# puffer fish



## jimbo

I searched the threads about puffers, but can't find any info on them, I'm thinking about putting some in a 55. What temps do they like, and what do they eat. Are there any bigger puffers that arent to expensive? that can live with other fish?


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## black_bullet

Depending on what type of puffer you are interested in, the only "true" common FW puffers are the Dwarf, Black River, and the Fahaka...and even these do better with a salinity of around 1.003. Then other puffers such as the Green Spotted, Red Eye, Hog Nose, and Figure 8 are brackish water...then of course there are the several species of saltwater puffers. All puffers are predators, puffers are some of the most wicked predator fish...because the take bites out of their victim and slowly eat it while its still alive. You could keep most puffers in a tank of 55G capacity. Fahakas are getting more common lately...they usually get around 16" maximum...a 55G would do one of these fish for quite some time. But Id personally stick to a few of the smaller species such as the Spotteds or Figure 8s, each of these get around 5"


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## TimmyTeam

i have 2 Figure 8's in a 20 gallon. Most F8's tend not to be agressive i have other fish with them.Mine are in FW and they seem to be doing fine they have full colour eat right and just seem happy.I feed my puffers frozen blood worms,Freeze dried pacific plankton and Earth worms.Oh yea and puffers are VERY VERY slow growers.


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## black_bullet

Brackish fish do usually do oK for some time in FW...but they never make it to adulthood or truely thrive without a level of salinity.


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## thePACK

black_bullet said:


> Brackish fish do usually do oK for some time in FW...but they never make it to adulthood or truely thrive without a level of salinity.


 so true..glad you pointed that out


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## accr

See if you can get an arrowhead puffer(t. suvatti). They are one of the most aggressive puffer you can find, they'r true FW too.

Pic from "The Tropical Tank" forum.


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## o snap its eric

Generally speaking, the bigger the puffer the meaner it is. Puffers will eat anything. They do like brine shrmp alot. You will need to feed them snails or ghost shrimp to sharpen their teeth. i do believe the Red eye puffer not the target puffer is the most agressive. They are comparable to the dreaded fahaka puffer.


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## piranha45

yeah, not even a large dovii or umbee could stand up to a large fahaka or mbu puffer; puffer beaks>>> cichid jaws

and the way puffer skin is (soft, thick and mucousy), cichlids allegedly can't even damage the skin of puffers of similar size

they mgiht even give piranhas a run for their money in a jawlock fight too; they might look fat and bloated but they can move waay faster than you think, just as fast as any other fish out there


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## Alexraptor

oh yes and btw guys could u tell me if the dwarf puffer is a true FW? or a brack water fish?


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## piranha45

Markosaur said:


> oh yes and btw guys could u tell me if the dwarf puffer is a true FW? or a brack water fish?


 brackish


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## Innes

sorry I havn't responded yet in this thread, if you can tell me what species of puffer you would like info on I will look up a few "handy links" and if you are not too sure, can you please tell me what kind of water you have, and if you are going to have tankmates or not, and generally what kind of thing you are looking for


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## Alexraptor

tell u what p45

are u sooo shure?









lol i think u may be wrong.

i just did a search for dwarf puffer. and EVERY single site i go to says its entirely FW fish. some of the other species are brackish but all those sites say they are FW.


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## TimmyTeam

it's fresh water


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## Innes

Markosaur said:


> tell u what p45
> 
> are u sooo shure?
> 
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> 
> 
> lol i think u may be wrong.
> 
> i just did a search for dwarf puffer. and EVERY single site i go to says its entirely FW fish. some of the other species are brackish but all those sites say they are FW.


Where are your "handy links"









but you are right, they are FRESHWATER

















Dwarf Puffer Fish - _Carinotetraodon travancoricus _

heres a handy link
heres another handy link
heres a really handy link
heres another handy link


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## Alexraptor

lol oops forgot them, but at least u had one of them lol


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## lbei

this may be stupid questions, but I can't find the answers in the links..

Do they puff up like a ball when threatened? If so, how big do they have to be before they can do that? And lastly, are they dangerous for young children to play with?


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## Innes

lbei said:


> this may be stupid questions, but I can't find the answers in the links..
> 
> Do they puff up like a ball when threatened? If so, how big do they have to be before they can do that? And lastly, are they dangerous for young children to play with?


 look at the pic I gave you









and children should not "play" with any fish - they are no good at games









but in a tank they are safe for kids to look at


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## lbei

I've seen the picture you posted.. i thought they go fully round









And I didn't mean for them to be played like toys. I am just wondering if they would be dangerous if children put their hands in the water and try to handle them.. ?


