new puffer fish owner

[molly smith]

I just got my first puffer fish and he seems to be ok except that his bright green coloring has turned dark except for the top of his head. Does this mean that he is unhappy. We got him on saturday or can this just be stress and he will come back to his color. My fire bellied toads would do the same thing if they were not happy. Thanks for the help.

[Boredomb]

What kind of puffer is he? A Green spotted Puffer?
Are you keeping him on freshwater of brackish water? What are you feeding it??
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[Nilet699]

Ooh a new puffer owner
BB is right....type is important here....scientific name would be best if you know it..
Ooh, and throw up a pic or 2 if you can!

[Boredomb]

Originally Posted by Boredomb

What kind of puffer is he? A Green spotted Puffer?
Are you keeping him on freshwater of brackish water? What are you feeding it??
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LoL I can't type! I was trying to say "Are you keeping him in freshwater or Brackish?". Oh pics would be great! We love pics of Puffers!
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[Pippin88]

If he has bright green coloring, he is most likely a Green Spotted Puffer, and since you posted this in the freshwater section I am assuming that's the kind of water you have him in.

GSPs are actually high level brackish fish: they need a specific gravity of about 1.015-1017, in my experience. Your fish will not do well or live very long in freshwater.

Also, what size tank is he in, and does he have tankmates?
These guys need a minimum of 30 gallons to themselves, as they are very active and also can be very aggressive and kill other fish in the tank.
(mine, who is only a couple of inches long, killed and ate an algae eater which a petshop owner put in there while he was petsitting him for me)