PufferIDFAQs

FAQs about all Puffer Identification

Related Articles: Puffers in General, A Saltwater Puffer Primer: Big Pufferfish! by Mike Maddox, Puffer Care and Information, True (Tetraodont) Puffers, Freshwater Puffers, Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes, Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers, Boxfishes, (Big) Pufferfish Dentistry By Kelly Jedlicki and Anthony Calfo, Small Puffer Dentistry By Jeni Tyrell (aka Pufferpunk), Puffer Care and Information by John (Magnus) Champlin, Things That My Puffers Have Told Me by Justin Petrey,

Can you identify this male boxfish in three notes?

distended belly in Puffer... False ID, reading... 7/8/09
Hi I have a 150 gallon marine tank. Levels are normal Nitrate 10 pp., Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0. I just added a puffer to the tank the LFS said it was a porcupine puffer fish.
<? This is a Tetraodon nigroviridis... Was this fish acclimated to total marine water?>
It doesn't look like it to me but that's why I took the picture. I also have a burr-fish . He's fine just posing for the picture. well my question is for the porcupine fish, his belly looks distended. he's eating fine. Will this go away should I be concerned?
<Not likely trouble... are hardy eaters where/when food is available>
could this be a bacterial infection? please let me know
thank you Michelle
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Large puffer identification on the fly 5/12/08 Hello Crew, Marina here, former crewmember and long-time admirer emailing you from Santa Rita, Guam with a question on a fish identification. <Hey Marina, great to hear from ya, it's Jeni/Pufferpunk here. (Who else?) I'm sooooo jealous--you're diving in Guam!!!> Diving yesterday in the only harbor (we're on the Naval base) off of San Luis beach, wall dive, we come across two MASSIVE puffers hiding in a crack, not too far from shore at all at about a 3 meter depth. I have been searching the net and fishbase.org, to no avail. We tried to photograph these puppies but our inexpensive camera can only do so much and the turbidity didn't help. I have finally been able to find ONE photo of what appears to be the same beast. Let me tell you, these fish were sizable, as puffers go, I would have to guess at just under 1 meter in size. Here is the link to the single photo I've found (I assume no unauthorized reproductions, although this photo was taken in Tuman's Underwater World Aquarium). <Darn, there's no link.> I believe it may be of the genus Arothron but of course can't be sure. Any help is appreciated, no hurry as I certainly know what you all have to deal with on a regular basis. <My 1st guess would be the Arothron stellatus, which is the largest puffer I'm aware of, topping off at a whopping 47". See: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Marine/A_Stellatus/ Let me know if that's the fella. ~PP> Cheers! Marina (now the Dobbie, formerly the Harding)

Re: Puffer <ID> and Brackish Tank <env.> query 7/12/07 Hi guys Its me again. <Hello.> I purchased this puffer today. And I need to ID the new puffer. It was sold as a marine puffer. The LFS was not able to tell me what type of puffer fish it is. All he could tell me was that he lived in salt water. <Statistically a fairly safe bet! About 2/3rds of the family Tetraodontidae are either exclusively or mostly marine.> A few questions: 1) What puffer do I have? Is it a Chelonodon Patoca? Takifugu? <Doesn't look like C. patoca to me. That species has milky-white spots on alternating mid-brown and silvery transverse bands. It doesn't look like any of the brackish water Takifugu spp. that I've seen traded. So I'd tend to go with what your retailer said, and assume it's a "marine puffer" of some kind. Which one, not sure. There are numerous look-alike species in the family, so identifying them can be tricky. A little time at Fishbase might help, especially if you can narrow down the list by establishing where it came from... Southeast Asia, China, etc. Counting the number of rays in the dorsal and anal fins will help. See here: http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/identification/specieslist.cfm?famcode=448&areacode= . For what it's worth, it doesn't look like an Arothron puffer to me, the head's wrong, and I'd tend towards either a Takifugu or Torquigener species.> 2) Can this puffer thrive in brackish water? mid to high end brackish? <Assume not, until you know better. While it is true that very many marine puffers routinely enter brackish water for periods of time, in many cases these jaunts are limited to hunting excursions or spawning events. It's a whole other issue to maintain such a fish at SG 1.010 permanently. While SG 1.018 is probably safe, just as it with many other marine fish, anything less than that should be undertaken only with care, and while observing the puffer for signs of distress or loss of appetite.> 3) Maximum length it grows too? <Without a name, who knows! But something in the 20-40 cm bracket is typical.> 4) Any other unique behaviours that may require special treatment. <You number-1 issue is to try and establish if this is a temperate zone, subtropical, or tropical species. Many of the Takifugu in the trade are subtropical fish and don't last long in warm water. In the meantime, I'd be tempted to keep this fish at a low-ish temperature for the time being, say, 22-24 C rather than anything higher. This would be safe for tropicals while not too stressful for subtropicals. Other than this, you can probably treat this fish as any other marine puffer.> Thank you guys once again. <Sorry couldn't be more helpful. Nice fish though! Neale.>

