mekong puffer (fang's?)

[side19]

so my obsession with fish has finally rubbed off on my best friend, and he's fallen in love with a "mekong puffer" at our lfs. he's been doing his research and i've been helping him and i believe its a fang's puffer, but am not totally sure. it looks exactly like the second picture of the fang's in the pufferpedia, but i looked and also saw that turdigus live in the mekong basin, so it could be one of those. it looks much more like the fang's though so i'm assuming its one of them. anyway i was hoping some people on here who have kept them could give a little in site and personal stories to help my friend out. he's fully aware of how to take care of the puffer and how to cycle the tank and keep it clean, he just wants some personal stories and little tips to help keep his happy once he gets it.

[pufferpuggirl]

I'm just curious, does the LFS call that puffer a "Mekong puffer"? Because I thought that was a name given to another puffer, not Fang's.
Anyway, the cochinchinensis is still one puffer that I've yet to find, and would like to have, so unfortunately I can't tell you anything from personal experience.

[Pufferpunk]

Fang's has a red dot on both sides, near it's tail, turgidus has a black spot.

[side19]

yes the LFS calls it a mekong. and by dots do you mean the target or some other dots near the tail? if its the target dot then its black and i guess it is a turgidus, it just looks more like a fang's with coloring and body shape.

[Pufferpunk]

The eyespot, on either side, near the base of it's tail.

[side19]

ok then it is a turgidus then. that spot is black from what i remember. cool. i'll have to let him know. anyway anybody who has personal stories that they'd like to share would be appreciated.

[Pufferpunk]

I gave Myaj my turgidus:





Loved to hang out in his cave all day.

[side19]

the spots on the ones at the LFS don't go as far onto the belly. its more a bright white and the dots stop farther up on the body. would it just be a color variant or could it just be a different species still?

[pufferpuggirl]

I've just moved my turgidus to a tank that I can view a little better, and hoping that I'd get to see more of him, his name is Louie. My guy is starting to get big, he used to stay hidden so much that I rarely got a good look at him. I'm trying to get some good photos of him while he's still out in the open -- he's not found where the cave is yet, though I'm sure once he does, that's where he will be most of the time. I've just put my large Apple snail in with him, as I think it was freaking my Congo out.