How do you guys measure your puffers?
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- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 122
- Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2015 6:07 pm
- Location (country): United States
How do you guys measure your puffers?
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
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2015 1:12 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: 3 pea puffers/dwarf puffers in a 20 G freshwater planted tank
29 G community tank with plecos, bamboo shrimp, khuli loaches, swordtails, neon tetras and apple snails - Location (country): Toronto, Canada
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: How do you guys measure your puffers?
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.
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.
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water - Loren Eiseley
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- Figure 8 Puffer
- Posts: 122
- Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2015 6:07 pm
- Location (country): United States
Re: How do you guys measure your puffers?
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
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 698
- Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:22 pm
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: 1 GSP
- Location (country): USA
- Location: Abington,MA
Re: How do you guys measure your puffers?
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.
Forget other advice about puffers you don't hear here - Pufferpunk
- TOPuffers
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2015 1:12 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: 3 pea puffers/dwarf puffers in a 20 G freshwater planted tank
29 G community tank with plecos, bamboo shrimp, khuli loaches, swordtails, neon tetras and apple snails - Location (country): Toronto, Canada
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: How do you guys measure your puffers?
Glad the measuring is going wellbigpuff wrote: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!).
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
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water - Loren Eiseley