You might have seen a news report stating that pufferfish hold their breath when they are inflated. And while they are inflated they acquire oxygen by absorbing it through their skin.
Instead of normal breathing through the gills, an inflated pufferfish absorbs oxygen directly from the water through its skin. This helps it compensate for the oxygen debt that is created when the fish is forced to stop breathing while it is puffed up.
This makes us wonder do puffer fish need more oxygen than other fish species and whether all puffers need an air stone or air pump in the tank.
Contents
Do Puffer Fish Need More Oxygen?
The fact is that well-established tanks will usually have the optimum conditions necessary for a pufferfish to survive. So, you already might have a filter, aquatic plants, and perhaps, even a pump to take care of your pet’s oxygen requirements.
Even if you do not have an air pump, you need not rush out to buy one. Puffers usually only need more oxygen while they are puffed up. And normally, a puffer will only puff up if it is stressed or feels threatened.
Under normal circumstances, a healthy puffer will be able to acquire all the oxygen it needs from the water thanks to the aquatic plants and regular water changes and filtration.
Naturally, in an overcrowded tank, a pufferfish might not get adequate oxygen. Not just the puffer, but all its tankmates might also show signs of labored breathing and may even come up to the surface of the water to breathe in oxygen. This is a clear sign that your tank is lacking in dissolved oxygen levels.
How to Tell You if Your Puffer Fish Needs More Oxygen
There are several signs that indicate that a puffer fish needs more oxygen than it is getting. For one, you might see it gasping for air. Here are some other signs:
Coming to the water’s surface
The concentration of dissolved oxygen is highest at the tank water’s surface. So, a pufferfish coming up to the surface is clearly trying to indicate that it is not getting adequate water from the lower sections of the tank.
Gasping
A fish gasping – also known as piping – indicates shortness of oxygen. It is a clear sign that your pet needs more oxygen.
However, a pufferfish might even gasp if the ammonia levels in the water are high. High ammonia and nitrites interfere with the functioning of the gills in your fish.
So, a pufferfish gasping in the tank or on the surface of the tank could either indicate a lack of oxygen or unsuitable water parameters.
Other abnormal behavior
Pufferfish are normally slow swimmers. But if you see your pet swimming erratically or fast, seems off-balance, or is breathing rapidly and generally acting crazy, then it could indicate a lack of oxygen or some other stress in its environment.
Tests to determine dissolved oxygen levels
It is important to test the oxygen levels in your tank using portable oxygen meters or chemical testing kits. Move the meter’s probe all over the tank to determine areas with low currents and low oxygenation – also called dead spots.
If dissolved oxygen meters are expensive for you, you could use chemical test kits. Chemical test kits are an affordable way to ensure that all water parameters in the tank, including oxygen, pH, ammonia, nitrates, etc. are up to the mark.
Ensuring there is adequate oxygen in the water is very important for your puffer’s health. So, you might want to test regularly.
RCYAGO Smart Bluetooth Dissolved Oxygen Meter
- Dissolved oxygen refers to the concentration of molecular oxygen dissolved in water, generally expressed in mg/L (ppm) and saturation percentage (%), which is the percentage of dissolved oxygen in 1L of water. when measuring and calibrating, needn't open the protective cover of the electrode, just put the electrode in the solution for measurement.
- Bluetooth dissolved oxygen meter with accurate real-time Bluetooth data transmission and clear measurement values. It allows you to save, manage and share test data at any time without worrying about data loss.
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- Adopts the digital screen display with backlight, multi-parameter display at the same time, mobile phone App control backlight display. If it is not used, it will shut down automatically after 10 minutes. oxygen solubility will be affected by temperature, atmospheric pressure, and salinity. our instrument with temperature compensation can meet normal use.
Last update on 2022-12-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Factors Affecting Oxygen Consumption
Many factors affect the oxygen levels of an aquarium: your tank’s population, temperature, water filtration, etc. Let us study these in detail:
Tank’s population, size of the fish, and capacity of the tank
If you have several fish in the tank, then the oxygen consumption will be high. All fish need oxygen, so over-stocking will naturally shorten the supply. Moreover, if you have an overstocked tank with several fish, they will all produce waste. Excess waste means more ammonia followed by a depletion of oxygen.
Water temperature and salinity
According to the FDACS, as water temperature increases, the amount of dissolved oxygen it can hold decreases. This indicates that the oxygen levels will vary throughout the day if temperatures fluctuate where you live.