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## rday

a puffer puffs up to fully round only when it feels its life is in danger. making it puff up is a lot like holding a gun to someone's head to see if they sh*t their pants... its very stressful and can potentially kill the puffer, so don't do it.

also, depending on the age of the kids in question, puffers may not be a good idea. 1. some/many puffers produce a powerful toxin that could make a kid very sick if he/she ventured to stick it in their mouth, something kids seem to enjoy... 2. Puffers become very tame and when a tank is opened up, they will swim to the top to be fed. A finger entering the water probably appears close enough to a food item that the puffer may bite it and puffer bites can pack quite a punch. 3. no fish should ever be handled unless in an emergency. its stressful for them and damages their mucosal coating that protects them from disease and infection.

that being said, puffers are a great pet and are one of my favorite fish to keep.


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## piranha45

Innes said:


> Markosaur said:
> 
> 
> 
> tell u what p45
> 
> are u sooo shure?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> lol i think u may be wrong.
> 
> i just did a search for dwarf puffer. and EVERY single site i go to says its entirely FW fish. some of the other species are brackish but all those sites say they are FW.
> 
> 
> 
> Where are your "handy links"
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> but you are right, they are FRESHWATER
> 
> 
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> 
> heres a handy link
> heres another handy link
> heres a really handy link
> heres another handy link
Click to expand...

well then, another strike to petsmart, they keep all their dwarfs in brackish tanks with mollies









i just presumed the people who coordinate and say "that fish needs brackish tank, that needs fw tank" would be different, knowledgeable people rather than the little teenage fish-selling crew, but regrettably that doesnt seem to be the case. You'd think the distributors would at least tell them or something...


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## accr

rday said:


> a puffer puffs up to fully round only when it feels its life is in danger. making it puff up is a lot like holding a gun to someone's head to see if they sh*t their pants... its very stressful and can potentially kill the puffer, so don't do it.


 Add on to that....

if a puffer puffs up while NOT in water, they'll suck in air instead of water. WHich makes it much harder for them to un-puff. And they can easily die from this.

So if you have to move a puffer, use a bucket and scoup him up while in water, take out the bucket and relocate. Never make them puff air.


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## piranha45

but my god, it would make for an AWESOME beach ball


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## Innes

piranha45 said:


> well then, another strike to petsmart, they keep all their dwarfs in brackish tanks with mollies
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i just presumed the people who coordinate and say "that fish needs brackish tank, that needs fw tank" would be different, knowledgeable people rather than the little teenage fish-selling crew, but regrettably that doesnt seem to be the case. You'd think the distributors would at least tell them or something...


 you know what my number 1 piece of advice for fishkeeping is?

.....never believe, or trust anything you see or hear in Petsmart


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## lbei

rday said:


> a puffer puffs up to fully round only when it feels its life is in danger. making it puff up is a lot like holding a gun to someone's head to see if they sh*t their pants... its very stressful and can potentially kill the puffer, so don't do it.
> 
> also, depending on the age of the kids in question, puffers may not be a good idea. 1. some/many puffers produce a powerful toxin that could make a kid very sick if he/she ventured to stick it in their mouth, something kids seem to enjoy... 2. Puffers become very tame and when a tank is opened up, they will swim to the top to be fed. A finger entering the water probably appears close enough to a food item that the puffer may bite it and puffer bites can pack quite a punch. 3. no fish should ever be handled unless in an emergency. its stressful for them and damages their mucosal coating that protects them from disease and infection.
> 
> that being said, puffers are a great pet and are one of my favorite fish to keep.


 Thanks rday. That was very informative. I have some inquisitive kids who come to my house, and I'm not always around when the come. Guess I have to give puffers a miss now..


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## Innes

lbei said:


> Thanks rday. That was very informative. I have some inquisitive kids who come to my house, and I'm not always around when the come. Guess I have to give puffers a miss now..


 Kids shouldn't be a problem - just tell them not to touch.

or better still get rid of them


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## black_bullet

Dwarfs are FW...but they do like a spoon or two of marine salt per 10G. This makes the waters SG like 1.002 or 1.003







but that minute level seems to IME be good for "freshwater" puffers. Puffers are very prone to fungus and ich, also keeps them from stressing a little


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