I got puffers!

[Sati]

It seems to be the trendy thing to do on these boards now, but what the heck! I have wanted some for a long time now. I found the simliar deal that Madasa found. I was going to visit all the local shops and I stopped at Petsmart first. They had the teeny tiny, itty bitty little buggers. They're less than half an inch including tail. So far they seem very peaceful and are even schooling. I'm just waiting for hell to break loose, heh. I'm really happy to have these guys and I hope they do well :]

 

[Allivymar]

And? Wheres the pics?? LOL I wanna see!

 

[TankGirl]

What kind of setup do you have them in? Are they eating? (That was a problem for me, and not too uncommon).

 

[tkos]

Mine never ate too well either. They need that live food at first . Mosquito larva and snails worked well.

 

[Tigerlily]

Congratulations! I want to see pictures too! I'm still debating adding some of those little guys to my barb tank... Although, I've been having trouble finding them at the LFS around here. Haven't looked at PetSmart yet though...

 

[TankGirl]

The PetSmarts in Richmond usually have them, so its a good bet they will have them in Alexandria. (Definitely quarrantine them, tho!)

Mine would not eat a thing until I gave them live adult brine shrimp.

 

[Tigerlily]

Well, I've got a quarantine tank I can set up... and an extra "cured" filter I can move over from my 29 gal... Maybe I'll have to set up the tank and go take a look!

Sati! You're a bad influence!

 

[silverain420]

Again... very jealous. My petsmart out here does not carry them. I have checked twice now... My LFS only carries figure 8 puffers. I agree, send some pictures, maye I can at least make them my wall paper!

 

[TankGirl]

My puffers are afraid of the camera! Whenever I approach the tank with it they hide. Usually when I approach they come forward and wiggle at me to feed them. Eventually they will get used to the thing if I try to take their picture enough times.

 

[Sati]

Yes, my puffers are eating! I got them some nice frozen blood worms today and they finally ate. They weren't going for the freeze dried worms. I have 6 snails in a vase that I'm using as baby machines for the puffs. They are funny little fish. When I was feeding them this weekend (and they weren't eating) they perceived the food dropping into the tank as a threat at first. They are aggressive little buggers. I have a very leafy fake plant that gives them some good spots to hide in so they aren't face to face all the time. I went to the local creek yesterday where the salmon are still running and I found some gorgeous rocks that I'm going to clean up and place in the tank to make some more hiding spots. If Petsmart still has more puffers I might grab a couple more so that I'm assured a few will be alive and kicking after they reach sexual maturity and fight it out. Nobody has lost their life yet though

 

[TankGirl]

That's great, Sati! I have silk plants and java fern and the puffers sleep on the leaves. They actually "go to bed" at night and do not come out for any reason after about 7:30pm, even if I put food in the tank. The other day I did not get around to my water change until about 9 at night and I forgot how they are, and when I brushed against the silk plant one of them just tumbled right out onto the sand, and looked exactly like someone who has been shoved out of bed while asleep! It was hilarious but I felt bad....

 

[Sati]

TG, that's pretty cute. I hope that mine survive and do well. I just love the way they swim like airships :] What kind of puffers do you have right now?

 

[Tigerlily]

Sati, when do we get to see pictures of these guys? I'm still suffering from puffer fever, and am dying to see them!

 

[Sati]

I don't have a digital camera :[ I'm planning on getting one before year's end. I knew I wanted one, but now I REALLY want one!

 

[TankGirl]

My puffers are dwarf Malabar puffers, completely FW and very small, but mine have grown to be about 1" and very round and clublike

 

[Sati]

That's what mine are too, TG :]

They look like this:

But that pic is not the greatest.

I turned on the light in the tank this morning and most of the puffs were swimming about. One was laying on the bottom of the tank with his eyes closed and I got worried that he was ill. He's fine though. He was completely asleep... dead asleep. I've never seen a fish sleep so well, lol :]

 

[madasafish]

Yup. That's what mine look like, too.

I think these are the Tetraodon (not Carinotetraodon, if there is such a thing) travancorius species or morph. The others have a much yellower appearance and more, smaller, spots.

Yeah, mine sleep on the bottom, too. Sometimes during the day, even! Never seen them sleeping on the leaves. That would be quite a sight!

 

[Sati]

Yes, that's what I believe mine are. I have to admit the possible Carinotetraodon travancorius species does look quite different.

It looks like some pepper sprinkled on and some circle spots that are lines and not filled in black circles like the T. travancorius.