new modestus puffer

[kimmers318]

I was calling around tonight looking for fig8 puffs. Had finally given up on finding irrubesco or congo and decided to go with the original idea of brackish and fig8. Surprisingly nobody had any, but when I called a store about 45 min away I was told they had "brackish" fangi and neon green "spotted" (that is what it sounded like, later found out he was saying something else). So, I asked for the scientific name of the "fangi" and was told tetraodon fangi....closest thing I could see was references of t. cochinchinensis possibly being what they were talking about. I decided to take a run up there. Well, the "fangi" didn't look good at all, I have no idea what they actually might have been, but from reading that if it has a red dot near the tail it is most likely T. cochinchinensis didn't think they were, what I could see was seriously dark puffers, 3 in the tank, chewed fins etc and quite black. The one wasn't even moving it's fins at all. I asked the clerk if he could feed something that would be very enticing to them so I could get a better look, he gave them some live brine.....1 never touched, the other 2 grabbed if it came close enough to their mouths, but would not come out of hiding. The "neon green modest puffer" in the tank next to it though was quite happily running around gobbling up all it could. Although I am not a puffer expert, I did remember enough of my research to realize this is a Auriglobus Modestus, and he would be happy in the 29 gal I had waiting for a puffer, so I brought him home.
Here are some pics while he was acclimating.....





There are a few slight glitches here with this guy, and I am hoping that I am right, and that I did right. First, they had him labeled as brackish, claimed the water was 1.010. I decided to bring home ocean salt and bring the salinity up in my tank rather than stress him right into fresh. My research tells me (and if I am correct that it is modestus) that he needs fresh, not brackish. I also had to buy a hydrometer (didn't have refractometers) and when I tested his water he was actually in 1.006......whew...not quite such a change. I brought my tank up to around 1.005, acclimated him slowly and will bring the salinity down slowly. If you guys think it would be better to bring him right back down, let me know, I just didn't want to overstress the guy.
More pics will be posted in next thread

[kass]

Nice find. You should watch your parameters though, that large of a change in salinity probably disturbed the beneficial bacteria and the tank might cycle again. Unless you added bio-spira.

[kimmers318]

Thanks for the reminder Kass, I do know that is a concern from having researched and learning so much thru various forums so I will check parameters daily and act accordingly! . I have the api liquid test kit and was willing to take the chance of having a busy few weeks with a delicate tank rather than leave him or put him straight into fresh.
Anyone willing to say it DOES look like modestus, or give tips for better pics I can try to get for a better ID? Plus, after hours of looking I have only found ONE reference to modestus being brackish......but very low like 1.012, so can I safely slowly go back to fresh water to keep him happy/healthy?
Last question (for now anyway ), one suggestion was that it was possible that it may be A. silus rather than modestus....any clues on how I can make a positive ID, and if not, are both needy of the same type of water and lifestyle? I found next to nothing on A. Silus researching and don't want to end up not keeping Shamus happy

[kass]

The pufferpedia here states it is a FW fish. So I would bring him down to FW going no more than 0.002 lower per week.
Not sure about the ID, but I'm sure others will chime in soon. But I'm pretty sure both Modestus and Silus are FW.

[kimmers318]

Well, that is a relief that they are both FW. Hopefully time will give me a positive ID.

[puffer_puff]

I have two A. modestus specimens, and believe yours to be one.

[Pufferpunk]

If the tank was cycled as FW, what I would do is take the puffer out of there & put in a bucket with the BW from the tank. Then do a 90% water change with fresh water. Do a drip acclimation for several hours, till the puffer is in FW.

[kimmers318]

Thanks for the info puffer puff. Any tips on keeping him happy and healthy other than the usual?

Pufferpunk----would it be okay to drip acclimate him from BW to FW that quickly? I was too afraid of shocking him because you always here to only switch salinity by .002 per week. So far things are doing well, I will continue to watch my water parameters....todays read am=0 nitrite=0 nitrate=5. I realize it is probably too soon to see any changes, but I removed 5 fish before putting him in so he is probably a little lower on the bio load. If it turns out that I can't keep the levels at zero because of the jump in salinity hurting the biofilter I will drip acclimate him back to FW and jumpstart the tank with filter media and gravel from another tank. If it is okay to take him to FW over a matter of a week I will just change out 1 gal daily without disturbing anything in the tank and see where I am at the end of the week. Admittedly, brackish is new to me, although I did do quite a bit of research lately. I was torn between not bringing home the puffer since he was already in brackish, or bringing home a puff that really caught my eye (and I will admit, just researching I was NOT looking for one, they didn't really spark my interest.....whole 'nother ball game when you meet one in person ) and chancing dealing with a delicate tank for awhile until all worked out.
Everything he has gone thru has not seemed to hurt him, still brightly colored, took some freeze dried krill for me, and even though it didn't seem like he ate much his belly rounded out nicely. His poo has looked good so I am optimistic

[puffer_puff]

I would say that it will need some sort of avenue of escape for when it should get startled. Anything basic will do. Just let it be able to get away from whatever's bothering it, including your face at the glass. If your particular fish isn't skittish, then this is less important than if you have a fish that's easily made uncomfortable.

[CoreyK]

A puffer can safely be brought from 1.005 to full FW in probably an hour or two. The .002/week rule is in regards to keeping beneficial bacteria alive - they aren't nearly as robust as puffers.

Due to extreme circumstances I adjusted my figure 8's from full freshwater to ~1.0010 in about 45 minutes when I got them, and they seemed completely unphased by it, zero signs of stress.

I agree with Pufferpunk, might as well get him in FW ASAP.

[Pufferpunk]

My biggest concern is with raising the SG so quickly on that tank. The system will most definately crash.

[kimmers318]

I am aware that I will probably have issues with the biological system, and was willing to take that on at this point. I have crashed tanks before, cycled plenty of tanks and am ready for the challenge. If it takes daily water changes and 6 weeks or longer to get this tank to where I have it stablilized I am up for the challenge. I will remember in the future though that I can safely bring a low brackish fish to FW over a long acclimation if I run into this problem again....good tip. It was late, and I had to go with the best solution at the time that I could figure.
Thanks so much for being there for me everyone!
As for the glass biting, that has seriously slowed down since I added more decor, he is acting much less aggressive towards his reflection because he can hardly find it! He is less skittish about me and the camera, and although I didn't get any decent shots last night there was less running away. There are still some areas at the top of the tank on the sides where he sees his reflection so I will hopefully find some of the hanging plants that suction cup to the glass to cover that up.
This little guy is totally cool and I am looking forward to watching him grow up and become the center of my living room!

[Corvus]

I think the BW idea comes from mixing up Auriglobus with Chonerhinos naritus (sometimes put in the more or less invalid genus Xenopterus), a brackish puffer, which is quite similar. The latter is bigger, has smaller eyes with relation to to the body and more fin rays compared to Auriglobus.

[Pufferpunk]

What you did will be more stress on the system, than it would have been on the fish to bring him low enough so as not to stress your bacteria (even 1.005 would have been better). Living in a crashed tank will be much worse. Just keep a close eye on the parameters & do large water changes accordingly.

[kimmers318]

Will do Pufferpunk
Todays readings are still 0-0-5 so so far so good.