How do you guys measure your puffers?

[bigpuff]

I've tried holding a ruler to the tank but they're just so active and the chances that they're going to swim horizontally right against the glass where I hold the ruler are slim. Any tips/tricks?

[TOPuffers]

I have never measured my dwarf puffers, I am content to just say they are 'little' guys

When measuring animals in a colony, or a home tank, however, you can use background landmarks of a known length to get a rough measurement. If you have a decoration in your tank which is 6 inches long, wait for your fish to swim by it and make an estimate based on the known object's size.

Not sure if that is how people do this for fish in general, but in research labs we used this method to get an approximate size for animals you cannot handle easily.

[bigpuff]

Thanks, that's a great idea! I waited for them to swim by a rock they were roughly the same size as, then measured the rock. But since they swim up to the top when I open it (since they think anything, including a rock, is food), I was actually able to hold it right along them and get an even more accurate measurement. They're smaller than I thought, 1.75in! What do you do in research? I work in research myself, albeit with humans (not sure who's more difficult to work with — humans or fish!).

[Welch4]

I put a ruler up to the front of the tank. If you want to keep a picture log of how big they are you can tape a measuring tape to the front of the tank. Use a piece of food to lure then to the front then move it down the length of the tank and snag a picture.

[TOPuffers]

Thanks, that's a great idea! I waited for them to swim by a rock they were roughly the same size as, then measured the rock. But since they swim up to the top when I open it (since they think anything, including a rock, is food), I was actually able to hold it right along them and get an even more accurate measurement. They're smaller than I thought, 1.75in! What do you do in research? I work in research myself, albeit with humans (not sure who's more difficult to work with — humans or fish!).

Glad the measuring is going well

I work on the endocrinology of biological timekeeping in insects (Rhodnius prolixus) and fish (zebrafish).

I am sure humans are more challenging subjects than animals