Looking for advice and help

anderson115 · Post by **anderson115** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:38 pm

Hi! My name is Paulette and I love puffers so much that I have 5 different kinds. One each of Carinotetraodon irrubesco, Colomesus asellus, Tetraodon biocellatus, Tetraodon schoutedeni, and tetraodon fluviatilis. Here is what I need help and advice with. I'm not sure my ceylon is a ceylon and not a figure eight. He doesn't look like my figure eight cause his pattern on his back doesn't make an eight pattern and he has squiggles down his side and his eyes go from a blue to a jade green while my figure eight eyes are black but he does have eye spots on each side of his tail. He was suppose to be a figure eight when I bought him from an internet site but he looks so much different from my figure eight that I'm just not sure and since he needs a different salt level if he is a ceylon I need to find out before he gets sick so please can someone give me a really got body marking description for a ceylon so that I can possibly get him properly ID? I run a low to medium salt content in my water and they are in a 55 gal. tank with some maliwa cichlids. He's eating like a horse and his tummy is white and he greets me whenever I'm near the glass and begs for food right along with the rest of the gang so for now I feel he's okay but I do want him to stay that way! Here's where I'd appreciate some advice. I'm thinking about adding Tetraodon palembangensis and Tetradon leiurus to my group. I have two Pengiun BIO-wheel 350 and underground filter on this tank with a total fish load of 16 fish which includes the cleaning crew nobody is suppose to reach over 5-6 inches when full grown. I also put in some plants and hiding places. So am I over-loading my tank? Will the new additions get along with the gang that's already there? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated since I don't want to make any mistakes. Everyone is happy and healthy and I'd just like to do my best in keeping that way. Thanks!

Boxermom · Post by **Boxermom** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:42 pm

Post by **Myaj** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:03 am

Wow. Um, well, where to start? How about [welcome]

I would suggest you make a list of the puffers you have, then go to the PufferPedia and take a look at what each type requires. You have freshwater puffers, brackish and, if the one is a Ceylon, marine. You are going to need separate tanks for the ones that need salt and the ones that don't.

Take a close look at the ceylon and figure 8 photos. Figure 8 puffers don't necessarily have to have an 8 on their back, but they do have the two eyespots on their sides, one by the tail, one on their side. If your puffer doesn't have the eye spots, its most likely a ceylon and your entire 55 gallon tank would be just about right for just that fish by itself!

So anyways, we'll leave it at that and let you do some reading, any questions, ask away!

Pufferoni · Post by **Pufferoni** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:01 am

One more quick note. I am assuming by the way you wrote your post that the fish are all still young. You have a ton of aggression in that tank, both the puffers and malawis will get aggressive as they mature.

Post by **RTR** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:21 am

I would start with questioning the T. shoutendni. I am unaware of this fish being seen in this country in well over 20 years and it would be worth a fortune if it is real - and battered to death by the other fish. Does it have visible belly spines? These are true FW fish. Does it have a brighter green "cap" area in the top of it's head? If so it is likely T. nigroviridis (GSP or green spotted puffer) and is high BW to SW as adults.

T. fluviatilis are highly variable in markings, but their background colors are different from GSPs and they lack the numerous small spots on the back, having fewer and some much larger and more irregular ones more like some F-8s, but less often ocellated (ringed in a different color). Their sides may have spots fairly similar to the GSP's, but GSPs cut-off line is most often sharper between the back markings and their white bellies. These require the same conditions as GSPs but get a bit larger.

The Carinotetraodon is also FW, as is the Colomesus.

The pattern on the fish's back means nothing to identification of F-8s. Those are as variable as fingerprints. The eyespots on each side of the caudal peduncle (just before the start of the caudal fin) and just below the dorsal fin on each side of the fish are diagnostic of the F-8. These fish are best in light BW. They should not be housed with GSPs or Ceylons, they need different water conditions and cannot compete with the large puffers for food.

Browsing the PufferPedia to look over the pictures and the care suggestions is a good idea.

To me, none of these fish should be housed with Lake Malawi Cichlids.

anderson115 · Post by **anderson115** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 1:31 pm

Thanks, a bunch! I do have eye spots on the side of the one puff so I will presume he is a figure eight from now on. On the spotted puffer he doesn't have belly spines nor does he have a neon patch on his head. His body is not longest more like a small ball with a tail sticking out the back. My malawi cichlids are 10 mos. old and my spotted puff and oldest figure eight around 6 mos. old. So how long does it take for them to grow-up? None of my puffs are over 3 in. and none are over approx. 6 mos old.. Right now I'm at 1.000 on my salt monitor which might be a bit high for everyone. Advice is always appreciated. Should I worry if they start to just go up and down on the side of the aquarium? All bellies are white though. Housing them together has not been a problem so far but if it ever does the puffs stay and I'll trade off the malawi! The reason for the housing situation is that I wanted a colorful unusual tank and most are at the same aggression level and all appreciate a low brackish enviroment. I usually run between 1.000 and .5000 on my salt meter but I'm always open for advice on that. Yes, I'll keep reading and I'll post two sites later when I have their exact web addresses that I use for research. I know one of them is Pufferfish.net and the other one I excess thru a link so I'm not sure of the address. Both are very good especially if you have the proper latin names. I also go to the library. But there isn't nothing like good advice from people that are keeping puff and/or have have kept them for years cause even from scientists I read conflecting info to the point at times it causes my head to hurt. Well thanks again and I'll check back for your opinions soon. Sincerely Paulette

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:11 pm

Compare your puffers to the pictures found in the pufferpedia here: http://www.thepufferforum.com/PufferPedia to get a proper ID on them.

1.000 is Fresh water. What kind of salt meter do you have, and what kind of salt do you use?

Going up and down on the side of the aquarium is a sign of stress and/or boredom. The tank is very crowded with fish at the moment. It would help to add some fake plants and decoratiosn to break up the tank to give them places to hide from each other.

Check out this thread: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/vie ... highlight=
In it I give a few basic puffer pointers to someone who is in a very similar situation such as yourself. EDIT - Oh wait, that's you!

Bottom line is, eventually the fresh water and salt water fish will need to be seperated, and the large aggressive puffers will need to be seperated into their own tanks. Aggression is a problem that will get worse over time and always ends badly.

Keep in mind, we're here to give you the best advise for the puffers. You won't find a better place for puffer-specific info anywhere on the net. I promise.

The puffer hobby is still relatively new and there is a LOT of misconception and bad information floating around out there. It is our primary goal to provide good, solid, information backed by science and experience.

sstimac · Post by **sstimac** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:48 am

Did you just go out and buy all of these fish? Quite honestly I think you're being very careless. Research, research, research. You have fish from four very different biotopes in your tank. All of which are aggressive. I urge you to go and buy several aquarium setups or pick which biotope (Malawi, FW puffer, BW puffer, or SW puffer) you prefer and give up the others. This is the most responsible action you could take. You're dealing with living animals here, they are not just aesthetic decor. Think it over.

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:11 am

Phaed, that link doesn't work for me.

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:23 am

Which one?

The Puffer Forum

The Puffer Store

Looking for advice and help

Looking for advice and help