need fish help

[jacki89]

my brother just started a freshwater aquarium and he just bought 2 fish from walmart to add. The fish were not labeled at walmart, so we have no clue what they are. They are yellow with black spots and a white belly and i think they may be green spotted puffer fish, which seems unlikely coming from walmart. Are there any fish similar to this?

Anyways, we've had them for 2 days, and today one of the bellies just bloated up. It kind of looks like eggs inside, but if it is a green spotted puffer fish, different websites say it is very unlikely.

Anyone have any ideas about what kind of fish this is, and why its belly is so big so quick?

[Jess]

Sounds kinda like a dwarf puffer to me.

[canadiancritter]

Yeah, it does kinda sound like a dwarf puffer.
If it is, the bellie may be bigger if it had just eaten


Do you have any pictures?

[jacki89]

it had just eaten when i noticed the belly, but it looks pretty lumpy. also, it has been hanging out inside the trunk thing we put in there alot, and the other fish kind of guards the holes into the trunk sort of. i couldnt get the greatest pictures, because when it did come out, it was terrified of the camera, and my zoom doesnt work with the glass.

[Sasami]

Do you have a picture?

Dwarf Puffers are definitely a possibility if the fish are very small.

[jacki89]

[jacki89]

[Angelnstuff]

Our walmart sells green spotted puffers.. yours does sound more like a dwarf puffer tho.. Do you have any pictures?

[Vanilla_Rat]

A dwarf puffer also came to my mind as I was reading your post.Pics???

[jacki89]

[Sasami]

That's a Green Spotted Puffer. Oh man, I hate how stores sell them without telling people all of the care involved.

How big is the tank? The GSPs are going to need their own aquarium, separate from any other fish he bought. They get to be six inches long and I would suggest nothing smaller then a 55-gallon for both. You'll need a good filter because they are messy fish.

GSPs don't usually do well in freshwater long term and should be carefully acclimated to a brackish set-up. You can keep them in a brackish tank permanently but keep the salinity up more on the higher end (SG 1.015-1.018). I would recommend moving them to a marine tank when adults, though, if you can. A SG (specific gravity) of 1.020 should be fine.

They also won't do well if they're just fed flakes/pellets. Try to offer a variety of live and frozen foods...krill, gut-loaded ghost shrimp, brine shrimp, and snails are all good choices. The snails are necessary for healthy tooth growth as they keep the teeth worn down.

You'll need to keep the tank pretty warm and the pH high like most brackish/marine tanks. A temperature of 78-81 degrees Fahrenheit and a pH of around 8 should be good.

If possible I would just rehome them unless you're willing to set up a separate tank like I described.

The one with the larger belly just looks full, not sick or anything. Keep an eye on him just in case.

[jacki89]

i thought they were green spotted puffers. there are 2 of them
****. its a 29 gallon tank, but there are other fish in it. i could kill walmart, they had them labeled as some common beginner fish, and we knew they weren't what they were labeled, but the guy swore they were. There's no way they can survive in a 29 gallon tank together? they seem to be doing good. the stomach on the one went down, and it was right after she had been fed,so it makes sense now.
i guess the best thing is to look for a home for them, but thats sad. we all got attached to them, the one in the pictures is Dot and the other is Lemon. They are our favorite fishies.

[Sasami]

Quote: Originally Posted by jacki89 i thought they were green spotted puffers. there are 2 of them ****. its a 29 gallon tank, but there are other fish in it. i could kill walmart, they had them labeled as some common beginner fish, and we knew they weren't what they were labeled, but the guy swore they were. There's no way they can survive in a 29 gallon tank together? they seem to be doing good. the stomach on the one went down, and it was right after she had been fed,so it makes sense now. i guess the best thing is to look for a home for them, but thats sad. we all got attached to them, the one in the pictures is Dot and the other is Lemon. They are our favorite fishies.

They could live in the 29-gallon for a little while but not with the other fish . The problem is that they require brackish or saltwater which would mean adding marine salt and raising the pH. Regular freshwater tropicals couldn't handle that.

That's my biggest problem with Wal Mart selling fish. They have no idea what they're doing and label some fish as "beginner fish" even when they have such complicated care requirements.

For future reference, there aren't any freshwater community puffers. In general puffers are aggressive fish and can't be kept with most other species.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news . It really makes me mad that GSPs are labeled as easy, freshwater fish when in reality they aren't.

[jacki89]

but the frustrating thing is that they weren't even labeled as gsp's they were labeled as something completely different. and even though we told the guy that they weren't the fish in the picture, he just assured us they were, even though they clearly are not long skinny grey fish.
its going to be sad to see them go, but i explained everything to my brother and his girlfriend, and we are going to try and give them to a lady at petco who helped us with the whole process [other then this part]. Maybe they will take them and try to resell them.
they really are adorable fish, they are so pleasant, and swim around so happy with each other.I never thought i would enjoy watching fish, but these 2 are such cuties in every way. If only we had a 55 gallon tank and the brains to work it.

[Kendalle]

why did you get them knowing that they were coming from a place that you knew didnt know what they were doing and you didn't know how to care for them either