name that puffer (what kind of fish is this?)

spoonlike · Post by **spoonlike** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:35 pm

petco had him labeled as "leopard puffer." upon googling, i took that to mean green-spotted puffer, but i don't think that's correct. the salesgirl gave me lots of misinformation--that he could be in a tank with other fish, that he would live a year or so in freshwater or 2-3 in brackish/saltwater, that he could be fed mostly anything--so i don't exactly trust the petco labeling. any thoughts? the BF & i have had him for three weeks & he seems to be doing well -- is stays active, loves to eat (snails & bloodworms), is fun to interact with; water is 1.004 salinity, PH 7.8, no ammonia/nitrates/nitrites. if he's a GSP, though, i'm afraid he's pretty sick/unhappy, cos he sure doesn't look like a GSP is supposed to.

IMG_20141212_163752_312.jpg

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS9j3VC ... e=youtu.be[/youtube]

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:52 pm

Yes, that is a GSP .

Welch4 · Post by **Welch4** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:36 pm

Welcome to the forum!

Coloring of the side looks like a Sabahensis. Similar care as a green spotted, but i dont belive these move to saltwater when mature and would stay in brackish. Someone might correct me on that last one.

ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Sabahensis/

Common name for this is giant spotted puffer. Tankmates are going to be hit or miss as with any puffer. Only thing im concerned about is you mentioned no nitrates, if this was a properly cycled tank you should have something showing. I would take a water sample to a lfs to have them compare to your home test, the kit your using may be off.

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:08 am

I'm not sure how you can ID this juvie as a Sabahensis. I also don't see how Petco could wind up with one.

Walla2GSP · Post by **Walla2GSP** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:41 am

Definitely GSP, and a very sickly one at that. Was his tank completely cycled? I can never get zero nitrates on a cycled tank, unless I cause a nitrate crash. Keep bringing the salinity up slowly, and make sure he is getting the right food twice a day, if he keeps looking bad, you may need to medicate.

Welch4 · Post by **Welch4** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 11:01 am

Pufferpunk wrote:I'm not sure how you can ID this juvie as a Sabahensis. I also don't see how Petco could wind up with one.

I could be wrong. Ive never seen that light brownish/green coloring on a gsp. And the size of the eyes proportionate to the body looked off to me. But then again i havent been in the puffer hobby that long i could be mistaken.

spoonlike · Post by **spoonlike** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:29 pm

OK, i retested the water about fifteen minutes ago:

temp: 82F
PH: 7.8
ammonia: 0ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
nitrate: 5.0ppm
salinity: 1.004

the tank we put him in was completely cycled & had 5 fancy guppies & 3 neon tetras living in it for at least six months before we swapped them into a 45g tank with a sailfin pleco & put the puffer in.

so, if he's a GSP, my concerns are these: his coloring stays mostly brown & brightens up to yellow, mostly after he eats, but never turns the bright fluorescent green of a GSP; & his belly/underside doesn't marshmallow out like a GSP's. after he eats, he gets a little pooch, but in general he's fairly slender. (does a GSP's body shape change as it ages, or are they fat & fluffy-looking from the very beginning?) what might be going on with him, internal parasites? as i said, he eats well & is active. i don't see any spots/bumps/abrasions/etc on him.

how much should i be feeding him at each feeding? what is the salinity i should be aiming for?

thanks for all of your input so far, everyone!

PS: you folks are way more knowledgeable than i am, so i'm not asking this to be argumentative, just being curious. is this a GSP?

hadla · Post by **hadla** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 6:40 pm

Yeah the eyes make the body look like a baby fahaka body, ie they're too big for his body

Sterling · Post by **Sterling** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:05 pm

I also think it is a gsp, the big eyes make me think it might be stunted? Is there any other fish in the tank? May we have a full tank shot? What is your water temp? Is there lots of traffic in the room where the tank is? Also is he constantly dark like that? I have a gsp who's belly always turns dark at feeding time.

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:57 pm

Soon, That photo you posted is not a GSP. It's the never seen Spotted Congo puffer (T. schoutedeni). Hasn't been available in the aquarium trade in >30 years.

Here's more info on your fish: library/category/puffers-in-focus/

Welch4 · Post by **Welch4** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 9:18 pm

The link provided by pufferpunk will answer alot if not all of of your questions. But to answer a few you want to feed untill your fish until it gets a rounded belly but not extended . There is a running thread on this forum about gsps in full saltwater and so far no negative reports. If you move to salt water it will in the long term save you money as you can protien skim and reduce your need for water changes. Salt is expensive. You do not want to raise your salinity more than .002 per week or you run the risk of crashing your cycle.

Post by **Corvus** » Thu Jan 01, 2015 5:50 am

The puffer in the first post is T. nigroviridis and definitely no T. sabahensis or T. schoutedeni.

Walla2GSP · Post by **Walla2GSP** » Thu Jan 01, 2015 12:10 pm

+1 to Welch4
I highly recommend keeping these in a SW aquarium, and have something you may want to consider. It takes about 6 months to cycle a SW tank, so if you have the money to buy a 50+ tank for him now, you should start it cycling so you can add Live and reef rock in a month.
This is also helpful for raising the salinity in his current tank, because you can use it as a source of salt water during a water change. <<( Don't do this during the 1-2 week Ammonia cycle in the SW tank)

spoonlike · Post by **spoonlike** » Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:02 pm

everyone, thanks for the clarification & for sharing your knowledge. over the past week i've raised the salinity level to ~1.006 & his colors have brightened up a bit; over the next few weeks i'll continue to raise it to 1.010-1.015. i've also been cruising ebay for cheap fake plants to spruce up his tank & have done some redecorating. next on my list (to do within the next three weeks): tank upgrade. right now he's in a 16g.

before & after:

IMG_20150101_113935_788.jpg

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a few more questions:
-- what's the scoop with PH? by that i mean, if it's too high or too low within a range (let's say 7.8 - 8.4), how will i know what my puffer prefers?
-- waste. everywhere, i read that GSPs are huge waste-producers, but i think i've seen my GSP pooping once. to someone who owns a 6-7" pleco, "huge waste-producer" means ten yards of waste-ribbon. is the high waste everybody refers to from the carnage of feeding the GSP, or should mine be pooping more?
-- plumpness. do these guys round out as they age? as i mentioned, my guy isn't marshmallowy (& was not marshmallowy when i bought him). is this because he'll fatten with age, or is something else going on with him?
-- their eyes. in my initial post, his eyes have a weird red-eye effect in the photos i posted, like each eye is a swarovski crystal. that's not just an effect from the camera; depending on the angle at which i'm seeing him, his eyes really do look like that (& looked like that when i bought him). is that normal?

thanks again, everyone!

AshleyR · Post by **AshleyR** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 2:25 pm

I have the same issue. I purchsed a "leopard" puffer from pet warehouse, but after further research online it states that they have not been in captivity in a long time so chances are very slim to having one. Mine also looks exactly like yours and out of three one has a dark coloring the same as your.

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