The Puffer Forum

I successfully had a little group of dwarf puffers, and am now looking to have a larger FW (probably) puffer at my tank at work. I am planning to have a 25 Long, well-planted tank. I love the behaviors of Mbus and Farahas, and am hoping for something like that (personality-wise) on a smaller scale. I have the following questions:

1) Lurkers (like T. baileyi and T. turgidis) tend towards spending their time either buried in the sand or in their grottoes, right? Are both T. miurus and T. schoudenti lurkers?)

2) I am hoping for someone who is (at least semi-) active in the daytime, when I am there. (This seems to be an issue with the abei?)

3) I’d prefer not to do dentistry. I’m definitely planning to feed with at least >50% snails, clams, whatever the appropriate mollusk for the species. With a proper diet, which species don’t necessarily require dental work?

4) Who do you all consider the most fun? (Dragon or humpbacks are not currently high on my list, because they seem to be really shy/unrevealing of themselves.)

Thanks! This site is fantastic, and I’m sure has helped so many folks. The info on DPs here got me through a lot of issues without a panic. I look forward to learning more.

T. schoutedeni are very personable. My trio constantly tries to get my attention.....they beg, bob around, follow my actions in front of the tank. Curious little buggers.

Cool, lobowind. They do seem great. And - semi-companionable? Kind of? For a puffer? Wow! (I was looking at the T. schoudenti thread that you just posted in...).

The big issue with them (the only?) is cost and availability. Do they require any substrate specs? (Sand is needed?)

Another (maybe broader) question - do they change color based on surroundings? Just mood? For unknown reasons? Or do they not?

Thanks!

I think they are very interactive with people. They are very curious and active during the day. I started three young ones together and have had no troubles among them so far. A few other people tried 2 together and reported that they were aggressive with each other, so I'm not sure if starting them out young together has been the key for me, or the number of them....just not sure. I have found them to be much less territorial than Dwarf puffers, and they definitely get along better with other tank mates than DP's.

I had the 3 in a 40 gallon while they were really small. I had extra current on the tank and fed daily with one day of fasting. Just yesterday, I moved them to a 110 gallon tank. They have been busy exploring their new tank, looking in all the crevices and plants for snails, and have been bobbing in the powerhead flow. Any time I walk in the room, they try to get my attention. They definitely associate me with food.

I have a sand substrate for them, and I'm glad I do because I have seen them blow the sand, trying to uncover snails. Sand probably isn't "needed," and gravel would be fine, but it is nice for them to be able to use their instinctual behaviors with the sand.

They change their color slightly depending upon their surroundings (not a drastic change, but more like a fading if on light background or darkening their spots when on a darker substrate.)

Price is definitely an issue. They weren't available in the hobby since the 70's, so the price tag has been high for the ones being offered now. Hopefully, there will be more found or bred, and the price will start going down. But they are definitely a delightful puffer to have in your tank, and one would be fine on its own. It does not need more of its kind in the tank. A few of us have shared our experiences so far with them, and most report that their schoutedeni have been fine with cories, plecos, and small dither fish. You wouldn't want anything in there that could bully them.

Most importantly, the tank needs to be cycled before getting one. It would be easiest to add one to a tank that is already running with fish in it. Otherwise, a new tank would need a cycle set up, and that can take time.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Good luck!

That is great advice. Thanks. (Don't worry, I'm a fully-cycled-fully-planted type of guy.)

Was my super-brief assessments of T. baileyi, T. turgidis and T. miurus generally correct? Are they 96% of the time being little sarlacc monsters in the sand? That intrigues me, but I don't think I'd prefer that for my main friend at work. (Also, I think I'd need to up my Gs to fit baileyi or turgidis...) Does anyone have different experiences with them, or would otherwise like to correct that notion?

My turgidus spends 90% of the time in his cave.

Agree with all of the Schoutedeni comments above. They seem to be a nice activity level - not spazzy swimming all the time but not a lump. They seem to be deliberate hunters, love exploring all plants for food.

Very interactive!

So pretty, too. What a nice pattern.

A mild-mannered active FW puffer. Wow! Has there ever (back in the pre-Congo Civil War days, even) been successful breeding of them? Are there any reports recently?

I've got the obvious question, asked now only because older threads are, well, older. Any sense as to the current market values, and/or where to look? Do they ever show up on WetSpot? I haven't gotten a fish via ebay before, but is that an option? Or... ???

One other question on a slightly different tack - I noticed that P. (or T.?) abei is available a little bit right now. Any personal experiences with them? PP, I noticed in another thread that when asked for preferences (behaviorally) between lurker FW puffers, you indicated your pref for the Abe. Can I ask what they're like? Documentation and reports are minimal on those guys.

Thanks, all! And again, beautiful pic of a beautiful fish, magpie!

I'm sorry, haven't kept or even seen an Abei, just like the looks of them.

Oops! Misread that, sorry. Does anyone else have Abe experience?

Also, just finished the T. schoudentini thread. Helpful!

All right, slightly different question. I am trying to keep some notes, but thought I saw somewhere that one or more species like to tear up plants, and a couple will go right through plants to get to food and I can't remember which. I'm a real planted tank guy - who should I watch out for in that regard?

Schoutedeni can nip plants. Mine aren't tearing apart the tank or anything like that, but if you have some special plants, they could get nipped.

My Schoutedeni loves to bite my cryptocoryne wendtii. Every couple days, I see a leaf floating with bite marks all over the stem. He does not bite any of my other plants though.

My Schoutedeni doesn't bother my plants unless they accidentally get it when he's grabbing a snail on one of them.

Wish I had experience to help you with your other species questions but this guy is my first puffer.