Fresh water puffers look to be dying

M

Multi_Pass

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Nov 9, 2005
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I adopted two puffers from a friend at least a year ago, and I don't know how long they took care of the fish before I adopted them, so I don't know how old they are.

I've been taking care of them like they showed me, to change the water, check the PH level, check the temp., make sure the filters working and to feed them brine shrimp (frozen).

About 2 days ago they stopped eating. Today when I came home from school, they both had one milky/cloudy eye (and the other eye was perfectly clear) and they both were floating around at the top and bottom of the tank. They also look like they've eaten, which I know they haven't, but their tummys look full or bloated. I nudged them with the net to see if they were alive and they hardly moved their fins.

I immadiately assumed it was the water and changed it (even though the water was clear). They swam around for a couple seconds but are now back to floating around the tank without moving. One actually even has it's face floating out of the water.

This has never happened to them before and I don't know what to do. The PH and the temp is fine and the filter is working (I even changed the rock filter).

I don't know what kind of puffers they are, but I found a picture of what they look like on the web:

Leigh_green%203.jpg


They are called Oscar. Please help them.
 
Your puffers looks like a GSP (green spot puffer) and it is not a freshwater puffer.

First, check out this link and verify that it really is a GSP. You're photo lacks a bit color but the body shape and pattern look the same.

Next, read about the care of GSPs in the Puffer Forum. Take action quick, your puffer depends on it.

Finally, this thread belongs in the Brackish Forum. Hope a mod can move it.
 
Whew! Thanks, reiverix! I was in the middle of a hasty reply to this fellow tellling him they were BW and all and I accidentally closed my browser and lost the post.

Poor puffers. I'm glad you caught it cause I know squat about puffers and was doing quickie research while I was writing.

Kudos!

Roan
 
Also, Multi Pass, we really need to know what the water parameters are and how big the tank is. NOT the pH! We need your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings. If you do not have a liquid test kit (NOT STRIPS!), please go out and get one. Test the water and post the parameters. Can't help you without that information.

Hope you respond soon, it sounds like your puffers are in sad shape :(

Here are two more links that you can use to verify your puffer's ID:

Green Spotted Puffer http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/puf-nigr.htm
Green Puffer http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/puf-fluv.htm

Apparently those two are often confused.

Roan
 
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They are brackish when young but require an increase in salinity as they mature.

Care of the GSP

Multi_Pass, read the section on Spotted Puffer Confusion. I would really hate to be telling you that you have a genuine GSP but it turns out to be a congo puffer.
 
reiverix said:
Multi_Pass, read the section on Spotted Puffer Confusion. I would really hate to be telling you that you have a genuine GSP but it turns out to be a congo puffer.
Click to expand...
A congo puffer? Okay, time for me to shut mah mouth and get the hey outta this thread :)

Roan
 
The picture posted is NOT of the fish in question, but rather a photo found online that looks like the fish. If you can get an actual picture, that will help ID them. Puffer identification is a big deal, as similar looking fish may have totally different care.

Have they been getting any crunchies? Anything other than brine shrimp? Can you see their teeth?
 
OrionGirl said:
The picture posted is NOT of the fish in question, but rather a photo found online that looks like the fish. If you can get an actual picture, that will help ID them. Puffer identification is a big deal, as similar looking fish may have totally different care.

Have they been getting any crunchies? Anything other than brine shrimp? Can you see their teeth?
Click to expand...

This is what I'm thinking as well. To someone who's trying to find a picture that's close to what they have, this could easily be a pea puffer. Size would help but a real photo would be even better.

Are they thin or gaunt at all? I remember reading somewhere that brine shrimp aren't nutritionally the best for DPs and should be reserved more as treats than as a staple. I fed mine bloodworms mostly. If they haven't had snails in their diet, their teeth maye be overgrown making it difficult for them to eat.
 
Well, the tank is about, um, I think 2 gallons at most. I don't know the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings and I also don't know how to test for them. I'm not a wealthy person, so if these kits are pricey, then I may never get them.

I was not aware that they may need salt. The original owners of the fish never said anything about that, so I have no idea of what kind or how much salt should be added into a tank that's possibly less than 2 gallons.

Also, I don't see any teeth. Sometimes when I would look into their mouth, I would see something blueish moving around, I thought maybe they had a blue tounge. But now that thing that's normally blue, is white.

One of my puffers still has it's mouth kind of moving, the other may not, I haven't checked to see if it woul move away from the net yet. They look to be worse than they were last night. Both are on their sides at the bottom of the tank.

As far as I know, they've never eaten snails and have only eaten brine shrimp for well over 2 years.

They aren't thin at all, they are looking slightly bloated (just the belly part). Picture that picture up there with a slightly larger belly and the fish are no longer than two inches long. They also have a lightish shiny green area at the top of their head. But they are black spotted everywhere with a white belly and when they are sick, their spots seem to disapear.

I'll look at those sites now.
 
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