Re: Puffer ID Follow Up - 7/12/07 7/13/07 Hi guys. Just a short note on the puffer from yesterday's dailies. This likely is Tetractenos hamiltoni also called the common toad fish, another Australian species, which appeared in trade this year. It's marine, but enters estuaries. Very toxic if consumed, even compared to other puffers. They like to bury themselves in sandy substrate and live in groups. See e.g. http://www.amonline.net.au/FISHES/fishfacts/fish/thamiltoni.htm and fishbase.org re. Cheers, Marco. <Hello Marco. Thanks so much! Not a species I have ever seen in the trade in the UK (yet). Sounds an interesting species. I like the idea of a schooling species that stays relatively small. Let's hope this species turns out to be amenable to aquarium life. I note from Fishbase that its a subtropical species, so by analogy with the also subtropical Takifugu ocellatus I'd have to assume that it requires slightly below tropical temperatures, around the 18-20C mark. Correct? As for salinity, these estuarine puffers seem to be very tolerant, so by analogy with Arothron hispidus we can probably assume anything from 1.012 upwards should work well. At the very least, it sounds like a species worth experimenting with in the high-end brackish community, provided you had a marine tank you could move it to if things didn't work out. Cheers, Neale.>

Puffer ID Follow Up - 7/12/07 Temperature for Tetractenos hamiltoni 07/14/07 Hi guys. Just a short note on the puffer from yesterday's dailies. This likely is Tetractenos hamiltoni also called the common toad fish, another Australian species, which appeared in trade this year. It's marine, but enters estuaries. Very toxic if consumed, even compared to other puffers. They like to bury themselves in sandy substrate and live in groups. See e.g. http://www.amonline.net.au/FISHES/fishfacts/fish/thamiltoni.htm and fishbase.org re. Cheers, Marco. <Hello Marco. Thanks so much! Not a species I have ever seen in the trade in the UK (yet). Sounds an interesting species. I like the idea of a schooling species that stays relatively small. Let's hope this species turns out to be amenable to aquarium life. I note from Fishbase that its a subtropical species, so by analogy with the also subtropical Takifugu ocellatus I'd have to assume that it requires slightly below tropical temperatures, around the 18-20C mark. Correct? <<Yes, that is exactly what the temperatures are in the natural habitats (East coast: New South Wales and Queensland; see http://www.amonline.net.au/FISHES/fishfacts/fish/thamiltoni.htm and click on the underlined word "map") in winter following http://www.marine.csiro.au/~lband/web_point/ . In summer, it may be slightly warmer, though, at least in the coastal and estuarine waters.>> As for salinity, these estuarine puffers seem to be very tolerant, so by analogy with Arothron hispidus we can probably assume anything from 1.012 upwards should work well. At the very least, it sounds like a species worth experimenting with in the high-end brackish community, provided you had a marine tank you could move it to if things didn't work out. Cheers, Neale.> <<I am not sure if they can be kept in a community. Although they live in groups, it is known they attack and kill other fishes of similar size when they are trapped in tidal pools and cannot flee, a condition quite similar to an aquarium. I hope the keeper of this puffer reads our discussion. Cheers, Marco.>>

Re: Puffer ID Follow Up - 7/12/07 7/15/07 I am not sure if they can be kept in a community. Although they live in groups, it is known they attack and kill other fishes of similar size when they are trapped in tidal pools and cannot flee, a condition quite similar to an aquarium. I hope the keeper of this puffer reads our discussion. Cheers, Marco. <Marco -- Yet another single species aquarium pufferfish! Too bad. I agree, I do hope our questioner is reading all of this. Cheers, Neale>

Puffer ID - 01/12/2006 I live on Long Island, and when I was young, many people, including myself, used to catch what we called, "Blow fish." People called them that for obvious reasons, but not their proper name. They are rarely seen as they use to be for many years now. I don't know why, except that I suspect pollution had a great deal to do with it. These fish were caught on the "Great South Bay." The bay is brackish water. Would you happen to know what species this is? They are still seen from time to time. <<Without a picture or detailed description it isn't possible to make a definitive ID, but I do suspect this to be Sphoeroides maculatus, the "northern puffer", as it is common in these waters. I refer you to this page for reading, regarding Great South Bay: http://training.fws.gov/library/pubs5/web_link/text/gsb_form.htm. A Google search of Sphoeroides maculatus will provide pictures for your reference.>> Thank you, Eddie V. <<You're quite welcome, glad to help. Lisa>>

