Well... the story is...

I have a 50gal tank- its been set up forever- can't tell you how long. And one of my fish recently died of old age. (at this time I only had a clown fish and 2 blue green chromis.) one of the chromis's was the one that passed away. (I had only had him for about 6 years- but they were adopted from another fish owner who had to move that had them for several years himself.)

So my brother thought he was going to be really nice to me this christmas and buy a Puffer fish for me since they've always been my favorite fish. this one is a porcupine. (Which means I'll have to get that 100gl tank sooner than later huh?)

Of course, he bought it from a store that offers no refunds, exchanges, returns or whatever on saltwater fish.

He came in looking really small and thin for a puffer- and he didn't seem very spry compared to the puffer's I've worked with.

They said they were feeding him bloodworms and his salinity was kept at 1.017 which seems a tad low to me.

so I felt I owed it to the little guy to see if I could get him back to normal.

Here's the deal.

My tank stats:

0 nitrates, 0 nitrites, salinity was lowered to 1.019- I didn't want to shock his system right away by upping it to where it normally is which is 1.020-1.021. (I'm going to up it slowly.. my other fish do fine at that salinity.) the alkalinity is 300 and the PH is 8.4

I started him on Krill- I've had him for 4 days now- I didn't feed him the first day- and the last few days I give him about 2 to 3 krill which he eats hardily if not messily.

He leaves the other 2 fish alone which is odd seeing how aggressive they can be... but he already seems to have already put on a little weight, tho he doesn't seem to be very active, and he seems to kind of sit at the top or the bottom frequently.

I know that puffers are generally lazy- but they're somewhat spry... this one just seems more... I don't know... bleh I guess.

Is he ill do you think. or do you think he's just recovering from the stress of adapting to a new home? I just want to make sure this guy gets the best care. (Its not his fault my brother made a wellmeaning although rash purchase from a not so expert in saltwater fish petstore).

while i know absolutely nothing about anything saltwater, it does sound as if he may need some time to become comfortable in his new home.

How long have you had the puffer?

4 days total.... well wait- 5 days. I got him on the 26th. (It was a late Christmas gift. My brother saw it, know I loved puffers, knew one of my fish died of old age the week before and bought it.)

So 5 days as of today. (I haven't named him yet cause I want to wait to see how he does.)

He is eating good, but he doesn't seem to care about the other fish, and basically just gets active enough to eat. although he does swim around occasionally- it just seems slow. And he mostly keeps to the top or the bottom of the aquarium (mostly the bottom)

He came in looking sickly and wasn't being fed properly I know that much (bloodworms don't have much nutritional value nor does it saw down their teeth.) and the salinity they kept him at seems awfully low for a puffer fish....

so I'm wondering if he's just recovering, or if he's passed that point.

oops, sorry- I just noticed this was in the freshwater fish section. lol. my bad. I just saw fish 911 and posted.

If you want to move it to the proper forum- feel free.

sry bout that.

no it's okay, it is a health/ behavior issue. it will get more traffic in here. sorry i couldn't be more help to you though.

no prob ^_^

Usually they say if a procupine lives 48 hours in its new home, you're on a good track. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right for the little guy.

i think one of our newer members here is into saltwater setups. i'll shoot him a pm maybe he can help you out.

awesomeness. Thanks!

Here is my output about puffers. They are a nocturnal fish and usually eat at night. grazing on snails, hermits, and shrimps that already occupy your tank. So if you have them and your putting him into a reef tank then it generally aint a good idea to have him. Puffers do require their teeth being trimmed once they get long because they will close up the area that they have to eat food and will starve to death. Puffers are usually for the well responsible keeper that knows how to properly care for them. Yes we all like them and all but another species that best left to the ocean. They usually just lay around the bottom of the tank and hide when first acclimated to your system. Your levels seem to be fine in my opinion. The salt level should be about where you have it a .021. if keeping a reef with fish I usually keep mine at .026. Stores wont tell you but usually they treat fish with copper when they get them in to prevent sickness and deaths. Best to frequent your LFS often to see what fish they have and how long they have lived there before taking them home. the chromis on another hand may have lived its full lifespan in captivity already. Usually saltwater fish live a few years such as ocotopus and as long as 50 years as the farther you get up into the chain to 100's of years.

Here is my output about puffers. They are a nocturnal fish and usually eat at night. grazing on snails, hermits, and shrimps that already occupy your tank. So if you have them and your putting him into a reef tank then it generally aint a good idea to have him.

My tank isn't a reef tank. Its a fish only tank as is recommended for puffers.



Puffers do require their teeth being trimmed once they get long because they will close up the area that they have to eat food and will starve to death.

This much I know... But he is eating better than fine. It was his activity I was concerned about.

Puffers are usually for the well responsible keeper that knows how to properly care for them. Yes we all like them and all but another species that best left to the ocean.

I've had puffers all my life. Figure 8's, dogfaced, brackish puffers like the spotted puffer and dwarf puffers... all of them lived many years except for one who only lived a year. So I'd say I'm a pretty responsible owner- or I'd just leave him be without asking for advice.

They usually just lay around the bottom of the tank and hide when first acclimated to your system. Your levels seem to be fine in my opinion. The salt level should be about where you have it a .021. if keeping a reef with fish I usually keep mine at .026.

its not a reef tank.

Best to frequent your LFS often to see what fish they have and how long they have lived there before taking them home. the chromis on another hand may have lived its full lifespan in captivity already.

again... I didn't buy him... but I can't return him at the same time. He was a gift and he was purchased at a no refund/return/exchange on saltwater aquarium store.

Also- I as I said... the chromis did die of old age. Their life span in captivity is about 10 years on the old end- and he was probably just over 8.

I still think you may need to give him time to adjust, so long as he is eating that is a good sign, especially considering how finicky they are about food.

Well he seems to be swimming a little more today than he was yesterday, and he does love his krill. I'm probably going to go to a petstore tomorrow and see if I can get some small shelled creatures for him to munch on.

But today is day 6, he's swimming better- he's even doing some fancy swimming. he looks fatter- (He was emaciated when I got him)

So I'm feeling a little better. He's still really small for a normal puffer his age, but when I notice him having a growth spurt as I hope he does, I'll transfer him over to a larger tank.

I'm probably going to buy a 75 or 100 gal for him if he does really well in the next few weeks. I'm still being causious about my optimism. Like I said, he is pretty small, and did come to me emaciated and not looking too well. I want to make sure he's truly going to survive before I spend $300. on a new tank and set up.

But so far so good. 6 days and he's looking better rather than worse!

Just an update.

Day 7 and my puffer is doing ok.

He swims out of his hiding place when he sees me by the tank, and is eating krill right out of my hand.

My tank is scheduled for its bi-weekly cleaning- but I'm going to give him a little bit longer to settle in before stirring things up. Its not too bad right now anyway.

but a full week and he's eating really well, his color is dark (which is good cause dull colors is a sign of illness), and his eyes are bright and colorful.

So I'm not as worried as I was when he first came into my tank. I'm still being cautious, but he seems to be doing pretty good.

Well that's good news!