fins), 1 Gourami, 1 red tailed shark, 2 Cory cats, 1 small angel fish, and 1 pleco. would it hurt to put salt in the water for the puffer. <None of those fish will appreciate any kind of salt.  Eventually, your puffer will do severe damage to the angelfish, Hatchetfish, & any other fish not fast enough to get away from puffer teeth.  Puffers are best kept in a species only BW tank.  Please refrain from purchasing painted fish.  It is cruel to the fish & doesn't last anyway.  See: http://www.canadiangoldfish.com/dyed.htm Your puffer is going to grow to 6" eventually & require at least a 20-30g tank.  I suggest you set-up a seperate (cycled) BW tank for him.> Thanks, Tim <Give your puffer the best care & it will reward you for years to come! ~PP>   

GSP to SW? 2/24/04 I am planning on trying to get a salt water tank going. This is of course when I can get enough money. <I wouldn't put a GSP in SW, until it was at least 4".> What fish would you suggest I start off with?? <None. As your fish grows, you will be upping the SG, eventually raising it up to SW levels.  Aragonite or crushed coral substrates are used to help maintain a stable alkaline pH of around 8.  Then all you need is a protein skimmer. If you'll be starting up a new larger tank later, then fishless cycle the larger tank at whatever SG the puffers had been living in.> Do you know anything about the new salt water set-ups that supposedly do everything for you?? I was at the fish store last night and was told that they do everything except clean the glass. Any truth behind this? <I wouldn't trust anything that doesn't require the labor of cleaning & water changes.  Puffers are messy eaters & high waste producers.  ~PP>

More GSP Qs 2/24/04 OK. Cool. The tank is going to be for the puffer. What could I put in with him? <At a tank that size & the aggressiveness of the puffer, I'd say none.  Eventually, he'll need a larger tank.  If the tank is large enough & heavily decorated with lots of broken lines of sight, you may eventually be able to add a few fish.  The problem is, there are very few fish that prefer the changes in salinity that the GSP does.  They go from low-end BW when juvenile <2, (in a specific gravity, or SG of 1.005-08), at 2-4, medium BW  (SG 1.010-15) and adult >4 SW (SG 1.018-22). Even so, I do still find a few missing fish occasionally in my GSP tank.  I have damselfish & a tomato clown living with my adults in SW.  ~PP> Lobsters & Puffers 2/24/04 Thanks for the advice. One more for you: <Sure, Pufferpunk here again> Electric Blue Lobster vs Clown Loaches? Basically, I have this lobster in a tiny tank, less than 10 gallons I imagine. I have a 20 gallon that has my Green Puffer, and a 29 gallon with a couple angelfish, 2 clown loaches, a pleco, and an Indian perch. <Your puffer will be ok alone in a tank that size.  It should be in brackish water now.  The angelfish will grow as large as your outstretched hand, Clown loaches & Plecos grow 12+".  The perch grows 6-10" & is a coldwater fish.  I think you've got some problems there."  The lobster grows to 4-5" & needs a 15-20g tank.  It is a scavenger, but will eat anything it can catch in it's claws.>    I'd like to move the lobster to one of those, but as you stated, it seems he and the puffer just ain't gonna work out, especially if I'd like to get the "jade" puffer (as they have him listed in the store). Suggestions? <Again, I will remind you, the GSP will grow to 6" & need at least 20g for itself.  The "jade" puffer (is this it? http://www.pufferfish.co.uk/aquaria/species/pufferfish/types/ceylon.htm) grows to 7-8" & needs at a 30g for itself.  Together, I wouldn't put them in anything less than a 40g tank.> Thanks once again... <You'll need to figure somethin out here, soon!  ~PP>

GSP w/White Spot  2/11/04 I just got some green spotted puffers and I noticed a white spot on its back. It looks like its dry skin. You can really see it under the light. I don't think its ick. Salt was added to the tank before the puffers were put in. What should I do? <Sounds like a scrape from something.  Mine gets them all the time, since they spook easily.  Just keep an eye on it.  I'm more concerned about how much you really know about the care of this fish.  What do you mean, you added salt?  Was it in brackish water in the LFS?  How much salt did you add?  Was it marine salt?  Is your tank cycled?  What are you feeding it?   I have 2 6" adult GSPs in saltwater.  Did you know that's what they will prefer as an adult?>   Thanks <Let me know if you need more info on the care & feeding of your puffers.  ~PP>

