Green Spotted Puffer with Stunted Growth?

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LovemyPuffer

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Jan 2, 2010
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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?
 

Pufferpunk

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Does she look thin at all? I'd go ahead & treat her for IPs, just in case.
 

pjrichar

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are you positive it is green spotted puffer.. one sounds like it,,, but maybe other isnt... figure 8 is similar looking and only gets bout that big.. and there are others that look similar to gsps... ive seen alot of diff puffers come in under gsp namee..

just an idea,,, but you prob know you puffs,,
 

LovemyPuffer

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Jan 2, 2010
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I treated her for IPs when I first got her. Could she have re-contracted them even though she only has one tankmate (who was also treated)? She doesn't typically look thin, but she does when it's been a while since she's eaten. Do you have a recommendation for treating IPs? I can't remember the name of the product I used, but it seemed to make her and her tankmate feel very sick. :(

If they are IPs, do you think she'll start growing normally after they're gone?

pjrichar, she definitely looks like T. nigroviridis or T. fluviatilis-- I can't tell the two species apart. Her spots don't look like a figure-8. I wonder if she could be a hybrid? She was, to my knowledge, wild caught, so I assume that a natural hybridization would be unlikely or even impossible. Could her growth have been permanently stunted by the fact that she was kept in a too-small, high-nitrate tank before she was sold?
 

Pufferpunk

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LovemyPuffer

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OMG, I just realized that you're THE Pufferpunk. Dude, I've read your stuff all over the internet. You're famous, y'know.
 

LovemyPuffer

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Thanks for the links, btw. Checking those out now.
 

LovemyPuffer

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I wasn't saying you were a dude. I call everyone dude. :) I'm not a dude either, btw. :)

If I de-worm Matilda again, do you think she'll eventually grow to a normal GSP adult size? Are there any other factors that could have caused her stunted growth, to your knowledge?

Thanks for your help.
 

Pufferpunk

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I'm not really sure, although when you keep puffers in 2s, one is guaranteed to always get more food--pecking order.
 
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