Dogface puffer  9/7/05
Hi found your site today!!! Love it!!!
We have a 75 gallon tank with two lions, a dog face puffer, and a wolf eel which was previously a reef tank and still have live rocks in tank. We have a trickle filter and protein skimmer. Is there any additional filtration that would cut down on the time between water changes.
<Mmm, yes... most any additional filtration, of all modes would help here... but... what you really need is a much larger volume system>
Also, we've heard of double osmosis systems that we could use to make our own salt water at home. Is this necessary or is there any easier way, like store bought water that could be used with our oceanic sea salt mix?
<There are a few inputs, things to say... please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seawater.htm
and the linked files above where you lead yourself>
  What is the typical size for a dog face in captivity and will our tank be large enough for our current stock?
<Mmm, likely six to eight inches... more than a foot in the wild, in large systems in captivity. It will be much better off in a bigger (twice plus the 75) system>
  I read about people hand feeding their puffers.  Are they actually reaching into the tank?
<Sometimes yes... take care... sharp teeth... and your lions...>
Our puffer is very friendly and we have touched him but I don't want to stress him or do anything wrong but of course I want to maximize my relationship with our fish.  The last thing is our eel and puffer rub on each other a lot. They both seem to enjoy it but should we be concerned about an aggression problem that we are not recognizing.
<Mmm, more likely friendly than agonistic. No worries. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Fugu questions 8/18/05
<Hi there!  Heather (LinearChaos) here> At my LFS there are 4 3" Takifugu rubripes.  They are in horrible condition.  Instead of being green with neon orange they are silver and a dingy brick red. <The Takifugu rubripes is not a puffer that is sold in the trade, this is actually a species that is eaten as a delicacy in Japan.  The puffer you are describing is the Takifugu ocellatus.>  They are also ungodly cheap ($15 a piece).  <Wow! That is cheap!>  I was wondering for now would a 30 gallon tank be big enough for now.  I have no problem upgrading later.  I have no experience with these guys.  <No, this species is extremely aggressive toward their own and 4 in a 30g won't last but a week.  They'll nip each other to death almost immediately since they will not be able to get away from each other in that size tank and cannot establish territories.>  I am aware of how hard they are to keep in captivity.  Also there is very little information on these puffers.  Do you know what salinity, hardness, temperature, etc... they prefer.  Any help would be great.  <I have successfully kept 3 of these puffers in an established full marine environment for over a year, the salinity is 1.019 and the temp is 82*F.  The tank is 55g and is heavily stocked with live rock to break up the lines of sight as much as possible to reduce aggression.  Please, if you are unable to care for these puffers appropriately do not purchase them.  ~Heather> Logan

Pufferfish, Huffing and Puffing
Hey Bob, thanks for the advise on my parasite problem, but I have one more question. I have a stars and stripes puffer. When I first got him he would blow up every so often when I would get up on the tank to look at him. But now, about 2 months later, he is fine. Now he will go to the top of the aquarium waiting to get fed. 
<A very common, and endearing-puffer behaviour!>
My water tests fine except for some copper left in the tank. 
<Please do try using PolyFilter media in your system, they really work well at removing copper from your system, and change color to let you know that they are working. It's really not in the best interest of your fish in the long term to have copper lingering in your tank.>
Just the other day I saw him puff up more than I ever thought he could for know reason. I was wandering if they do that every so often to stretch or something. Just a little worried, thank you....Steve
<Puffers do inflate themselves to different degrees in response to situations where they feel threatened. Perhaps he was startled, maybe he was agitated by a tank mate-hard to say. As long as he is able to deflate, and continues to eat well, I don't think there is any cause for alarm. Scott F.>

