spotted puffer?

[sillygirl423]

Walmart has some spotted puffers, the label says they need x amount of salt per x amount of gallons and that they are community fish, is this info correct? Why would they have freshwater fish in with them?

 

[hiltymj]

They are fine in freshwater when they are young but eventually need to be moved to brackish. And they can be extremly aggressive towards other fish

 

[eco23]

They are fine in freshwater when they are young but eventually need to be moved to brackish. And they can be extremly aggressive towards other fish

Agreed. They can start in fresh water, be moved to brackish...and eventually to full marine as they age. They also should be kept in a species only tank and require crustaceans as part of their diet (like snails) to maintain the health of their teeth.

*Also just to note a common mistake...brackish water is produced by using products like Instant Ocean...not normal aquarium salt.

 

[Homer8]

these also need a large tank. some can live for 15-20 years and get to be relatively large.

 

[sillygirl423]

I was almost 100% sure that the label was wrong, but I thought maybe I was thinking of a different type of puffer. Good to know now how do I go about informing walmart that they have the wrong info?

 

[sillygirl423]

And platys are in the tank with the puffer!

 

[hiltymj]

I've tried to tell them that stuff before but they don't care. At least that's My experience

 

[eco23]

Trying to educate Walmart and change their methods is just banging your head against the wall.

The only way you can effectively make a change and end these practices is by not supporting them. I know it's tempting to want to "rescue" fish from these conditions...but for every fish you save another will be ordered in it's place and you'll be financially supporting the practice. My best advice is to not purchase fish or aquaria supplies from companies like Walmart who keep their fish (or send them to unsuitable homes based on their recommendations) in poor conditions.

 

[maxwellag]

Don't get the spotted puffer (or any fish for that matter) without researching first. I made that mistake... thanks the the help on here I learned that I needed a bigger tank for it (than five gallons like my lfs said I could put it in) and that I would have to convert the water over to saltwater eventually. I will never make the mistake of getting a fish without researching (FROM RELIABLE SOURCES like people on here) first.