Leopard Puffer

[OceanGoddess]

Hey guys,
So I have this leopard puffer...
When I got him he was a golden yellow color with black spots...
Now he's a horrible black color...
It's odd because sometimes he will be one color on the top and another on th bottom...
Or sometimes he just swiches up...
I called the pet store...
They said it could be from stress, perhaps the water...
I tested the water-it was normal...
So I called back...
I was told some sea salt could calm him down...
So I try it. -Sorta kinda worked...
I did research and found many people who have leopard puffers go through this...
Some can't explain this after trying serveral things...
I can't explain it...
I feed him ghost shrimp, bloodworms, snails...he should be pretty darn happy...
He's got plenty of room...
How do you please these guys???
Any help or advice would be AWESOME!!!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

we'll need this information in order to help you:

what size tank is this?
what size filter are you using? if you don't know the exact gph, a brand and model would help us figure it out.
what salinity are you keeping him?
how long have you had the puffer?
how often do you do water changes?

btw, it sounds like you actually have a "green spotted puffer" or GSP (T. nigroviridis). these are brackish puffers and have very different needs from Leopard puffers (T. schoudenti). (if i goofed on the scientific names, somebody help me out. thanks.)

i also suggest pm'ing a moderator (people with names in blue) to get this topic moved to the Brackish forum.

 

[OceanGoddess]

It's a 55 gal. freshwater tank.
I have a tetra water filter, med to large size.
I have had him for 3 weeks now.
I clean the tank at least once a month.

I verified with the people from the pet store and he is a freshwater leopard puffer.
I use start right water conditioner for freshwater fish.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

The water test was "normal", post results anyway.

 

[timmystood]

Firstly, well done of getting hold of a rare tetradon species. These guys are very rarely imported from the wild so you did well to get hold of one.

Adding salt at a low level will be ok but long term isn't ideal for this puffer. They are completely freshwater and never migrate to brackish or marine in the wild, unlike other species of tetradon.

The Leopard, or Spotted Congo, puffer will only get to about 4 or 5", so will be fine in a 55gallon tank.

Water chemistry wise they aren't too fussed about pH or water hardness - although the ideal levels are pH 7 and slighty hard water. However, as long as you have the basics, like Ammonia etc. right you won't go to far wrong with water chemistry.

The diet your feeding him sounds ideal, although I would maybe add chopped cockles or chopped mussels to the list, just to add the protein and variety that all tetradon crave.

So, really your doing everything fine. Which leads to the question - why is he getting stressed. When a puffer darkens in colour it represents that they are indeed stressed.
You say you've had him for 3 weeks. I would be inclined to leave him a little longer to relax before worrying too much about him. Puffers don't always travel well and it may take a few months before he learns to trust you and relax, some puffers never do. Once he gets into the routine of feeding and he will come to recongise when feeding time is, he should perk up. The best location for a puffer like this, is in a room where plenty is happening. Tetradon get bored very easily and if he has plenty to watch and inspect he should be ok.

One good thing about the Spotted Congo's is that you can very easily put other fish in with them. They aren't aggressive towards other species of fish at all. So it might be worth checking out some tankmates for him - just make sure he has plenty of places to hide.

Also - one quick bit of advice. You say you clean to tank out once a month. With Puffers you will need to increase this. The amount of frozen foods they eat equals an awful lot of waste and they will be the first to go if water quality isn't right. Ideally a small, partial water change every week is much much much better than a big one every month.

Good luck! Let me know how things turn out.

 

[OceanGoddess]

Thanks for the info!
Yeah, I ordered him through my pet store.
When I cleaned the tank yesterday he seemed to brighten up but that only lasts but for so long.
Seems like he brightens up when the lights cut on but darkens when I shut the lights off.
About the salt. I completely agree, I don't feel that a "freshwater" fish should have salt in the tank.
Also I do in fact have some tank mates with him. (3 parrots and a zebra pleco).
...Never knew that they could have mussels. I imagine it's good to keep the teeth nice and trim too. I'll have to give that a try! Where do you usually get your mussels from. And how do you determine if they are fresh or not?
Also I noticed he likes to eat some of my plants...

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i'm still not convinced that it isn't just a GSP (as far as i can recall, leopards don't have a strong yellow color to them.) could you post a pic? i've always wanted a schoudenti, so it'd be great if it really was one

 

[OceanGoddess]

More of a golden color. My cam phone sucks by the way, but this is exactly how mine looks...
http/www.pufferfish.co.uk/aquaria/specie...es/tetrnigr.htm

...well how it looked when I got it. He's tuning blackish colors from the stress I guess.
He's coming around though.

 

[timmystood]

This is where information on the web goes wrong! That website calls Leopard Puffers and GSP's the same thing - which they aren't at all! The conditions needed are completely different.

 

[OceanGoddess]

Yes, I noticed that too.
They are in deed two seperate species.

 

[nmonks]

I'm with Pica on this -- I'd be staggered (but happy!) if you have Tetraodon schoutedeni. But in 20-odd years of fishkeeping, I have NEVER seen this species in the stores. I just don't think it's traded. If it was sold, it's would be selling for $50 upwards. If you bought your puffer for $5-10, then it's not T. schoutedeni.

Unfortunately for aquarists, common names have no official meaning. They aren't controlled. So there's no "real" leopard puffer or "real" green spotted puffer. If I wanted to call my C. irrubesco pufferfish "green spotted puffers" that would absolutely "legal". That's why Latin names are used by scientists.

When a retailer says "it's a true freshwater XXX" 99 times out of 100 that's baloney. At best, it means that was how the thing was sold to him, but he doesn't really have any way of verifying it. At worst, it means stop asking stupid questions because even if you don't buy the fish, some other sucker will. There is (sadly) a lot of wilful ignorance in the tropical fish trade.

The most common small, yellow-spotted species is T. nigroviridis, a lovely brackish water species. This species has been widely and successfully kept and there's plenty of good information out there about it.

Cheers, Neale

 

[pica_nuttalli]

btw, zebra plecs and green spotted puffers aren't recommended tankmates

 

[rob newland]

gsp with zebra plec
if it is indeed a GSP - which if you say looks exactly like a picture of a gsp then it probably is - then those freshwater tankmates need to go and you need to start raising the SG of the tank.
Ask in the brackish forum for more help on this subject
rob