Puffer questions

[Mar23]

I have been waiting for several weeks for my figure 8 puffer to arrive with no luck (the supplier is out). So, yesterday I got a call from my lfs that they had a leopard puffer. I went ahead and got it. We named it "Puffy, the Shrimp Slayer." It is a baby now, but I'm aware that this is actually a GSP and I will need a bigger tank for it. I am now searching for a big tank for this guy. In the mean time, I have some questions. My water parameters are good, and salinity is exact same as they have at the lfs (1.008). I acclimated it when I brought it home. Within minutes of being released, it ate some ghost shrimp that were in the tank (his belly was round). Later, he started rubbing his nose up and down the glass like trying to get out. He was also making a noise (I think it was the beak scratching the glass). His poor little nose looked a bit pink from the rubbing. Then, we went to bed and we had freezing temperatures. This morning, the temp in the tank had gone down from 78 to 76 (it's never gone below 78 until last night). The puffer appears very calm now just swimming and exploring, no longer touching the glass and still stalking all the shrimp, so I'm thinking he was just a bit scared yesterday because it was a new environment.

My question is, will these fluctuations in temperature hurt him? How can I prevent this from happening? I have a small Aqueon heater in there that cannot be regulated. I'm afraid to put in a bigger heater for fear the tank will get too hot, since it's only 10 gallons.

Thanks for any advice!


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[NigelK8485]

Are you sure it's a green spotted? There is a marine puffer called the leopard puffer.


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[Mar23]

Yes, it's a GSP. They are sometimes called leopard because of the spots. The fish stores in my area only carry GSP. He seems calm and happy now, but I worry. They truly are easy to love.


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[treemanone2003]

Yes, it's a GSP. They are sometimes called leopard because of the spots. The fish stores in my area only carry GSP. He seems calm and happy now, but I worry. They truly are easy to love.


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There are both. There are very distinct differences between the two. If someone is calling them a leopard just because of the spots they're unknowledgeable of fish species.


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[NigelK8485]

Please say this fish isn't in the ten gallon tank you've been talking about.

And that you know you're going to have to trim his beak, you can't just rely on him eating snails to file it down. It will need trimmed by hand. How did you cycle the tank? What's the filtration?

Edit: I just saw it is in a ten gallon. You need to get him a bigger tank. Even though he's small, they're messy and active. A ten gallon isn't suitable for him. I'd advise taking him back to the store until you have a fully cycled larger tank. These really aren't fish that are suitable for just an impulse buy and without having the proper setup ready for life.
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[Mar23]

Please say this fish isn't in the ten gallon tank you've been talking about.

And that you know you're going to have to trim his beak, you can't just rely on him eating snails to file it down. It will need trimmed by hand. How did you cycle the tank? What's the filtration?

Edit: I just saw it is in a ten gallon. You need to get him a bigger tank. Even though he's small, they're messy and active. A ten gallon isn't suitable for him. I'd advise taking him back to the store until you have a fully cycled larger tank. These really aren't fish that are suitable for just an impulse buy and without having the proper setup ready for life.
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I just said it's temporary until I get the big tank. It's not an impulse buy. I have been going back and forth about what puffer to get. I have done my research on GSP and was originally going to go with that. I decided on the figure 8 because of size, but I'm just going to go with this one since the figure 8's appear to not be available in my area. Now, do you know the answer to my question about temperature?


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[NigelK8485]

I just said it's temporary until I get the big tank. It's not an impulse buy. I have been going back and forth about what puffer to get. I have done my research on GSP and was originally going to go with that. I decided on the figure 8 because of size, but I'm just going to go with this one since the figure 8's appear to not be available in my area. Now, do you know the answer to my question about temperature?


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When will you be getting the bigger tank? I would return the puffer until you have it up and running rather than holding it in a tank that is too small. They're sensitive fish, messy fish, and require a great deal of care. Do you know how/are you comfortable trimming its beak? What are the parameters on your tank, filtration, how long has it been cycled if it even is. Judging by your other post about the issues you had with your 5 gallon just a few days ago, you have a lot more issues to work through besides just the temperature. Reading about the puffer is all fine and dandy but they require experience as well, there are basic fundamentals you should know. No, a 2 degree temperature fluctuation most likely won't cause damage. However, 78 is the very low end of what they should be at, and there are a lot of other things wrong with this setup that will cause damage.

We are only trying to help so don't be so defensive. It was just a week ago you were saying you knew nothing about cycling and had an overstocked high ammonia 5 gallon tank. Now you have an overstocked 10 gallon with a sensitive fish.


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[Mar23]

Ok, sorry I asked. I will go to my lfs with my questions. I'm done.


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[treemanone2003]

When will you be getting the bigger tank? I would return the puffer until you have it up and running rather than holding it in a tank that is too small. They're sensitive fish, messy fish, and require a great deal of care. Do you know how/are you comfortable trimming its beak? What are the parameters on your tank, filtration, how long has it been cycled if it even is. Judging by your other post about the issues you had with your 5 gallon just a few days ago, you have a lot more issues to work through besides just the temperature. Reading about the puffer is all fine and dandy but they require experience as well, there are basic fundamentals you should know. No, a 2 degree temperature fluctuation most likely won't cause damage. However, 78 is the very low end of what they should be at, and there are a lot of other things wrong with this setup that will cause damage.

We are only trying to help so don't be so defensive. It was just a week ago you were saying you knew nothing about cycling and had an overstocked high ammonia 5 gallon tank. Now you have an overstocked 10 gallon with a sensitive fish.


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+1 !! Experience plays a large role in anything. Especially this hobby. Also, research and self education. Many folks recommend a few sites consistently because they are an excellent GUIDE.

This will help you to reaffirm that Nigel's post and my above post are correct and post #3 is inaccurate.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+39+2909&pcatid=2909
http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/nov08/greenspottedpuffer.htm

I will go on to say that I concur you should bring the fish back. It's not going to work out for one simple reason. If you're diligent with excellent husbandry on this tank, your fish will grow rather quickly. Too quickly. My suggestion as I stated in your other post, is to get the smaller tank under control first. I would also suggest to do more quantifiable research and skip listening to your LFS. They are not helping you at all. I'm sorry that you get the impression people are "too impatient with newbies to actually offer any helpful advice" because that was far from the case.


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[NigelK8485]

Ok, sorry I asked. I will go to my lfs with my questions. I'm done.


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Why are you sorry you asked? The question got answered and you got more information than you even asked for to help make sure the fish is taken care of properly. Sometimes the methods suggested to make sure the fish is taken care of properly, like taking it back for now, suck because you want the fish...but it's the best thing for the animal. There are fish and creatures I want but I realize that I can't provide the care they require right now so I don't get them. Does it suck, yes. Do I still want them, yes. Do I go out and get them? No, because I realize it wouldn't be right or fair for the animal.


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[ImACoolguy]

+1 Nigel we all have fish we want but just do not have the time/space/money/knowledge to care for it.


Caleb

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