If you use a water heater to maintain the optimum temperature between 72 and 78 F for your puffer, then the dissolved oxygen levels could decrease as the water warms up.
Similarly, salinity levels can impact the levels of dissolved oxygen – the higher salinity levels, the more they use up the oxygen in the water.
Marina Standing Thermometer, Fahrenheit and Celsius Aquarium Thermometer, 11202
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Last update on 2022-12-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Supplies in the tank
Live plants in the tank produce oxygen during the day but tend to use up oxygen at night. Also, oxygenation from plants depends on aquarium lighting. In the presence of lighting, plants produce oxygen but in the absence of lights, they contribute to depleted oxygen levels.
If your tank has no-to-low light for prolonged periods, then the plants could deplete the oxygen in the tank.
How to Increase Oxygen Levels in Your Fish Tank
There are several ways to increase dissolved oxygen in your puffer fish’s tank:
Add an air stone
A bubble wand or an air stone circulates the air around your pufferfish’s water to improve oxygenation. Another benefit of using an air stone is that it also lifts the water around the tank which causes other unwanted gases produced by your tank inhabitants to be released out of the water.
Uniclife Aquarium Air Pump Adjustable Quiet Oxygen Aerator Pump
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Last update on 2022-12-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Improve the tank’s circulation
Circulating your pufferfish’s tank water is one of the best ways to increase dissolved oxygen. Stagnant water usually has lower levels of dissolved oxygen, so circulation is very important.
To circulate the water, you can perform weekly water changes, use a HOB filter, or, add an air stone at the bottom of the tank. HOB or hang-on-back filters are very efficient in moving water from one side of the tank to the other.
AquaClear 50 Power Filter, Fish Tank Filter for 20- to 50-Gallon Aquariums
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Last update on 2022-12-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Aerate the water for surface agitation
Oxygen levels are highest at the surface of the tank. So, it makes sense to agitate the water at the surface so the oxygen gets evenly distributed throughout the tank. Make use of bubblers, wave makers, or spray bars for agitating the water’s surface. Hang-on-the-back or HOB filters also do the trick.
Fluval FX Spray Bar Kit, Aquarium Filter Water Aeration Accessory
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Last update on 2022-12-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Avoid overstocking
As mentioned above, too many fish in the tank will reduce the oxygen levels in the tank. Ideally, you must follow the thumb rule of 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. For pufferfish, this thumb-rule changes to 5 gallons per 1 inch of fish since most species of puffers are rather territorial.
Overstocking will cause consumption of all available oxygen, so keep the tank optimally stocked.
Add plants with appropriate lighting
Aquatic plants perform photosynthesis which helps increase oxygen levels. So add several aquatic plants into your tank. However, you must also make sure to also add proper lighting since the combination of low-to-no light with aquatic plants might consume all of the dissolved oxygen.
It is recommended that you provide at least 8-10 hours of light to a planted aquarium to maintain good oxygen levels. Choose the type and size of lights based on the size of the tank, the individual requirements of the chosen plants, as well as those of your species of pufferfish.
hygger 16W Full Spectrum Aquarium Light
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Last update on 2022-12-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
FAQs
Can puffer fish breathe oxygen?
Yes, pufferfish need optimum levels of oxygen to survive. They breathe oxygen and rely on their gills for oxygen even when they are inflated.
Can pufferfish only inflate 7 times?
For a pufferfish, survival depends on its ability to inflate. Inflating is a survival mechanism so there is no limit to how many times it can inflate. Having said that, inflating is rather stressful to your fish and could weaken it greatly.
Do puffer fish need water to breathe?
Many species of pufferfish live in shallow waters and often come up to the surface of the water to breathe. So, they can breathe in and outside water but they definitely need water to survive.
Conclusion – Do Puffer Fish Need More Oxygen
Pufferfish will acquire most of the oxygen they need from the dissolved oxygen in the tank. In some cases, the water oxygen levels can get depleted and if that happens, your puffer might appear distressed. It might come up frequently to the water’s surface to breathe or may even gasp for air.
If you notice this, it is time to test the water to ensure optimum oxygen levels. Adding some aquatic plants with proper lighting, a HOB filter or an airstone could help increase the tank’s oxygen levels.
We hope this guide helps you maintain your pufferfish’s tank appropriately.