freshwater puffer seems scared

[fishlover420]

I have had my puffer since past august and i had him in a big tank with other fish and he ate the entire back fin and tail of my long ???dragon. He is doing fine now. but this puffer is now in his own tank and i have some really small fry in there so he can munch but he is the cutiest fish. Those eyes and that little circle mouth is so cute i cant stand it. But when i put the net in to feed him his bloodworms he paces really fast up and down the walls. Then he nips at the plant bulbs i have growing in there for him. When i go up to the tank and he is looking out he turns away really quick and wants to hide. I dont know if the transition made him scared of me but i love to look at him but it seems to make him upset... Any ideas on this Let me know ....
thanks:clap:

 

[wataugachicken]

exactly what kind of puffer do you have? i ask only becasue a lot of places (walmart too) sell puffers as freshwater, but they don't always know what they are talking about. a small dwarf puffer probably couldn't do enough damage to eat and entire tail and fin, but something like a green-spotted or figure 8 probably could.

probably he is just getting used to his new home, and the lack of other fish to chew on probably is a little boring. he should get used to it eventually. try adding more plants to the tank - when fish know that they have a lot of places to hide, they feel more confident about being out in the open.

 

[FishyMatty]

I agree with that guy. How big is he? What size tank is he in now? And what kind of puffer is he?
They really do get board with out other fish or other of the same species.
If you can get another one or two of the same kind he might be happier. They will chace each other around and occasionally nip at each others fins but thats ok as long as one isn't bullying the other.
These are two of the ones I have. The first is a green spotted puffer but there is another puffer that looks just like him called a congo puffer. The green spotted likes some salt in his water while the congo doesn't. The second picture is of my figure eight puffer and he also likes some salt in his water. Take into consideration both the green spotted and figure 8 cane be acclimated to total marine water.

 

[mlifjeld]

wonderful fish

i agree, puffers are the cutes fish! i got two of my own, and i love them! I found this picture on the net just now... Of a baby puffer.. haha

 

[snail]

Don't be too quick to run out and buy tankmates although some puffers will often get on with their own kind such as the spotted and F8 puffers they can get more agressive with age (so might have to be split up in time) and shouldn't mind being on their own. Puffers do mind if they don't have lots of hiding places. I would say you probably need to put more decor in your tank. They like some place they can get totaly out of your sight if they want to. I also noticed a marked difference in my two F8's when I moved them from their first 15 gallon home to a much bigger tank. They stopped their constant tank pacing and seemed happier.

Each puffer has it's own personality even within a species. One may be placid another very agressive another shy and skittish. All puffers can be moody and it might take him a while to get used to you and his new tank, don't forget it was probaby in the wild with all the space and hiding places it wanted not long ago so it is bound to take a while to settle.

If you don't know find out what kind of puffer you have and do some research. Post a pic here if you can I'd like to see him. Puffers are great

 

[fishlover420]

wow has anyone seen that puffer from that link. it is soooo coool Can anyone findout about him....k and my puffer is about 7 months old :huh: and he seems like he is getting a black color around his belly and sides. he is in a 10 gal by himself. he is a green spotted puffer. he has more plastic plants then real cuz he eats them and he only eats bloodworms but i havent tried the snails...

 

[SmallFishi]

A green spotted puffer gets really big and needs brackish and then SW (Needs Sea Salt like Instant Ocean not Aquarium Salt) and a bigger tank I'm not 100% sure how big 30 gallons or bigger if I remember rightly and they need to be the only fish in the tank too...
Perhaps try feeding bloodworms with a syringe (no needle)
Also they need clams, mussels and pond snails to keep their teeth trim..
Hope he starts looking better good luck with him..
Lots of articles on the web about green spotted puffers just google him and you'll find all you need to know..

 

[snail]

wow has anyone seen that puffer from that link. it is soooo coool Can anyone findout about him....k and my puffer is about 7 months old :huh: and he seems like he is getting a black color around his belly and sides. he is in a 10 gal by himself. he is a green spotted puffer. he has more plastic plants then real cuz he eats them and he only eats bloodworms but i havent tried the snails...

The puffer in the link above is a salt water one.

The black is not good. It is a sighn of stress. Could be the water conditions or something else. Once in a while puffers will just 'pine' for no apparent reason. I had two green spotted puffers that both eventually died and I couldn't work out why. I treated them the same as my others that lived for many happy years. If he is still eating that is good. Some salt is a good idea too. But add it very slowly. Find out as much as you can about puffers on the net.

These guys are good: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/