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FAQs about Figure Eight Puffers, Identification Related Articles:
Alone
But Not Lonely: The Importance of Keeping Puffers Individually
by Damien Wagaman, Figure Eight Puffers, Freshwater/Brackish
Puffers, Green Spotted Puffers (GSP's),
The
Arrowhead Puffer, Tetraodon suvattii, miraculously malicious,
True Puffers, Puffers
in General, Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes,
Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers, Boxfishes,
Puffy & Mr. Nasty, Puffer
Care and Information, Pufferfish
Dentistry By Kelly Jedlicki and Anthony Calfo,
Related FAQs: FAQs,
FAQs 2, & FAQs on: Figure-Eight Puffer Behavior,
Figure-Eight Puffer Compatibility,
Figure-Eight Puffer Selection,
Figure-Eight Puffer Systems,
Figure-Eight Puffer
Feeding, Figure-Eight Puffer Disease,
Figure-Eight Puffer Reproduction, &
BR Puffers 1,
BR Puffers 2,
BR
Puffers 3, BR Puffer Identification,
BR
Puffer Compatibility, BR Puffer Selection,
BR Puffer
Systems, BR Puffer Feeding,
BR
Puffer Disease, BR Puffer
Reproduction, |
White "tummies"
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Figure eight
or green spotted???? 1/27/08
Hi again. Sorry bother you again Bob.
<'Tis I, Neale.>
This time it will take a little more than a second of your time. I
recently bought a puffer from a LFS and it was labeled leopard spotted
puffer.
<It's Tetraodon biocellatus. The specific epithet, "biocellatus"
literally means "two eye-spots", and if you look at the back half of the
body, you will indeed see two sets of yellow-ringed eyespots. One pair
on the caudal peduncle, and the other pair a little further forward, on
either side of the dorsal fin. The common name for this fish in the
aquarium hobby is Figure-8 Puffer, though other names get used, as in
your case. Needless to say, I prefer Latin names because, frankly,
they're easier to use (if not always easier to say!).>
And after reading through your website I found out that leopard spotted
puffers are green spotted puffers and they need brackish water.
<Yours is most certainly not a Green Spotter Puffer, which is either
Tetraodon nigroviridis or Tetraodon fluviatilis, depending.>
I am such a fool!!! I should have researched before buying it. But I
couldn't resist, it was soo cool. However, after looking through
pictures of the green spotted puffer, it didn't look like the puffer I
had. It looked like a figure eight puffer to me. I wasn't sure however.
<It is.>
Then I researched you website again and found out that figure eight
puffers can live in freshwater.
<Not they can't. The maintenance of this species is curious. Wild fish
do indeed seem to be reported mostly coming from freshwater habitats,
albeit coastal rather than inland ones. However, under aquarium
conditions they do not do well in freshwater. They are more prone to
disease and do not live as long. Optimal aquarium conditions appear to
be low-end brackish water, around SG 1.005, with a decent level of
carbonate hardness and a pH around 7.5-8.0. It is difficult to know
precisely why their aquarium requirements are so different to their
preferences in the wild, but they are, and the aquarist needs to allow
for that.>
So I was sooo happy to see that I may be able to keep it.
<Don't get too happy. It won't live for long in freshwater. Since it is
DEFINITELY not a community tank fish, there's no harm done. This species
is best kept on its own (either alone or in a group) or, oddly enough,
with bumblebee gobies, which seem to do very well with them. Other small
gobies should do well, too.>
However, I am not 100 percent sure if it a figure eight and not a green
spotted.
<It is Tetraodon biocellatus.>
So I wanted to see if you could tell. I have an attached photo of my
puffer. Can you please tell me what type of puffer it is and whether it
needs a brackish water or not????
<Yes, needs brackish water.>
Thanks again Bob and crew.
Mikey
ps. I apologize for the blurry image. It is a picture of my puffers top
side. His design. I hope you can see it. If you can't email me back and
I will try to get a better pic. Thanks again.
<Cheers, Neale.> |
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Palembang puffer <Now synonymized as T. biocellatus>
Hi Crew,
I've a question.. (but don't we all) I just got a Palembang puffer, and the tank
I got him from had probably 2 dozen of them all swimming happily... but I put
this little chappy in a tank on his own, and he seems rather distressed,
swimming up against the glass, even trying to jump.. and he looks like he's
trying to escape.. is this just due to him being in a new environment? or is
there something wrong with the water? I checked the ph and it seems ok... the
only other fish is a tiny Pleco. Thanks for your help
<Hey Marcus, it is very possible that this is just a reaction from the stress
of being moved into a new environment. I would also test my water for
ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, just to be sure. Best Regards,
Gage.>
Marcus Tan
Figure 8 Puffer in SW? 7/25/04
Hello! Thanks for responding yesterday!
<Hi, you've got Pufferpunk here today to answer your puffer questions.>
Along with the other fish I mentioned earlier, could a clown trigger, Malu
anemone, and a crocea clam live together? Also, the puffers I've had my eye on
looks like a brackish figure 8 puffer, but with much more white on the belly and
live in saltwater. What are they?
<I'm not sure which puffer you are describing. The F8 should have a white
tummy. Some folks have had short-term success with keeping F8 puffers in SW,
but we don't know the long-term affects of this yet. we do know of folks
keeping them over 18 years in light BW. There is a larger puffer that resembles
a cross between a F8 (Tetraodon biocellatus) & a green spotted puffer (T
nigroviridis). It is called a Ceylon puffer (T fluviatilis). It has a similar
pattern on it's back as an F8, with black spots on it's sides & abdomen. This
fish is in BW when young & prefers SW as an adult. It grows to 7-8". Also, I
don't suggest keeping puffers with clams (puffer food) & anemones. I recently
heard of a puffer biting into an anemone & dying. ~PP>
Thanks.
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