Dog Days...
Hi WWW Crew....Bob...Anthony...Steve....  or hmmmm ....
<Scott F. here tonight!>
Leslie here again. This time with a Dogface Puffer dilemma. I have done my homework. I read through everything on wetwebmedia re: marine puffers as well as anything else I could find elsewhere....which is not much :(. I still have a few questions and I am concerned about this new beauty. He is still small 4", white with yellow fins, a yellow mask, and beautiful yellow eyes.
<They are adorable fish!>
I got him 6 days ago. He had been in the LFS 3 days when I first saw him. He looked fine with the exception of being a bit thin. He was active but calm, with no outward visible signs of disease. His coloration bright and clear with bright alert eyes. They said he had not eaten. I asked them to try.....well low and behold he nibbled at some frozen ocean plankton. I watched for a while and he continued to nibble. I took this as a good sign although he didn't eat with the gusto of others I have seen. I went back the next day and he again nibbled even a bit more.  I knew it was a sign and he wanted to come home with me ;-/. Maybe a bad decision, but none the less I brought him home. I just could not leave him there.
<That's a familiar feeling for a lot of us! Good that you asked to see him eat something>
He is in a 25g Q tank in a quiet room.
<Great procedure>
The first day he puffed up every time I came into the room.....freaked me out......I am sure he was as well!  He spent most of his time "pacing" up and down in the back corner of the tank for the first day. I kept the lights dim. He got progressively calmer over the first 2 days, but was not eating. By the third day he was calm,  alternating between swimming normally and resting, had stopped puffing up and began nibbling on his food. Today is day 6 he seems "excited" when I come into the room now or place food in the tank, but he is still only nibbling at Mysis out of the water column or krill suspended from a piece of cotton thread.. He does not appear to have lost any more weight. I have tried....cockle, krill, shrimp, and a  mussel. He seems to like Mysis the best.
<Then I'd push the Mysis at this point. A varied diet is important, but if he's a bit tentative in the feeding dept., I'd make sure that he eats as much as possible. Try enriching with vitamin preparations or Selcon.>
I guess I assumed once he calmed down and started nibbling he would just start eating. Is my impatience showing here or am I appropriately concerned at this point?
<Well, it's always cause for concern when a fish does not eat, so certainly not an over-reaction on your part.>
I have no experience with puffers on hunger strikes. My other guy always ate with great gusto.
OK so here are my questions.....
Would you consider this nibbling as interest in food and a good sign or is he still possibly doomed to starve himself to death? Do you have any idea, in your collective experience, how long it might take him to really chow down?
<Unfortunately, it's impossible to generalize and create a timetable for when a fish will start eating. There are numerous factors which influence a fish's appetite, particularly when you take into account what he's been through lately: the rigors of capture, shipping, handling, etc. Sometimes, it simply takes time for a fish to "settle in" and be comfortable enough to start feeding, sometimes other factors are involved (illness, injury, water parameters, etc.>
>How long can he survive nibbling on Mysis, before I need to worry and/or panic, as I am already concerned? Most of my Marine experience has been keeping seahorses and their tankmates, as I am sure you are well aware seahorses do not fare well in the face of poor appetites and hunger strikes for very long at all. Even though I know this is a different fish with a more developed GI system,  my experience has me perhaps viewing this thru a tainted screen.
<Your experience is a great ally for you in this! As you know, it's a good sign even if he nibbles on food- a fish that eats is in an infinitely better state than one who doesn't. And these puffers do need to eat quite a bit, so don't give up.>
When he is swimming towards the surface and oriented in the water nose up, his belly sags anterior to his anal fin. Just for a visual......it looks as if he swallowed a marble or is VERY constipated.  Is this normal in a thin puffer?
<I would keep an eye on him...Hard to say if this is abnormal from here.>
The skin of his belly is also very wrinkled. Is it possibly due to the frequency of puffing during the first 2 days? Here is a link to photos of the sweet boy.......so you have an idea about how thin he is, can see his wrinkled belly and the "mass" above his anal fin......
>http://community.webshots.com/album/54332564yqDMXK
On day 4 several Ich spots appeared on his pectoral fins. They looked a bit better the next day and again today. They are however not yet gone. I really want to avoid the stress associated with a FW dip, for fear of a set back in the hunger strike department, since he is not thrilled about eating yet. So, am I OK to just watch these spots and leave him as long as they do not get worse?
<I usually recommend immediate action in treating ich. Given his possibly weakened condition, keep a close eye on this condition. If it progresses or continues, do begin treatment.>
>What temp and specific gravity would you recommend for this fish in a Q tank to treat Ich, should I need to? Do you think I should start that now, to avoid a full blown infestation or wait a bit? Do you ever use this prophylactically in Q tanks?
<I personally use a "normal" specific gravity in quarantine, or during disease treatment, but it is a common and perfectly acceptable practice to employ lower specific gravities during these periods>
I have a friend in the seahorse community who is well respected, as well as published many times over the years. He is an uses a rather unconventional and perhaps controversial treatment called OST or Osmotic Shock Therapy, to treat parasite/protozoan infestations. The abbreviated version of the instructions are......to  place  the fish into water with a specific gravity of 1.010 to 1.011 immediately following a FW dip. The fish is maintained at this specific gravity for a period of 4 weeks at which time the water is slowly returned to normal marine salinity. Are you familiar with this treatment?
<As indicated above, "hyposalinity therapy" has been used successfully by many hobbyists, wholesalers, etc.>
Would you be interested in the rest of the information I have about it.....maybe not to use necessarily, but just for informational purposes? There have apparently been some 3 year studies done with very good results. I would be interested in your thoughts about it.  
<Certainly a practice that has worked for many people. I have always favored copper sulphate, but, as you pointed out, this treatment can be successful!>
Thanks for your time, dedication and help as always!! Leslie
<Leslie, I'm sure that you will succeed in getting your puffer to eat and in licking this ich infection. Be diligent and patient, and don't give up. Consider using the old standby of vitamin preparations to stimulate his appetite, feed carefully, and feel free to contact us again if we can be of assistance!>

