Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I just got my two puffers and they're not as adventurous as I'd read them to be. xD;

I used this article (which I've seen used on another site as well) to go by and either there's something wrong with my fish or something off with the article.

Anyway, my questions are this:

1. Both of them are just swimming up and down, side to side, really fast and then really slow, sometimes exploring the hollow log and plant decor I have in there. But This article says that when they do that, they're bored. If that's true, what else can I do to make it more interesting to them?

2. I know they're brackish water puffers. But WalMart sells them in fresh and that's what I have them in for now. How much salt- and more specifically what kind of salt- should I put in a 5 gallon tank?

3. Both of them have black fuzzy stuff growing on them and their fins are torn and uneven. Also, one of them has a large white spot on his fin. I've got some Quick Cure to get rid of Ick and Protozoans, but can I treat them for fungus at the same time? Or is it even a fungus?

4. Honestly, I don't know if fish play, but these two will mind their own business most of the time. Others, they'll bump into each other and start circling with their bodies curved into a C shape with their fins going really fast. Is it okay to leave both in there together or should I return one of them?
An Introduction to Green Spotted Puffers

Congrats on the newbies. I just love puffers.

You can't always trust everything you read on the internet. I would reference a few different sites, and if you read the same information then it's probably fact. I know nothing of green spotted puffers, but I know a little something about figure 8 puffers.

1) I would say that article is a little off. Fish can't be bored... they would do the same thing in the wild. Hmm. Makes me wonder about the authors of the article.

2) Please see the link below on how to make brackish water. I would add a small amount at a time because of the need for the fish to adjust to it's surroundings, and by that I mean internally. If you do it too fast, they can become dehydrated.

3) I would say both spots are fungus. You can use Melafix and/or Primafix to treat these. I would stear clear of the ick meds. Don't treat random things that are not the cause of the problem.

4) You are right, fish don't play... that's humanizing your pet. As long as the information on the internet says they can be in groups, then it will be fine. If you can't find anything on the internet about it, let me know, I can help you. Otherwise, just keep an eye on their behavior and if one is bullying the other, separate them.

Hope this helps. Good luck.
Brackish water

-----
Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Hmm.. that site had information on giant spotted puffers, but nothing on green spotted or about how much salt to put in specifically for them. It gave estimates of the range the salinity it should be at, but no directions of how much to add per gallon. :/ Unless I just missed it. But I know I didn't miss green spotted puffers, I even searched for them.

Also, the Quick Cure has helped a little, but I'll get some of the stuff you suggested and see if it works faster/better. I'm just surprised they're so energetic and have appetites like pigs despite the black stuff on them.

Thank you for the help, and I'll re-post if the meds don't seem to help. =)

The other link I gave you gave the specific gravity. You will need a refractor to measure the salinity. They can be a bit pricey though. The site below gives much more in depth descriptions on how to create a brackish tank. Another site I read says to create a brackish tank from freshwater (to acclimate your fish and the bacteria), you should only add a salty mix to your tank when you do water changes... that should be every two weeks. Just in case you don't know, you should always mix your saltwater in a separate container (not your tank) so you are sure you have a well mixed solution. If you mix it in the tank, your fish could suffer from dehydration and possibly die. If you'd like to know the mechanisms for the adjustments that are happening inside the fish, I'd be glad to explain it to you. Just let me know.
Oh yeah, and on the link below, your green spotted puffers on in the setup 2 section.
The stuff I suggested is an anti-fungal/bacterial treatment... it should work better.

One thing I want to make sure you know (if yours are the same as the figure 8s), they will need something to wear their teeth down, similar to bunnies.
Brackish water site 2

-----
Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Well, they're already eating Krill and won't accept bloodworms any more. lol Thanks again for your help. =)

Sorry for double posting, but it's about these puffers again. My first two died two weeks after I got them, which didn't really surprise me since I knew I bought them sick.

Anyway, I have another puffer who is healthy as far as I can tell. But when I got him at the store, his belly was completely white. Not a smudge of black on him. As soon as he was put in the take-home bag, he turned black and now he won't turn white again. What's wrong with him? D:

It could be from stress (of the move). There's really no disease or illness that has a symptom of turning black. With the sturgeons at my work, they have black spots when they get stressed. If you start a new post with this problem, I will promote it so hopefully someone with puffer experience can assist you with your problem. If I promoted this post, people wouldn't see this part because they usually don't read the whole thread.

In the new post, would you please tell people the water parameters, and how long it's been that you have had this little guy?
-----
Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."