Puffer Q/Comment

[Garrett]

I just want to confirm that puffers are absolutely a brackish fish. I went to two different shops this morning, both of them normally really respectable, and came across puffers in normal freshwater. One had little green puffers and the other had figure 8s. I asked the guy in the second shop about it, the figure 8s apparently are marketed as fresh, bred as fresh, and shipped as fresh from the distributor. I'd imagine it's the same for the Greens.

I ask mainly because I'm going to have a 10 empty shortly and was thinking about doing a pair of puffers, they look freaking awesome, and I'm sort of wondering what everyone thinks about this tidbit.

[vegas2k]

some are saltwater, some live their life going from salt-brackish-fw....and some are just FW :) ... just look up the types you like, and see what environment it needs. I also have been researching puffers for fw myself..very interesting fish imo!

[Garrett]

Well, the two types I mentioned seeing-Figure 8 and Greens-I was pretty sure I'd read were brackish. That was my concern, really.

[vegas2k]

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/figureeightpuffer.php

Figure 8 definitely FW

[Garrett]

Well, I stand very corrected then.

[smaug]

It aint clear yet folks!I keep my fig 8 in brack,the stores I deal with sell them in brack.That being said,they can be kept fw but will not enjoy there full lifespan and health.They are found in fw as well as bw in the wild.To make it short,they are better off kept bw.
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/

[vegas2k]

It aint clear yet folks!I keep my fig 8 in brack,the stores I deal with sell them in brack.That being said,they can be kept fw but will not enjoy there full lifespan and health.They are found in fw as well as bw in the wild.To make it short,they are better off kept bw.
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/


well if that is the case, then that thing on here needs to be fixored ;)

[smaug]

well if that is the case, then that thing on here needs to be fixored ;)
Yes it does,may of those profiles were quickly put together just for the award.Many mistakes are in there.

[Garrett]

I was wondering, went back to the store with the Figure 8s and the three were down to 1. Could've been a coincidence, but you never know...

[Anomaly]

Figure 8's have been kept and bred successfully in BOTH fresh and brackish water. Green Spotted Puffers on the other hand need to be converted to brackish as they mature.

[sanddigger]

Figure 8's have been kept and bred successfully in BOTH fresh and brackish water. Green Spotted Puffers on the other hand need to be converted to brackish as they mature.

Read this http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/jan09/figurepuffer.htm

FYI, puffers are not bred "in house". All puffers are naturally "loners" until it's time for them to breed. Figure 8's will love slightly brackest waters .05-.08, GSP will eventually go Marine. .23-.25

[splitadams]

yep sanddigger is right

figure 8's are brackish for sure and like smaug said they will tolerate fresh but wont live theyr'e lifespan

and a gsp is a brackish puffer but in age requires full marine

[kcodrumlrak]

Sanddigger got it spot on. Something else that should be noted is with GSPs at least, two in a ten gallon tank is asking for a vicious war. When I did my research on mine, I found that once they hit sexual maturity (2.5'' I believe), one in thirty gallons is minimum.

[terrapin24h]

I have read and read and read on this, as my wife loves puffers and one day we hope to get some eventually. Anyway, in all my research(tens and tens of hours) I've come down to pretty much this: There is only 1 true 100% for life freshwater puffer, and that's the dwarf puffer, also know as the india or pygmy puffer. ALL other puffers require at least minimally brackish if not full salt water as they mature.

If i could find dwarfys, i'd buy them in a second:

http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/

--chris

[KingFisher]

Yes it does,may of those profiles were quickly put together just for the award.Many mistakes are in there.

Those profiles were edited for content by a few very knowledgeable members prior to them being added to the site. If in fact, they were full of mistakes, the editors should have corrected them.

[smaug]

Those profiles were edited for content by a few very knowledgeable members prior to them being added to the site. If in fact, they were full of mistakes, the editors should have corrected them.
There was just a mistake pointed out by mr Jim last week.Should have corrected it before it was added?You betcha.

[splitadams]

I have read and read and read on this, as my wife loves puffers and one day we hope to get some eventually. Anyway, in all my research(tens and tens of hours) I've come down to pretty much this: There is only 1 true 100% for life freshwater puffer, and that's the dwarf puffer, also know as the india or pygmy puffer. ALL other puffers require at least minimally brackish if not full salt water as they mature.

If i could find dwarfys, i'd buy them in a second:

http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/

--chris


not quite right, yes dwarf puffers are purely fresh but there is a large number of purely freshwater puffers

Carinotetraodon irrubesco
Carinotetraodon travancoricus
Carinotetraodon salivator
Colomesus asellus
Monotrete Abei
Monotrete Cambodgiensis
Monotrete suvattii
Monotrete Turgidus
Tetraodon miurus
Tetraodon duboisi
Tetraodon pustulatus
Tetraodon lineatus
Tetraodon mbu

and thats just to name a few, there is many more.

puffers are by far in my opinion the most interesting of all fish, ive spent years reserching and keeping puffers

[englandsemo]

I've been looking at puffers for quite some time now as well. I've been to two different places. Looked at fig 8s and green spotted and both places told me they were absolutly brackish. I wanted to get a small tank, maybe 5 gallon or so just for puffers. I'm going to start with small ones (1/2 inch or so) Do I need to go bigger on the tank or would 5 gallon be okay?

[splitadams]

I've been looking at puffers for quite some time now as well. I've been to two different places. Looked at fig 8s and green spotted and both places told me they were absolutly brackish. I wanted to get a small tank, maybe 5 gallon or so just for puffers. I'm going to start with small ones (1/2 inch or so) Do I need to go bigger on the tank or would 5 gallon be okay?

the only puffer you could put in a 5 gallon is a dwarf puffer and theyre fresh but you could most likely get a few