Picked Up Four Schoutedeni Puffers!

[Zach72202]

So currently it is day four of owning these little fellers and I can tell they are still stressed from the previous living conditions and shipping, but all are eating and seem happier!

I picked them up on eBay of all places and two came in fairly plump, one a bit skinny, and one was pretty skinny (will include images).

Good news is, since they are all eating, they have all been gaining weight, and they are roughly 2-2.5", but since these are my first Schoutedeni puffers, I do not know much about them specifically.

My main questions are:
How old are they? (Roughly)
Do you think I have both sexes?
What is breeding age roughly?

I ask this because I enjoy breeding fish and that is my long term goal for them.

Currently, they are in a 20H tank for QT process, and they are getting along well. A little nipping and tail flaring, but nothing major, they mostly just hang out in the front, behind the sponge filter, or the plants. They seem fairly content, but I have space they can be separated if need be.

I am planning on keeping them in here for a minimum of a month for QT, as I just put some meds in the tank, which will sit for a week, and then a week off, and again a week. Then from there it will be on an observation standpoint.

I have a few tanks that are filled with snails, as I was attempting to breed corydoras, so I was just throwing in heaps of food, and once I gave up on that I just decided to keep feeding heaps, so snail population exploded. (I also found baby corydoras I never knew about!) So these puffers eat quite a lot of snails currently, but also I am using frozen bloodworms as a 'filler' to fatten them up. I have read some other posts here, and I suppose worms for fishing supply could also be another great food for them once they get bigger. They are currently like little mini-corndogs.

When it comes to puffers in general I have an idea of how to keep them. I currently have figure 8's, a GSP, a fahaka, and pea puffers, so I think I have the general knowledge

Fun Fact: My fahaka puffer eats NLS Pellets. Maybe you should try them?

Side tangent:
Also, I live in Michigan, and I was wondering if anybody knows of anybody in this state that breeds these. I have talked to several people about them, and most have only heard the name in passing. Honestly in this state, if it isn't a cichlid or below the 5 dollar mark, it is invisible it seems. The only puffers I see are peas and fahakas, and it seems people like to buy fahakas in groups or peas for a community tank. Green spots are also common, but none last long. Prime example is mine. I got him from a guy that had him in his roommate's goldfish tank. His roommate made him get rid of it because it was nipping the goldfish's fins. I was shocked to say the least.

I tried to add more photos, but the 256 KB cap is impossible!

Thank you for reading! I appreciate any responses I get!

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[Pufferpunk]

Nice! If you do a search here on breeding Schoutedeni puffers, you will find several threads from successful breeders. I don't believe they can be sexed. What's NLS?

[Zach72202]

Yes I have done some searches, and it seems there is 'a lot' of people having success in the realm of puffers. It seems to be decently common with spotted congo's but most people only buy one of them due to the price- but also the rearing the fry is ridiculously intensive labor. I would love to see if my fish will eventually spawn actually speak to somebody who has raised them, but until then, it is too early to speak about the possibilities, they seem too small currently.

I suppose once I make a few posts on the local groups, I am sure puffer owners will come out of the woodwork. The only reason I think they are so few and far between is because generally the stores in my area do not carry oddball or the uncommon fish. I have seen someone asking what a pea puffer is in the facebook group I am in for example...

NLS is 'New Life Spectrum', which I am sure you have heard of. Generally a cichlid food or saltwater food, but the quality is very nice. Its those small blue containers that cost like 15$. He eats the 3mm-3.5mm pellets currently. When I fed him the 1mm pellets it just took too many, so he upgraded in size. I stumbled upon this by accident as I bought it in attempt to condition my corydoras for breeding, as it is a high quality food, I said why not. I was using it in my community tank, where my 1.5" fahaka was at the time, and just so happens he started chomping on the pellets. I specifically used The New Life Spectrum Thera A+ 1mm-1.5mm to start, as they are laced with extra garlic I believe, but then from there the regular cichlid pellets do him just fine, along with his snails and freeze dried treats.

Thank you for the reply!

[Pufferpunk]

I actually do have the NLS pellets but my fahaka is so hard to feed! He turns his nose up on shrimp, scallops & squid.

[Zach72202]

Really? That is quite interesting! I take it your're feeding frozen foods. I assume you know this, or have tried it, but perhaps dancing the food around on a string to make it seem 'alive' can stimulate fish.

[Pufferpunk]

Believe me, I've tried. He loves live worms though.