Care & Feeding of GSPs 2/11/04 <Pufferpunk again> <Oh boy do we have a lot of work to do!  1st of all, please use the proper capitalization in your letters.  It is taking me quite a while to go through all your letter & fix that, to post on the WWM site.  If you can't do this, I can't help you.>   I asked the workers at the fish store how much salt and what kind of food they ate before I got the puffers. <Most LFS know nothing about keeping puffers or brackish fish.> They told me to put in 3 tablespoons in my 10 gal tank. Its doc Wellfish's aquarium salt. <GSPs are born in FW, they migrate through the estuaries (streams) between FW lakes and the ocean, to live out their adult lives in saltwater.  Although you may hear these fish do fine in FW, they will grow larger, have brighter coloration, suffer less disease and live longer in higher salinities.  It is our duty as fish keepers to keep our friends in the best possible conditions for their health and happiness.  Therefore, you must use marine salt. Aragonite or crushed coral substrates are used to help maintain a stable alkaline pH of around 8.  I suggest keeping GSPs at low-end BW when juvenile <2, (in a specific gravity, or SG of 1.005-08), at 2-4, medium BW (SG 1.010-15) and adult >4 SW (SG 1.018-22).  You will need a hydrometer to measure the salinity.  It takes a cup of salt/5 gal of water to raise the SG .005.  If the puffer you purchase is in FW at the store, then you should start out your tank in FW and raise the SG .002/week, until you reach the desired SG.  This is so you dont destroy the good nitrifying bacteria as you add salt.  SW bacteria are different than FW, so you need time for the SW bacteria to develop as the FW bacteria dies off slowly. > The puffers at the store were being fed frozen blood worms so that's what I bought. I wanted to get ghost shrimps, but they might be too big for the puffers to eat. <One of the most difficult aspects of keeping these special fish is their diet.  All puffers are predatory fish and need hard-shelled, meaty foods to keep their teeth trimmed. Like rabbits, their teeth grow constantly and can overgrow enough to cause starvation in the fish.  Puffers eat crustaceans in the wild.  Foods for smaller puffers are frozen/freeze-dried krill/plankton, gut-loaded ghost shrimp, glass worms, crickets, worms and small snails (the size of their eye).  Snails are an essential food to a puffers diet, especially when small. Many serious puffer keepers breed their own snails.  As your puffer gets larger, there are many more crunchy foods for them to eat.  Larger GSPs will eat cut-up pieces of scallops, shrimp, crab legs, whole mussels, clams, oysters, squid, lobster and crayfish.  Mine love to chase live crayfish, fiddler crabs and gut-loaded ghost shrimp.  I gut-load (pre-feed) my live food with algae wafers, so my puffers get their veggies.  I buy most of these foods at the fish department of my grocery store, freeze and later thaw in warm vitamin water as needed.  Smaller puffers (under 2) need to eat every day, skipping one feeding/week.  Feed them until their bellies are slightly rounded.  Medium sized puffers (2-4) should be fed every other day.  Larger puffers (4-6) should be fed every 3-4 days.  You may find this schedule difficult, as puffers are very adept at begging for food!  Feeding puffers every time they beg will cause fat, lazy fish and eventually you will be killing them with kindness.> I'm not sure if my tank is cycled. I let everything run for a week before I bought the puffers. I did water test before and a few days after I put them in, the water seems ok. <running a tank is not in anyway cycling it.  Puffers must be introduced into a fully cycled tank.  Please do not cycle your tank with puffers in it, or any other fish for that matter.  Fishless cycling is quick and doesnt do harm to a living thing. You can also instant cycle with Bio-Spira.  You need to add your fish immediately after adding these live bacteria to your tank. Read this article & all the recommended links.  Read all this over several times until you understand it completely: http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/newtanksyndrome.shtml> The big one always chases the little one, anything I can do about that? My friend said to get a third fish of a different type so that the bigger puffer will pick on both so there will be less stress on the smaller puffer. I have flower pots and plants in the tanks so they can hide, but the big one is always picking on the smaller one. <Your tank is way too small for 2 aggressive puffers.  You can start a young one out in a 10-15g tank, but once it is >2 they need a 20-30g tank/fish.  Keep in mind, in tanks this small, puffers will not be tolerable of tank mates.> <To keep these special, wild-caught fish healthy & happy (they can live 10+years), you need to do more research on them.  Puffers are not beginner fish!!! ~PP>