Spawning "Target" Pufferfish 4/2/07
Hello Friend
<Hi Paul, Pufferpunk here>
I am hoping you can help. I have successfully raised many species of pufferfish
but always kept my fish alone. I recently purchased 2 target pufferfish about
3.5" long.
<The actual species referred to as the "Target" puffer, really hasn't been seen
around for quite some time. there are many of what we refer to as the "target
group". Check for ID here:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/?g2_GALLERYSID=20f33226b7c92397f4e8b8d0897e5f86 >
After a couple of days of shaking their bodies on a particular plant leaf, I
just noticed about 200 eggs on the leaf. This is four days after seeing them
shake on the leaf. They are reddish brown. One puffer guards the leaf at all
times and will not let the Pleco or other puffer get close.
<Congrats! That's the daddy puff (or Puff Daddy ;) ) guarding the eggs.>
I just want to know if these eggs have a chance of hatching and if so what I
need to do now and after they hatch to ensure they survive. I have found very
little info on breeding puffers and none on breeding target/twin spot
puffers. Please if you have any advice for me to save these eggs it would be
greatly appreciated.
<I suggest contacting Rocker at this forum: www.thepufferforum.com. He has had
great success rearing fry from his freshwater T. suvattiis. There is also a
breeding forum you can post in there. ~PP>
Thank you so much, Paul
Tetraodon suvattii Tankmates 1/5/07
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I am still trying to decide what to put in my new 46 gallon tank, and am very
interested in the pig-nose puffer (Tetraodon suvattii). I looked on
pufferlist.com--I know what the fish needs. What I am wondering is if it can be
kept with fish that are too large for a potential meal? I don't want it
ambushing everything in the tank. Some fish I was considering would be a large
Gourami or two, and possibly a Ctenopoma acutirostre (Spotted Climbing
Perch). Would a good option be an African Butterflyfish? It would never
encounter the puffer since it would hang out at the top and the puffer would
spend most of it's time at the bottom. If the puffer could co-exist with the
Gourami and Spotted Climbing Perch, would they all be ok with the African
Butterflyfish then?
<The T suvattii is a natural fish eater. It tears flesh off fish. Anything you
put in there with it, is a potential
meal. ~PP> Thanks
Pignose Puffer--Substrate 7/21/06
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I read an article from The Puffer Forum that said for brackish tanks you could
use mineral mud, which you can find cheap at a hardware store, can you use
mineral mud if you have a Pignose puffer, if not is there a specific sand you
would recommend?
<I'm not sure what article that was (since I own that forum). Play sand from
the hardware store will work, as long as you stir thoroughly, before every
weekly water change, to prevent anaerobic (toxic) bacteria pockets from
forming. ~PPP>
Breeding Tetraodon suvattii 7/25/06
Hi,
<Hi Karina, Pufferpunk here>
I have a pair of Arrowhead puffers (Tetraodon suvattii).
Are shrimp about 5-7cm (with shell) enough to keep their teeth in shape or do
they need harder shells as well?
<"People" shrimp are good but puffers need a varied diet.
See:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/puffer/food.html >
The couple is spawning :-),
<Congrats!>
if the juvenile survive, what would be good for their teeth? I plan on hatching
brine shrimp to start with but suggestion on what to give later is very welcome.
<Ahhh... herein lies the problem of breeding puffers. Puffer fry are almost too
small to see with the naked eye. VERY difficult to feed! I know of many that
have gotten their puffers to spawn & hatch fry but they are almost impossible to
feed. The puffer fry are way smaller than newly hatched BBS. One of the other
problems is aggression. The baby suvattii will kill each other, if not
separated as soon as they have teeth. This means 100s of small & then medium
sized tanks, for rearing them. Another problem folks are running into, is the
parents eventually killing each other. There is a fellow at
www.thepufferforum,com, that has had some success at breeding these puffers but
none of the fry successfully grew to adulthood. If you are successful, I
wouldn't worry too much about food for their teeth when young. Here's an
excellent article on puffer foods:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/puffer/food.html ~PP>
Regards Karina, Denmark
Tank Size for Arrowhead Puffer 7/10/06
<Hi, Pufferpunk here.>
What is the recommended tank size for an arrowhead puffer? I have a 55 gallon
right now.
