The Puffer Forum

When i bought my puffer (of which i've been having major problems... (see hospital) I was sold him as a freshwater figure 8 puffer.. my research seemed to suggest he was although he looked a little different to the ones on here, i assumed markings just changed from fish to fish...


but just reading through some forum posts and someone starts talking about Ceylon Puffers... and that's exactly what my puff looks like!

I checked on your puffer pedia and he really does look exactly like a Ceylon Puffer. He has several thick bands of bright colour criss-crossing across his back rather than a marbled pattern and then the inbetween areas are darker than a fig8's... his belly is now white, (thanks to raising the salinity to 1.005) but definitely not as bright as fig8's and he's got darker flanks inbetween the dark top and whit belly.. again, not like the fig8.

He was really suffering in freshwater, and i though fig8's should have handled it better... but if he's a Ceylon Puffer that would make sense!


I'll try and get a picture tonight and upload it tomorrow...

if someone could positively identify him then that would be great...

then, if he is a Ceylon Puffer i need to up his salinity again don't i? What to? Will my Java ferns die off in higher salinity?


I think this really maybe the answer to all te problems i've been having!

If it is a Ceylon dont panic just yet, he's got a lot of growing to do so for now 1.005 will be fine for him. When they'r small Ceylons are often sold in freshwater as are GSP's these fish travel through different slainities so dont worry too much stable tank conditions which you are on top of at this stage are far more important.

Get a pic up and we'll be able to tell you what you actually have.

Figure 8's and Ceylons do look alike, but its not the markings on their back that tells them apart.

Its the eye spots. Figure 8's have two eyespots, one on their side, one right before their tail. Look in the pufferpedia at photos of Figure 8's and every one will have those two eye spots. (an eyespot is a lighter ring around a dark center)

Ceylons will NOT have the two eyespots, no matter what the markings on their back look like, or the color of their bellies. If they have the eyespots, its a Figure 8.

But hey, we are always happy to see pictures!!

Also, Ceylons have spotted bellies.

On our two, the spots on the bellies come and go. Mostly the spots are on the flanks.

ok, so this is a terrible phone picture of him, he hates bright light and doesn't like me too near the tank- unless i have food (!)

but i managed to get this...

think it shows quite clearly that he is a Ceylon... (well its kind of clear from the photo..!)

he has spots along his flanks and thick bands of colour across the top. Can't see a spot at the base of his tail either...





will try getting a better picture this weekend when i've more time to use a proper camera!

ha ha... that photo really is sh*t.


you'd never guess i was a professional photographer... i'm very ashamed!

oh well, hope its good enough to get some vague opinions on whether i'm right or not.



think hes also nearer 3 inches, or at least 2 and a bit...(- so hard to tell!)

So going to dig out my old 30Gallon tank and set that up for him over the weekend... think he would appreciate having a bit more space.

Looks like a Ceylon to me.

hehe hard to tell from that pic but in that blurred state it looks like a baby mbu, but I don't think it is, could you get a video uploaded maybe?

Yup, that's a ceylon. Where did you get him? Does that LFS have a website?

It is recommend to have at least 40g for them. But this is more of a tank footprint requirement. If cared for properly, it can reach a size of 8" without the tail.


Take a look at the care sheet for them. It will help with everything.

The picture still shows the telltale dark areas on top with the lighter banding around, also the face is typical fluviatilis family in shape, spotted sides as well. More pics will confirm it though.

True, can't be sure until we see more pics. Although these blurry pictures look just like the blurry pics that I take of our ceylons.

Eye placement and face structure sure looks like a Ceylon to me, along with the (blurred) body markings.

Better pictures will tell for sure (use flash if you have to) but yeah, I'm thinking you do have a ceylon.

maybe he's a special blurry puffer? new species!!!!!!!

I know he's not n Mbu- god i really would cry...

75G oscar tank, 20G turtle tank and i accidently buy a Mbu- in my second floor flat. No, that wouldn't be funny.


I'm sure he's a ceylon... now i've seen loads of pictures of them he looks nothing like a fig8, compared to how much like a ceylon he looks. It's the spots on his flank that are the clearest sign, and the lack of spot by the tail.

(although his back markings do create a figure 8 shape, so maybe he secretly wnats to be a fig 8!)


I don't want to use flash as he's only just got healthy and he's really funny about light.. (I have fairy lights lighting his tank now instead of florescent tubes as he hated how bright they were...)

Will try next week if he's still chilled.


I've also moved him to a spare 30G tank and he seems much happier with the bigger footprint.. no pacing, showing off his bright colours. cruising!


I'm planning a corner tank for him -only spare room we have (my boyfriend keeps threatening to advertise our home as a local aquarium!)

but for the moment he's got plenty of space now, plenty of 1.005 SG water, no nasties in the water and loads of exciting food...

man this fish is picky! but he's also very dear.