Green spotted puffer, do they grow?

[mellawson]

Does anyone have a picture of a fully grown green spotted puffer? I am just curious they are such cute fish but all that I have ever seen are juveniles. I'm sure they grow, I'm not a complete dope, but yet I have no proof..lol

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

Gotta be close to full size

YouTube - ミドリフグ*8　（Green Spotted Puffer ）

 

[mellawson]

WOW I guess they do grow...is it just me or was that thing huge? Thanks Kungpaoshizi that was awesome!

 

[jessibell]

it is SO cute!

 

[mfdrookie516]

I've seen different sites say different things, but the general consensus of what i've seen seems to be that their adult size is normally between 4 and 6 inches... and is it just me or does that fish look sick in that video?

 

[veetors]

i thought he just looked really old...

 

[veetors]

looks like he's in a tank that is too small, but it is hard to tell.

 

[jestes]

His belly looks like paint flaking off....

 

[Jason7894561230]

i knnow
i was thinking the whole way through this video that he didnt look too healthy becuse of the underneath of his belly

 

[Lynae]

That is actually super depressing if you watch the whole video...
Thats definately not a heathly depiction of an adult g.spot puffer!!

 

[7Enigma]

I was waiting to see if anyone posted on the puffer's health. In the early part of the video I swear it looks like the puffer has anchor worms or some form of external parasite all over the surface. Very depressing both from that and the small tank size (what is that a 10 gallon?). They are beautiful fish that are very intelligent, it's a shame to see when they are treate this way..

 

[severum mama]

I agree.
mellawson, if you are looking to get a gsp, please keep in mind that this fish does best starting with low end brackish water, eventually going up to almost full marine conditions as it grows.

 

[mellawson]

Oh no I'm not looking to get one they just have a huge cute factor going for them when they're small, probably why Wal-Mart sells so many, but I have never seen one as an adult and was just curious.

 

[hbeth82]

Kinda sorry I'm not the only one who thought that fish looked sickly and was in much too small of a tank, thought 20-30 was the minimum. Also seemed sad that his only hiding spot/retreat was the tiny box that he could barely fit in.
Has anybody had luck keeping any other fish with them, or are there other fish who could do well in the same brackish-to-mild-SW water, and not get their fins nibbled off?

 

[mellawson]

I have to ask forgive me if its a silly question, if they start off in just brackish water and wind up in full marine conditions how would you know when to change the condition of the water? I am really fighting an urge to go to my Wal-Mart and changing the little info card myself...think I'd get caught?

 

[hbeth82]

I am really fighting an urge to go to my Wal-Mart and changing the little info card myself...think I'd get caught?

Legally I don't think they could do much I've wanted to do something like that to, except it was more along the lines of "Don't buy any of these fish because ALL are sick - don't support Walmart's abuse of animals". Last I looked, the puffer tank at the local WalMart had more dead than alive, Oscars looked torn to shreds (I know that's partially due to the fish but these looked horrible), and there were a few dozen too many goldfish crammed in one tank.

Was kinda curious about the transition myself - do you just up the salinity a little bit every month? Is it better to get them from brackish tanks than FW or can you help them along regardless?

 

[brimac41]

Was kinda curious about the transition myself - do you just up the salinity a little bit every month? Is it better to get them from brackish tanks than FW or can you help them along regardless?

I was thinking this also as I may set up my 30 as puffer tank . My local LFS sells them as Freshwater and I would like to know how much I am to bump up the salinity and when and what salinity they should be kept at when full adulthood . I have read about them here and there but all I find is conflicting information . The wife loves these fish just as much as I do and I really want some for one of my tanks .

 

[7Enigma]

My hunch is there is no set final salinity or hard rules for upping the salinity. The goal should be very small changes over time. The fact that we know these fish can live in FW even when they are a brackish/marine species means they have adapted to a wide range. If originally FW I would take several months to get to brackish, and then based on their size (if housed properly and fed regularly) would use that as a guide to when to increase salinity.

Some of the best anecdotal advice would probably come from someone in the hobby that has kept puffers for years and learn from his/her experiences on potential pitfalls and things to look out for.

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

I've got 3, actually did get em from WalMart as a rescue attempt.
So far so good!
Been a couple months now, got em half way to marine, they seem to enjoy it. Don't do more than the .02 per week.
Otherwise ya, the one in that vid is stressed. The black on the lower portion of them is their "stress meter". The more covered/black it is, the more stressed they are.

Got em with a dragon/violet goby, it's hillarious.
At first when I put it in the tank with the gsp's, one saw the tail and thought it was food being dumped in, started to go after it, but realized it was another creature.
All 3 stared it down while it was motionless in the corner once, thinking maybe they COULD eat it.
Nope. They got close enough that it started to move just a little, and all 3 gsp's darted off like a bat outta ****.
All the time now they sure get the $%&^ out of the way if the goby is every going anywhere.
They have gotten more used to him, but otherwise ya, they're scared of him... It was their tank too for a good month or so, so evidently if you have a big scary looking fish, they might not go for them...
Perfrect combo though cause I needed a janitor/sand sifter.