spotted puffer stressed :(

[ollgeeze]

i have two puffers, one green spotted and one figure of eight, i'm quite confused because my figure of eight puffer is perfectly happy, he potters about the tank and his belly is as white as sherbert but my spotted puffer is having strange spells of stress and his belly will turn grey occassionally and he'll act very down, sink to the bottom and sulk in the corner and then sometimes he'll purk up again and he'll be fine for a while? the ammonia levels are quite high and im going to sort that out tomorrow but the fact that my figure of eight is as happy as can be suggests that this mite not be the problem?
has anyone got any suggestions or does my puffer just have personal issues?

 

[RotorHead]

I wouldn't wait till tomorrow to fix your amonia problem. Do that now, or he might not even be there tomorrow when you wake up. It's so easy for them to die over night. Also, have you put any salt in your water? Puffers are a Brackish fish, and tend to need it as they get older.

 

[ollgeeze]

yes there is some salt in the water but not too much, i cant sort the ammonia problem out now as i have no softener i'm having the morning off work tomorrow so that i can buy some and do it in the morning.
is there anything else i can do to soften the water? does anyone know any handy loopholes i could use?

 

[diVer]

Both the puffers you have are brackish water fish. You need to get a hydrometer (I think that's what it's called) and make sure the salt content is correct.

 

[RotorHead]

Yes, salt is a MUST. They can't protect them selves without it. It's like a filter for their water. 1 tbsp per 5 gallons.

 

[Rudy2860]

I would suggest a water change right away. Use a hydropmeter to get the correct Salinity to the water you are adding to the tank and add conditioner for chlorine.

It cant be stressed enough that the thank should be cycled before any puffer ( or fish for that matter) is added!!!!!! puffers are sensitive to water quality! And you must get Brackish Water conditions immediately if the fish are to live long.

As for your stocking issue, a Green spotted and a Figure eight puffer could end up with a dead figure eight and a murderous green spotted puffer.

GSP are known to become killers over night! where as the F8 is a more docile fish in most cases. So i would keep an eye out for any heavy agression and have a tank ready to seperate them.

Please read some of the puffer info in the oddball section as to feeding and water conditions for these fish if you havent already.

I hope this helps you and your puffs!

 

[ollgeeze]

... wherever i go i end up in the oddball sections......

thanx fellas

 

[CFC]

i cant sort the ammonia problem out now as i have no softener i'm having the morning off work tomorrow so that i can buy some and do it in the morning.
is there anything else i can do to soften the water?

Why would you need to soften the water? Neither of your puffers particually need soft water, getting the ammonia levels down should be much more of a priority.