Skittish Puffer!  (7/3/03)
I recently purchased a porcupine puffer, and he seems to be very skittish. He tends to hang out around the back of the tank and when I am in the room, he will keep one eye on me, and swim slowly up and down the length of the tank. He hardly eats when I am in the room but when I come back the brine shrimp, mussels or krill that I leave for him is gone. (I doubt that my only other fish, a domino damsel is eating it all.) His appetite is very healthy, and in general he seems to be very healthy. He has been in my tank for about 2 weeks and I wanted to know is this common with newly introduced puffers?  Is there anything I can do to make him less skittish? <Just give him time and substitute something like Mysis for the brine as the brine has very little nutritional value.  Cody>
Thanks.  Kevin

Arothron stellatus, operant conditioning
To Bob,
I have just got an Arothron stellatus puffer and he is not as tame as I would like. I was just wondering what the best way of taming him is.
Regards,
Daniel Holbrooke
<A whip and a chair? Actually, only time, conditioning in captivity will prove whether this individual will "calm down" or no... if it takes to eating, beating up other livestock, remove and quarantine it in a much smaller system for a few to several days... this often "knocks them down a peg or two". Bob Fenner>

Blackspotted puffer (Arothron nigropunctatus)
Good evening,
I have two questions about this fish:
1). Can he live happily on a diet that consists of uncooked prawns/shrimps+nori, both soaked in Zoë and Zoecon overnight? He does not accept ANYTHING else....
<I would either look about, try other foods... or learn to "stuff" the prawns with other meaty foods... Not good for any animal to have such a restricted diet>
2) Is it at all possible that the Blackspotted might be sexually harassing my spiny puffer (Diodon holocanthus)? 
<Not likely sexual, but harassment just the same, yes>
They are the same size... I know it sounds weird, but the Blackspotted gets on top of the Spiny when the lights go out, and they swim up and down the tank as if they were mating. Sometimes during this adventure Spiny gets inflated into a ball (sign of threat that he tries to protect himself from, I guess). Any advice will be appreciated.
<Enjoy them! Really, nothing too strange going on here... the group of fishes that includes the Puffers (the Tetraodontiformes, encompassing the Triggerfishes...) are "smart", social animals in many ways... These two are just friends. Bob Fenner>