<This puffer is an ambush predator. It stays buried in the sand or in a cave,
most of the day, waiting for food to swim/walk by, then darts out & grabs their
unsuspecting prey. This means that a 55g would be kind of a waste of room,
unless you wanted to plant it nicely & use it as a display tank. Another
problem with a tank that large is that they prefer about 3" of sand to burrow
in. Sand has to be thoroughly stirred every week, before water changes, so as
not to develop anaerobic (toxic) pockets of gas. A PITA in a 55g tank. I'd say
a 30g would be nice for this fish. More info on this species at
www.pufferlist.com & www.thepufferforum.com. ~PP>
Pignose Puffer For Sale? 7/7/06
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
Do you know where I can find a pignose puffer, all the sites I have been to have
them but none in stock. I was wondering if you knew of any better sites?
<Well, this fellow has one for sale but I think he's in Canada:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4170 Have you tried
Aquabid? ~PP>
Do I Have a Miurus or Suvattii Puffer? 2/2/06
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I recently bought a 3-inch puffer from my LFS, who sold it to me as a "Miurus
puffer." Of course I did a small amount of research before
buying it and figured it would make a perfect addition to my heavily
planted 55 gallon. pH 6.8, KH 5, temp 78 degrees F, NH4 0, NO2 0, NO3 10-20, PO4
.5-1 ppm. I use fluorite as my primary substrate, mixed with 20 lbs of sand and
another 20 lbs of pea gravel.
<Sounds like you could use at least another 20lbs of sand in there for
comfortable burrowing. It may try to dig up many of your plants in the process>
The tank offers little room for the puffer to bury itself but it has found its
way to the floor, beneath the Ammonia gracilis, where there is more space
between the stems.
<It would be happier if it could burrow up to it's eyeballs, for a better ambush
on it's food.>
The tank has about two dozen various tetras, another 40 shrimp, two dwarf frogs
and many Ramshorn and Malaysian Trumpet snails.
<All future puffer food!>
I'm hoping the fish can fend for themselves, especially the Siamese Algae
Eaters, which I absolutely require for obvious reasons; also, that the shrimp,
snails and white clouds will breed fast enough to sustain their numbers ...
they're all reproducing already.
<Not a chance in Hades. All will be in your puffer's tummy in now time!>
My question: Can a Miurus "Congo" puffer have an arrowhead?
Isn't that a trait of Tetraodon suvattii or the "arrowhead puffer"? I think I
have an arrowhead puffer, not a Congo puffer.
<You are correct. The Suvattii will also have a longer snout. See:
www.pufferlist.com, for pics.>
Seems their behavior/requirements are similar. Good thing. No need for a
picture. It definitely has a bold, black arrow on its head.
<If you value your other fish, I'd get that puffer into it's own tank ASAP!>
Whomever I get this time, Wet Web's the best! I use your site, as well as Bob's
and Anthony's books as absolute references for my reef and it's good to see your
freshwater sections are growing substantially. If you need a plant/discus guy
... I know someone who really likes what Wet Web's all about!
<Thanks! If you're interested, send us an email with your bio & we'll see if we
can get you started. ~PP>
Thanks, Adam
Re: Tetraodon suvattii (Pignose/Arrowhead Puffer) 2/3/06
Thanks, Pufferpunk.
<You're very welcome!>
I've looked over pufferlist.com and agree with all your good advice. I should
clear an area for my puffer to bury itself. I
knew beforehand that my new puffer would eat anything that got in its way,
hoping many of the shrimp, especially, that hide in the plants would stand a
better chance of surviving.
<I don't think much will survive your puffer's hunting skills.>
I find the tetras' behavior in general to be pretty boring and am willing to
sacrifice them for the puffer's benefit.
<Be sure not to depend of the other fish as the sole supply of your puffer's
diet. Try to get it eating hard-shelled "dead" foods.>
I hope it becomes as personable as people say. If I don't want the puffer to
burrow, will it affect the puffer's health and eating habits?
