A question about DPs and spines

[Boxermom]

Someone posted this on another forum and I didn't have the answer so I was hoping someone here would.

My little guy Boeing was doing the strangest thing a minute ago - he was swimming against the current of his filter, puffed up just a little(He's occasionally puffed a tiny bit in the past, seemingly for his own amusement, not enough to get round at all, just round his belly a bit more, then let it out right away), and had a raised crest of some sort on his back. It's a darker color than most of his body, and definately isn't inflated skin - it's like a dorsal fin running most of the lenght of his body, thin like a fin, but made of skin, not fin. It's totally gone now, just a few min. later. This seems really bizzare, though the little guy seems totally unhurt.

When I suggested it was possibly its spines, he asked if they can raise the spines on one part of their body, and can they do it at will without puffing?

[Adventim]

they need to puff but I've heard some puffers only puffing a bit and some spines raise easier because their size. If it puffed up the least bit, a small spine could have just sprung up.

[RTR]

DPs do have dorsal and ventral crests in the males. The dark belly line marks where the ventral crest comes up, the dorsal does not usually show against the normal back coloration.

Puffer do practice puffing, I have not seen the DP males practice erecting their crests, but they can erect them when mating dancing or flirting, and sometimes to intimidate other males, so i don't see why they could not practice that as well.

[Boxermom]

Cool, thanks RTR! I knew I could count on you.

[Adventim]

It was a DP!? Oh man, I should've read the topic before I speak nonsense...

[Liz]

I've seen my DP males flatten themselves out, raising their backs up like a crest like RTR said and pushing their stomachs down... they circle around eachother that way.

[kass]

I've seen my DP males flatten themselves out, raising their backs up like a crest like RTR said and pushing their stomachs down... they circle around eachother that way.

My two males almost always do the dance during feeding.

[Myaj]

Yep, I've seen my male do that when he's showing off or threatening someone, its sort of like arching his back to look larger without puffing.