mgudyka Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 Hi guys. I am a little worried about one of my two pea puffers. I have a plump one and a pretty lean one. The plump one will eat straight from my tweezers and the lean one seems much more shy/fearful of it so I have only ever seen the leaner one nibble on bloodworms. I am concerned the plump one is bullying the lean one. I have seen the plump guy chase the lean guy around and has chased it away from my tweezers when offering blood worms. I am offering frozen blood worms and live snails I have seen the leaner one hunt snails I think at least once. Right now the lean ones is just resting on a leaf. I placed a snail nearby and hoped it would pique their interest to no avail. If this guy is not eating, how do I help? Especially if it's not eating because of the other guy? Should I put the lean one in my gourami tank with red phantoms and otos to get away from the more aggressive one? I am concerned for its wellbeing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 @mgudyka aww. If it's being bullied you'd have to separate them permanently possibly no? What about trying a tank divider is that possible as a temporary reprive to see if that's the case? Or if you have to move one I'd move the one that's eating/less nervous. The lean one is probably stressed enough? I've never kept puffers so take my ideas with a grain of salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted April 23, 2021 Share Posted April 23, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, mgudyka said: Hi guys. I am a little worried about one of my two pea puffers. I have a plump one and a pretty lean one. The plump one will eat straight from my tweezers and the lean one seems much more shy/fearful of it so I have only ever seen the leaner one nibble on bloodworms. I am concerned the plump one is bullying the lean one. I have seen the plump guy chase the lean guy around and has chased it away from my tweezers when offering blood worms. I am offering frozen blood worms and live snails I have seen the leaner one hunt snails I think at least once. Right now the lean ones is just resting on a leaf. I placed a snail nearby and hoped it would pique their interest to no avail. If this guy is not eating, how do I help? Especially if it's not eating because of the other guy? Should I put the lean one in my gourami tank with red phantoms and otos to get away from the more aggressive one? I am concerned for its wellbeing Did you treat them for parasites as most puffers are wild caught if you did it's more than likely getting bullied Edited April 23, 2021 by Colu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgudyka Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 8 hours ago, Colu said: Did you treat them for parasites as most puffers are wild caught if you did it's more than likely getting bullied Oh no. No I did not. Is it too late?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgudyka Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 17 hours ago, xXInkedPhoenixX said: @mgudyka aww. If it's being bullied you'd have to separate them permanently possibly no? What about trying a tank divider is that possible as a temporary reprive to see if that's the case? Or if you have to move one I'd move the one that's eating/less nervous. The lean one is probably stressed enough? I've never kept puffers so take my ideas with a grain of salt. I am going to get a divider for sure and probably upgrade them to a bigger tank down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 6 hours ago, mgudyka said: Oh no. No I did not. Is it too late?! I would do two courses of paracleanse 2weeks a part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer V Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I agree that separating them as soon as possible is a good idea. In my limited experience with my puffs over the last three months, resting on a leaf during the day and disinterest is eating or hunting are not normal behaviors so there is clearly something going on. Keep us updated about how the little guy is doing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShelton Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I have witnessed somewhat similar behaviour in my two pea puffers. They are in a heavily planted matten filtered 10gallon tank at 26C with the only other inhabitants being 3 x 2cm Otocinclus vittatus. One of the pea puffers is slightly 'slimmer' compared to the other, and is noticeably less aggressive when I feed frozen foods (bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp). When I feed freshly hatched baby brine, both of them are equally aggressive when feeding on the live food. I have also just started a couple of cultures of microworms that I hope to get them eating. I have not observed the larger of the two fish bullying the smaller during feeding, but the larger of the two fish does occasionally chase the smaller during the course of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatyourpeas Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 This may be a long shot, but have you tried feeding other live foods? Also, the snails need to be pretty small for them to go after, otherwise there will be no interest. My puffers are vey picky and will not touch anything that is dead (I get "the look"), so only until I switched to live foods they became active and more social. Also, they do not share the tank, so I can't comment on their behavior as a pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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