I have two south american puffers...both have been in my 20 gallon long for about a month now and have been eating really well....but recently one of them has started to lose all of its coloring, it now has very faint black lines on it ...the other still has the typical south american puffer black banding....my question is there anything wrong with the one who does not have very good coloring
South American Puffer Question
- Thread starter SCHMITTIE120
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perhaps it is under stress? Have you noticed it being picked on? When i had my SAP it would not let any other fish live in the tank- 20g will eventuall only be a suitable home for one btw.
most likely lose of color is a good sign of stress test your water and chack the puffer over and see if theres any signs of abnormalitys and mabye add a little salt to help it feel better but not all the time these puffers are totally freshwater
P.S puffers are very sensetive to nitrites and amonia which is most likely what the proublem is the need strong filtration and good water changes also they can get around 5-6'' so you will proubly need a bigger tank eventually keep an eye on them to the healthy one may take the chance to remove the sick one they useually need to be kept as singles or in groups of 3 or more good luck hope it gets better
P.S puffers are very sensetive to nitrites and amonia which is most likely what the proublem is the need strong filtration and good water changes also they can get around 5-6'' so you will proubly need a bigger tank eventually keep an eye on them to the healthy one may take the chance to remove the sick one they useually need to be kept as singles or in groups of 3 or more good luck hope it gets better
Please post your water parameters: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & pH. What is your water change schedule? Tankmates? What are you feeding them? Are you aware they need dentistry every 4-6 months?
when i researched i read that they only get to be about 3 inches...i was aware that they need dentistry every 4-6 months and i looked on the puffer forum website at the how to guide and i have everything to trim the teeth when it comes time...i looked at them this morning and all is back to normal in terms of coloration....i also do a 50 percent water change very week, sometimes every week and a half it just depends on the amount of time i have available...thanks for the help
Great, I'm glad you found my dentistry article. I hope it is helpful & makes it easy for you when it's time. I'm getting ready to trim my modestus' teeth this weekend.