My New puffer fish!!

[Pisidan]

Thought I would try out some puffers got 2 spotted puffers and put them in a 15 gallon planted with a ton of snails well in 24 hours there are almost no snails left...man they eat them like crazy!! I have included a pic of one of my little guys..I got them in fresh water so I had no problems with brackish conditions....and they seem to really love hiding spaces and alot of plants!! No name for the little guys yet..but anyways enjoy!!

[vpilieci]

As for a name.... may I suggest Bloat???

VP

[Pisidan]

That sounds cool!

[luvfishies]

Lovely! They *will* need more and more brackish conditions as they get larger and older, but for now they're fine in FW.

How big are they anyways?

Mine go ape for snails, Krill, Bloodworms, Mysis Shrimp, and just about anything else frozen that hits the water. Oh, and they also like Crickets!

[Pisidan]

They r not even an inch....since you have some luvfishies how do you measure for brackish conditions??? Should I slowly put them over to brackish conditions since they r in fresh now or is it ok right away...also what type of plants are ok in brackish water cause they really seem to love plants!!

[ambushman2j]

hydrometer will measure salinity

[luvfishies]

They r not even an inch....since you have some luvfishies how do you measure for brackish conditions??? Should I slowly put them over to brackish conditions since they r in fresh now or is it ok right away...also what type of plants are ok in brackish water cause they really seem to love plants!!

Yeah, they should be fine in FW for a few weeks/months yet. You will need Marine salt to make brackish water, and a hydrometer to test the salinity.

With each weekly or biweekly waterchange, make the new water 1.002 (use the Hydrometer to measure this). Do this until the tank water measures 1.002. Then up the waterchange water to 1.004 and use that until the tank measure the same. Keep increasing the salinity by 0.002 once the tank has equalised with the waterchange water, and leave the tank stable at 1006 until they hit about 1.5". Then slowly increase the salinity by the same method until it's about 1.010. Once they hit 2" you need to start increasing it again, as by the time they are 3" they should be in at least 1.015, and eventually they can go full SaltWater (1.025).

Basically you gradually increase the salinity by no more than 0.002 at a time. The more gradual you make this, the better for the fish.

I got Bumbles, my 4" GSP from someone who already had him in 1.018, but I'm growing out a couple of littler ones, and have them at 1.004 right now, and am planning to raise the salinity to 1.006 over the next little while.

Hope that helps a little, and if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask! These are great fish, but they do require a little more work and space than similarly-sized fish in FW.

[Pisidan]

Thanxs alot for the info I will do that for sure once I move...just one other question what types of live plants will live alright in brackish conditions?

[tanksalot]

I'm confused...are you sure these aren't dwarf puffers? ( T. travancoricus)

From the pic and your description of size it sounds like it. If they are, they are totally fresh-water.

We have some and love them. Definitely the cutest fish in a charlie brown kind of way :-)

If they are baby spotted Congos or T. fluviatilis...sorry I interrupted.

Where did you get them?

This is an excellent source of info on puffers:
http://puffernet.tripod.com/main.html

[luvfishies]

Tanksalot, on looking at the picture again, I think you're right in that they are the Dwarf Puffer, which is totally freshwater, and will be fine in a 15g tank for their entire lives.

Psi, sorry for the confusion, as my GSPs have that iridescent green back, rather than just a "green spot" on them.

[Pisidan]

I got them at little critters. So they r totally fresh water?? Man o man im getting confused LOL!! So these r totally fresh water? Makes my job easier LOL!!

[Marc]

I think the first thing you need to do is to figure out exactly which species of puffer you have.

I've just visited a number of dwarf puffer sites and I don't the fish pictured on those sites match the one in your picture.
http://www.pufferfish.co.uk/aquaria/species/pufferfish/types/tetrtrav.htm
http://www.fish-forum.com/modules.php?name=Profiles&id=77
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/puf-trav.htm

Your puffer may be Tetraodon shoutedeni (Spotted Congo Puffer)
http://www.pufferfish.co.uk/aquaria/species/pufferfish/types/tetrshou.htm

or Tetraodon nigrifilis (Spotted puffer)
http://www.pufferfish.co.uk/aquaria/species/pufferfish/types/tetrnigr.htm

but it's really hard to tell from your single picture.  Of the last 2 mentionned above one needs brackish water and the other "can stand mild brackish water".  So it's really important to figure which puffer you have.

Look at your fish closely and scour the internet and look at all the puffer pictures you can find.

Marc

[tanksalot]

If they stay little (an inch or less) they are dwarf puffers and live in fresh water their whole lives. The other species get larger.

You can't put any other type of fish in with them (except an Oto) as they will get nippy. They do love snails and bloodworms.

They should have a nice healthy white belly. The males get a faint stripe on their underbelly as they mature.

Have you seen them 'play' tug-of-war with a blood worm ? It is a hoot!

[squeeker]

Here's an informative site:

http://www.splutphoto.com/pierre/puffer.htm

I know that the top pics don't look much like your pic, but the bottom ones bear a striking resemblance.

[Pisidan]

yeah the bottom ones do look like mine...trouble is I cant tell if they r salt or fresh water ones still LOL!! From what I can see though think mine r Tetraodon shoutedeni  from what i can see!!

[luvfishies]

Pisidan, try contacting PufferPunk over at www.dwarfpuffers.com or http://puffer.proboards2.com/index.cgi?action=login2  She knows her puffers inside and out, and will surely be able to help with a definitive ID for your little guys.

[Pisidan]

ok tghanks alot luv fishies I will do that!!

[Pisidan]

Ok I found out it is a Green spotted puffer and is Brackish water so I am going to be picking up a Hydrometer ASAP and slowly bring them to the salt side

[artw]

I have a question did the storefrom which you bought this puffer from did they have it in brackish water? or fresh water?
it seems that luvfishies is really bringing her guys over to brackish slowly.  I was wondering if your little dood was in brackish in the store, and went right to fresh. if he could go right back to brackish again?

[Pisidan]

The store I got them from were in fresh water but from what I have read they r born in fresh water and slowly make there way to salt..so if you get hem in fresh water you have to slowly change the water to brackish and eventually right to salt water when they r older . I fyou look back a couple post luvfishies tells ya how to do it!!