Dogface Puffer Help

[AiKakashi]

I have a question.

I had set up a saltwater aquarium after losing my brackish baby thor. (It was extremely depressing. Pet store sold me bad food. no way for them to know it was bad I suppose so I don't blame them but I was extremely depressed because i've had him so long and he was doing so well.)

anyway...everything seemed to be going great. I tested the water everyday and everything always tested at either acceptable, safe or Ideal.

so finally after a few months of circulation I bought a porcupine puffer.

first I put him in the water in his bag for like a half hour, then I added tank water to the bag for like another half hour, then I released him. I kept everyone out of the room and all the lights off so that it would be stress free.

I didn't bother feeding him that first night in case they had fed him at the pet store and because I wanted to give him a chance to acclimate to the tank.

the next morning he was looking scary bad, so I moved him to a sick tank where he died an hour later.

I took the water from the sick tank and my tank to two aquatics stores (not where I bought him so they couldn't tell me it was my fault. I wanted someone impartial.) both impartial places told me my water was perfect. The Alkalinity was ideal, the saltwater ph was between acceptable and ideal, the Nitrate was between ideal and okay and the nitrite was safe.

the sick tank was even better.

so I cleaned my tank from top to bottom and let it circulate again and this time I decided to get myself a hardier fish, a Dogface puffer. He was so cute and seemed to take to me when I was looking at this neon pink and blue angel fish.

I had the water tested at the store and once again they said it was perfect, I had changed from gravel to this new sea sand type stuff that is suppose to help control the PH levels of saltwater tanks, and I have the water temp set at 78 degrees right now. I put a pink blanket over the back and sides of the tank so its not completely dark but its not bright inside so he isn't stressed out, and I've turned off the 100 watt helogen bulb for the day/night.

when I got him home he examined the tank, then he kind of clung to the side of the tank and started breathing really heavy. then he swam some more, and then laid at the bottom of the tank. He wasn't breathing very hard anymore and I was panicing that maybe he was dying.

His tail was curled up around him and he just sat there slowly breathing. I bent down and as soon as he saw me he swam up to me, and when he sees me he swims up to me... and occassionally he'll swim around... but he seems to spend a bit of time on the floor too. but his breathing has slowed now, he's not doing that panting.

after how quickly my porcupine puffer died, I'm a bit panicy. Is this normal for a dogface puffer? Is he maybe just a bit stressed right now? is he in trouble? Is the fact that he's swimming at all when he sees me and isn't panting a good sign? Should I try feeding him or wait till tommorrow? should I turn his light on tonight or keep it off to keep off the stress?

anyone have any good info or sights on this fish?

Thanks much for any info!

 

[Navarre]

what type of aquascping do you have in the tank? Is it bare or does it have liverock for it to hide among? Dogface puffers will lie on the ground like this quite often. I cant say for sure if the puffer is in trouble or not as i dont know your operating perameters etc. What is your ph? Is it possible your ph might have fluctuated with no bufferin your system?

 

[AiKakashi]

what type of aquascping do you have in the tank? Is it bare or does it have liverock for it to hide among? Dogface puffers will lie on the ground like this quite often. I cant say for sure if the puffer is in trouble or not as i dont know your operating perameters etc. What is your ph? Is it possible your ph might have fluctuated with no bufferin your system?

there are no other fish in there with him, he has a plant in there to hide among, but no rocks yet. I wanted him to feel comfortable with his surroundings before I added too much stimuli. not to mention, after the porcupine puffer fiasco, I wanted to be able to see him easily. The porcupine Puffer was under the coral and plants so that I couldn't see him at first when he became sick. I assumed he was hiding so I went to bed. He may have already been getting ill at that moment though.

according to my saltwater comparison chart The PH has been between 7.8 (acceptable) and 8.4 (ideal)

the Alkilinity has been 300 (ideal), the Nitrite has been 0 (safe) and the Nitrate has been between 0 (ideal) and 20 (okay)

I've been testing the water almost every day.

and when I bought him today I had three different aquatic places test the water for me. All three said the water is perfect for saltwater specimens.

 

[Navarre]

You water seems ok. What type of filter are you running? If the tank is bare then i will assume there is no liverock in the system? Plants are totally alien to a puffer so the behaviour pattern its showing makes me feel its probably unsure of its surroundings. If you watch puffers (especially dogface) in shop tanks they usually just lie on the floor as they have nothing to interact with, no territory to patrol and nothing to make them feel they are in a natural surroundings, I feel the same behavious is being displayed here.

I would start adding liverock as soon as possible but make sure its mature because unmature liverock will cause ammonia spikes. Considering the potential size of fish you have i would say that this is gonna be a very expensive day (not sure how large thae tank is), live rock is not cheap and the volume of water needed means lots of liverock.