The Puffer Forum

Do not handle your puffers! Regardless of the fact they can munch off a finger it is really bad for them, infection is likely for them and you if you have a cut

Good to know but I would be too chicken to try to handle him anyways

Another video... I wasn't able to edit it so fastforward to 5:55 when the action starts hehe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWS1ff00 ... e=youtu.be

He looks really good. I love their inquisitive nature, size everything up before attacking. You will be greatly rewarded by him for your efforts

bertie 83 wrote:... You will be greatly rewarded by him for your efforts

I for one welcome our Puffer overlords.

It is never, repeat never, a good idea to "pet" a fish. That does not just apply to puffers, but to any and all fish. Fish have highly structures and seriously imprtant skin structure and secretions which are damaged or removed by being rubbed by human skin. The petting is damaging to the fish and in the case of puffers it is also rather stupid. An adult Fahaka can sever a finger. Any puffer can break human skin - and if you have Micobasterium marinum in your tank (fairly common), you could get so-called "fish TB" which can be a PITA to treat and dangerous to ignore. Don't be an idiot, protect yourself and don't abuse your fish. Fish are not dogs or cats. Do not pet them.

Thanks for the compliments, he is just too cute but I can't wait for him to be a monster in that tank We have named him Grendel hehe

RTR I know that is a warning in general but I have absolutely no intention of ever petting the Fahaka.... sever a finger eh... I hope he stays sulking when my hand is in there but at some point I'm not sure how I'm going to vacuum the substrate hehe. For the ones where your Fahaka attacked your hand/arm, how do you do it? The glass isn't an issue, a floating magnet.... but I usually have my arm halfway in there to get the siphon low enough to vacuum the substrate....

My Fahaka tanks each had doubled eggrate dividers which I slid into place, allowing me access to 1/2 the tank at a time. I vacuumed only 1/2 per week, ditto glass cleaning, etc. It was not ideal, but worked pretty well. Those tanks had stands of mature subnerse Crinums, so did not absolutely require full-depth vacuuming weekly - in fact, the base of the tank was covered solid with dense Crinum roots. The Crinum were planted and established before the Fafakas went in those tank, ditto the tracks for the dividers were also in place before the fish went in. The fish did not accept all the Crinums - they bit off the stems of those the did not like. he surface was pretty well covered with the floating leaves - a PITA to get the dividers in while pushing the foliage to one end or the other. Better than being bitten however. One male was only fish I have ever kept of which I was physically afraid.

HTH

Great Idea... I need to go get some eggcrate for the sw tank anyways, will grab a bit more

I had a trusted person with a large net and fast reflexes, this is not what I would recommend as I still got bitten sometimes. Once I had a large chunk taken from my thumbs lower knuckle which was not pleasant in the slightest. It seems most puffers will not attack hands but it is always a possibility, always have safety on your mind both for you and the fish in question

I use an extra long rigid tube on my siphon, when cleaning my 180. Never even get my hands wet.

I also have an assortment of tube lengths. The 2-foot deep and wide tanks can be a major PITA. At first I thought that I could work from one side only, but for big puffers like Fahakas, I need access both front and back. That is pure self-defense. I also replaced the thin cover glasses with heavier glass pieces. That and the long tubes are part of the fish-keeper's armor. Puffers are not goldfish.

HTH

You guys are making me nervous hehe

I just clean my tanks topless. No wet sleeves!