Brown Dog Faced Puffer? - PHOTOS ADDED

[sandfire]

My local fishshop has what they labeled a "dark brown dog faced puffer".

I have not seen one in this colour before has anyone else heard about it? Its very dark brown with slight scribble pattern on it and about 3 inches in size.

Its been in the shop 2 months and eats well, any one know anything about it?

[trekenk]

If the scribble pattern is white it could be the Dalmatian puffer, although they are usually black and white a lot of variant in this type of puffer. Narrow line puffer is very like a dog face but has lines going down. Really hard to say without a picture. Knowing how LFS can be it might very well not be in the dogface family at all and could be any type of puffer..

[Corvus]

With a picture we can give you a ID.

Even the "real" Dogface Arothron nigropunctatus comes in various color morphs from white, yellow, brown, orange to partially or totally black.

[sandfire]

I went down to the shop today with my camera and the second I go to take the photo the camera flashes "low Battery" and then turns off! HATE THAT CAMERA

A better discription would be: base colour olive brown with clear yellowish fins, tiny black spots over body which turn into wide black tiger strips on the belly flanks and then a scribble pattern on base of belly and tail fin, little more yellow on its belly as the base colour, two black patches either side of its mouth. Very white teeth and very active fish it must be a juvinile looking at the size of its head in proportion to body. I brought some snails to see if it was eating well and my god was it hungry!

I been searching for photos of Puffers which look simular and its a little like a mappa with only the scribble pattern in the belly and a little like a Arothron stellatus but its not grey anywhere on the body?

[sandfire]

Ok, I know I am obsessed with this Puffer, he is soooooo sweet. I went back to the shop again and asked them where they got him from and it turned out to be TMC, so the shop very kindly phoned them and asked for the Latin name. TMC said it's a colour morph of a Dog Faced Puffer (Arothron nigropunctatus) although someone their speculated that it was a juvenile Arothron Mappa, but they could not be sure.
Anyway I have been considering getting rid of the inverts in my reef tank as the cost of lighting it has been stupid and going fish only (well Puffer only anyway) (those watts add up). So I did a deal in the shop and swapped small pink bubble tip anemones, some green star zoas, pink button polyps, furry mushrooms and a devil finger coral for him.
He now lives we me and is called Homer! I love him to bits, as soon as he sees me he come up to tank begging to be fed and even takes food from my hand. He is sooooo tame and loads of fun, he is very inquisitive and seems happy. Last night he slept in a cave and this morning he was once again begging to be fed.
I am charging the camera batteries and will take some photos soon.

[sandfire]

Photos!

Homer_10.JPG

Homer_9.JPG

Homer_8.JPG

Homer_3.JPG

Homer_2.JPG

[apachepufferman]

great pics he sure is a cute littel guy. i love his black stripe that goes through his mouth.

[Content2Swell]

What a cutie! If I had any corals to give up, I would have probably done the same ^_^

[Corvus]

very nice indeed. Thanks for adding the pics, now the ID is no problem.
The stripes on his belly will go away, though, adult giant puffers do not have them, only the young.
See here for pictures of other young Arothron stellatus:

http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/Pictures ... at=species

http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/Pictures ... at=species

http://www.onderwaterfilm.nl/album/Lemb ... puffer.jpg

You'll need a large tank if you want to keep him

[Corvus]

Another great drawing

http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/faunabase/_ ... llatus.jpg

[sandfire]

I just had WetWebMedia Crew confirm the same he is an Arothron stellatus. (I'm gutted as I am very attached to him)

Plus I made the shop double and triple check what he was and check with their supplier for peace of mind, seeing they are a very well known major aquatic chain here in the UK and he was sourced from an equally well known importers I am little annoyed (that I trusted them). He was a lot darker in the shop so I could not see just how defined those black spots are and the stripes on his stomach and his colour convinced me he was not Arothron stellatus, but looking at photos of juveniles I am convinced he is.

I made a call to the shop and they are happy to swap him when they get new stock in, but I am worried what they will do with him next… probably sell him on to someone else.

I have dived with these puffers numerous times in the wild while on holiday; I have seen 6 in all, nearly all of were in pairs. I have a photo of the largest which I will scan in and post he was just over 2 ft in size. I understand that they have been known to reach 4ft in the wild, although WetWebMedia Crew said that this was rare even in the wild but still is possible max size for them.

Has anyone else on the forum kept one in captivity? What size tank was it in? How large did it get? Did they end up re-homing it?

[Corvus]

I believe that was me (Marco) too, who answered at WWM. Sorry, I did not recognize your name. I thought "interesting, another one", but that would not be unusual, because many fish are typically ordered in batches and it happens sometimes such batches come with an unclear ID and several people ask for the ID of fish from the same batch.

The ones I knew, which have occured in the shops have not reached a large size, because they died prematurely. I believe the pufferpedia has a picture of a not yet adult one that is kept in a large public aquarium in Japan. Maybe they can tell you something about growth rate, so you or your shop would know how long it could be kept in a home aquarium... Anyway, I believe 80 cm is realistic and 1,2 m is still possible.

[sandfire]

Thanks again!

I don't know what to do with this guy, if he goes back to the shop he is just going to get re-sold to another unsuspecting fool (I being the first fool) and his future is very bleak. If I hold onto him I might have to eventually find a public aquarium to take him.

I always wanted to have a 3 ft cube aquarium which would work out 27 cubic feet and as I have 2 Columbian Cat Sharks as well which are full marine, perhaps this would be the ideal excuss!

Either that or I convert the dogs kennel into a fish room...again