Puffer I.D. 7/24/05 Hello there and good evening! <Greeting Manuel, Ali here...> I was wondering if you could please help me identify this pufferfish? It was sold to me as a dogface puffer which I suppose it technically is, but it looks to me to be a cross of a white spot puffer and a pinstripe puffer (you can't see the bottom of the fish too well in the photo, but it is striped exactly like a pinstripe). I have a real good feeling that I'm wrong about this, which is why I am asking for your help. :) <You have a juvi. A. hispidus puffer. He will get BIG, prepare to provide him with a very large aquarium. See here for more info: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tetraodontpuffers.htm > Thanks for your time and kindness, Manuel <Always welcome, rest easy - Ali> Puffer ID and Compatibility (8/13/04) Hi <Hello there> I was hoping you can clear something up for me. < Sure I can try > I recently bought a second hand tank which came with two fish. It was bought to go with my Porcupine Puffer. I thought the fish .....a puffer and lion would go well. I was told the puffer was a dogface however when we went to collect the tank the puffer had not been well and was very dark <These fish do have the ability to darken which serves as camouflage, usually occurring in the evening, when stressed or threatened. > now she is better and I have been trying to find out what she is as she isn't a dogface. I think she might be a Stars and Stripes. Can you please let me know from these links what you think. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/snoopy_145/fc604c3d.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/snoopy_145/lola2.jpg <Well I think you have a Arothron reticular is, the Reticulated Puffer, from the Indo-west Pacific. They get to be about 16 inches in length in the wild. > And from your experience how big she will get and their temperament. < I personally do not have any experience with this particular Puffer but my guess would be they would get at least a good 8 to 10 inches in captivity, perhaps a bit bigger, depending on what and how often they are fed. The Arothron genus for the most part has nothing but exemplary personalities. > They fought for 1st hour they where together but now seem to have come to an agreement. <Not uncommon. You will find mixed experiences if you read about keeping more than one Puffer in the same system.......some have great luck others do not. In part this will have to do with whether you are keeping the same, similar or different species as well as the temperaments of the individual fish. Keep a close eye on them and if the aggression continues you can rearrange the decor and if that does not work remove the aggressor to a quarantine tank for a few days, sometimes that settles them down a bit. They may continue to squabble at meal time so be sure to provide plenty of food and if this does occur I have found releasing food into different areas of the tank, when the fish are not to close together sometimes helps. > Thanks A Lot, Shelley <Your most welcome, Leslie>

"Little" puffer? Hello- <Hi! Ananda here today> I'm afraid that my recently purchased puffer may be too small, what is too small? <That depends on the species.> He is maybe about 5" long. <Big guy, then, compared to the 1/2" dwarf puffers from one recent email -- but far smaller than the 3' puffer from another email!> They didn't have the name of what he was listed but the guy at the fish store told me he was a Narrow line. < Is this your guy? If so, he'll get to be about a foot long, so I think 5" is probably a good size to get -- it will be easier to train him to dead foods.> I'm wondering if or when I can feed him other foods like snails (if so what kind) or other things. (if so what and when) Right now I am feeding him frozen shrimp. He seems to like it. <Yay! If he'll eat frozen shrimp already, you'll have a much easier time feeding him. Much, much more info on feeding puffers in the FAQs, starting with http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pufferfdgfaqs.htm and continuing with http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pufferfdgfaq2.htm and the other links in blue text at the top of those pages.> Please help- <Enjoy your new puffer. --Ananda>

Puffer I.D Hi, Could you please help me identify the puffer in the attached photo, he was purchased as a stars and stripes but looks more like a the pictures of a reticulated puffers I've seen. Thank you. <It looks like a Arothron manilensis. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tetraodontpuffers.htm... though it might be A. reticulatus...> Bob Fenner>

Re: puffer I.D I realize I'm the one asking you, but I don't see it, from the photo's I've seen of the puffer you refer to it seems to be a somewhat slender, more graceful looking fish where as the puffer I have is more of a blunt headed brute, is there anything else you think he may be?? <No. Bob Fenner>

Pufferfish ID When I bought my dogface puffer, I thought he was a dog face, then I thought he was a white spotted, then someone told me he was a toadfish...then I thought he was a stars and stripes puffer....now I have no clue, can you please help me out. <You puffer is a Reticulated Pufferfish (Arothron reticularis). It can grow to 16" in the wild. It lives in sea-grass beds; juveniles enter mangrove zones & river mouths. It is sometimes found in brackish or even freshwater. If kept in FW it is often dirty grey in color & generally less active than individuals kept in BW - or better still, marine - aquarium. The attractive contrasting reticulated pattern, to which the species owes it's name, appears only when these fish are kept in water containing salt. These fish are not choosy as regards to food, but mussel meat is preferred. I buy most of my puffer food at the grocery store fish department. I freeze it & thaw in warm water before feeding. As with all puffers, they need to eat hard-shelled foods to keep their "beaks" trimmed. Clams, oysters, mussels, crayfish, crab legs, squid, scallops, krill, etc. are all enjoyed by my puffers. These puffers have a high degree of intraspecific aggression. If several specimens of this species are kept together then there is constant chasing & biting such that it becomes necessary to separate them. It is, however, possible to keep them with other species of puffer. The reticulated puffer is a serious predator, so please keep this in mind when housing this species with other fish.> Here are some pictures of him so you can get a better understanding. <Thank you for sending photos. It is much more help than just a description.> http://www.geocities.com/wazuph2o/fish.html Thanks a bunch

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