yellow leopard puffer fish

[lynmccoy]

Does anyone know anything about this fish? My grandson has been wanting a puffer fish and so far my daughter hadn't foundn't one. Yesterday when she was in her local pet/fish shop to get fish food for their guppies and tetras,they had this puffer fish. The clerk told Leigh that it was only "mildly aggressive" with fish of its own kind. So Ryan talked his momma into buying it. Within 1 hour after they got home Leigh heard Kaylee screaming.When she went into the living room to see what was going on,the puffer fish was eating Kaylee's last female guppy the other 2 were nothing but skeletons and the male had jumped into the filter to get away. I told my son-in-law to come and get our 10 gallon tank for the puffer fish,and sent 2 mommas and 1 male to Kaylee. What shout Leigh watch out for about this puffer fish. Is it dangerous for Ryan? He keeps talkimg about hand-feeding it. Both his momma and I are worried about him getting bit.

 

[siva]

I suspect the fish is actually a green spotted puffer. They are brackish water fish as juveniles and need full salt water as adults. They should not be in a freshwater tank. I may be wrong and it may be another species....

I wouldn't recommend any puffer really for a beginner hobbyist. As you've already found out, you generally cannot keep them with other fish.

 

[siva]

Does it look like this?

 

[lynmccoy]

I don't know,I haven't seen it. They live an hour away from me. All I know is what the woman at the fish shop told her and what my daughter told me. I haven't be able to find out much of anything about that kind of fish online.I have MS and am in a wheelchair so I don't get out to go and visit them, they come to visit me. I'll tell her to take a picture of it with her phone and e-mail it to my computer.

 

[BigJim]

I'd also suspect that it's a GSP. They're slow and cute, but they've got a mean streak and need brackish water and a 30g tank to thrive. GSPs can get pretty big.

If your grandson is younger than about 13, I would caution him about trying to hand feed a puffer. Their beaks are meant for cracking open crustaceans. I imagine they can take a pretty good chunk out of your finger.

There's really only one type of puffer I know of that could be considered peaceful: The Amazon puffer.

 

[siva]

Or if they have a computer just ask them to look up a picture of "green spotted puffer" and they can tell you if that's it. I suspect in this situation the fish may need to be returned

 

[lynmccoy]

All I know is that she paid $10.00 for the fish,so I'm thinking it's not one of the more exotic types. I just think it might be a little dangerous for a 9 year old boy who's got too much curiousity for his own good .

 

[siva]

Yeah it is probably a green spotted puffer. They are the ones most commonly sold in pets stores and walmart. Try to let them know it is not a freshwater fish.