<Could stress it a little.>
I haven't seen it eat yet, though it's been two days. Digging in my substrate
will release a lot of excess nutrients that should cause an algal bloom (green
water). I don't want that, for sure.
<The problem I have found with having a deep sand substrate--it needs to be
thoroughly stirred weekly (even under plants), before water changes or anaerobic
(toxic) pockets will form. Then, when your puffer goes digging around in there,
the bacteria will be released.>
Otherwise, the puffer should love its new tank - beats a 20G with sand any day!
It even swims around and reminds me of a little whale.
<Yes, they are quite graceful>
Also, is it natural to have several small white spots on its body? Not ich,
definitely. Doesn't look like lymphs or fungus either. More like a natural
occurrence like one sees in tree frogs.
<More than likely--it's small spines. ~PP>
Adam
Hi, I recently purchased a pig-nosed puffer (Tetraodon suvattii). Every
website I visit that does have info about her (there are very few) is
contradictory. Some say they're harmless to larger fish, & some are saying
they'll kill everything in my tank.
<Mmm, both are factual statements... some specimens, some situations, the
larger freshwater Tetraodons "get along"... and, in others, become
true terrors>
Some people are telling me they're sedentary, & some say they should be in
the top 3 of the most aggressive puffers. I was told at the shop where it was
purchased that they are from completely freshwater, no salt is necessary.
<This may be so>
There was a FW snowflake eel (Echidna rhodochilus) in the tank with the puffer
at the shop, & I bought it too. Now it has a mucus-likes whitish slime on
its skin. I am slowly adding brackish salt to the tank, but I don't know how
much this puffer can tolerate. I also have a yellow-tailed Chalceus & a
parrotfish
<Really? Maybe what is called a "Parrot Cichlid">
in there. Thanks ahead for your advice, Jeni
<Please take a look on our site re these fishes. The Freshwater Morays:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwmorayeels.htm
and Chalceus on the characiform fishes areas. Bob Fenner>
Article Submission
I have recently been told by Jeni Tyrell (PufferPunk) that Wet Web Media is
looking for articles to publish in their magazine. I am interested in
writing an article about the arrowhead puffer fish. Would this be an
appropriate topic for this magazine? If so, how do I go about
submission?
<Submissions can be made here. The payment is $200 upon acceptance. Bob
Fenner>
Heather Cooan
www.aqua-addiction.com
Puffer Breeding ??
Hello, Thanks for your Website and your fast replies to my questions. I've
learned a heck of a lot. I have an adult arrowhead puffer and I want to breed
him (or her) in the future. How would I go about doing that? First of all you
can't sex puffers so would I have to keep buying them until they breed? They
aren't cheap. Also, what size tank would you recommend? And is there anything
specific I should know about the babies, or better yet, is there a good website
that can tell me all this so you don't have to? Thanks a lot! Eric <Hey Eric,
check out this site
http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/thread.jsp?forum=91&thread=8676&msRange=15 this
is a conversation with a person who has actually spawned this species. Good
Luck! Heather>
Puffer Question
Hello,
Thanks guys for answering my quick question. I have a T. suvattii who is about 5
inches long, not including his tail-fin. I have read about feeding him different
things, including frozen shrimp from the grocery store. I tried it out and he
loved it! I thawed it in his tank water first and then used a long plastic fork
to wave it in front of him, and sure enough, he attacked it vigorously. My only
question is if it is OK to feed shrimp to him, being that it is marine and he is
freshwater. It's much cheaper than other live foods, not to mention easier, but
if it could hurt his digestion it isn't worth it. If it's bad, do you have any
other suggestions? I'm currently working on keeping ghost shrimp to gut load and
breeding snails. Thanks a lot! Eric <Hi Eric, you are doing great with the
shrimp. This is a great food to feed your suvatti, you could also try mussels,
squid, live crabs, crab legs, and krill. This particular puffer is a stealth
hunter and in my experience does not respond to snails, so good luck with those.
Heather>
