Hi there all!
A year ago, I bought two baby GSPs. One, Pudge, was an inch and a half long and the Malaysian subtype. The other, Matilda, was an inch long. They both lived in a 10-gallon tank for about a month, then I moved them together to a well-cycled 29-gallon tank.
For the last eleven months, they've lived in the 29-gallon tank. Water parameters: nitrates have stayed under 20, ammonia has been mostly undetectable, pH has been high-- about 8.0, water is very hard. I've gradually raised the salinity from 1.005 to 1.010.
So here's my problem-- Pudge, who was an inch and a half long eleven months ago, is now about three and a half inches. Matilda, who was an inch long eleven months ago, is still only an inch and a half long. She eats very well every day. Both of the puffers eat a combination of snails, crickets, ghost shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and feeder mollies.
I'm worried about Matilda, since she's still so tiny. What would prevent her from growing? Could she simply be a dwarf? Will she stay tiny forever? How can I help her reach her adult size?
A year ago, I bought two baby GSPs. One, Pudge, was an inch and a half long and the Malaysian subtype. The other, Matilda, was an inch long. They both lived in a 10-gallon tank for about a month, then I moved them together to a well-cycled 29-gallon tank.
For the last eleven months, they've lived in the 29-gallon tank. Water parameters: nitrates have stayed under 20, ammonia has been mostly undetectable, pH has been high-- about 8.0, water is very hard. I've gradually raised the salinity from 1.005 to 1.010.
So here's my problem-- Pudge, who was an inch and a half long eleven months ago, is now about three and a half inches. Matilda, who was an inch long eleven months ago, is still only an inch and a half long. She eats very well every day. Both of the puffers eat a combination of snails, crickets, ghost shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and feeder mollies.
I'm worried about Matilda, since she's still so tiny. What would prevent her from growing? Could she simply be a dwarf? Will she stay tiny forever? How can I help her reach her adult size?