The Puffer Forum

I have a marine puffer in a quarentine tank, as my LFS got it in and it has got Ick on his fins, so i said i'd take it and see what I could do.

He's tiny, maybe 2 1/2 cm and i've got him in n a 10G cycled tank.. will start lowering ths salinity tomorrow but wanted to give him a day to settle and get him eating before stressing him out further.

So, I can't figure out what he is... he doesn't match any of the marine puffers on the pufferpedia..

He is totally black (not ill black, his colour is black.... top and bottom, he has white spots on his top, (Not ick, these are part of his markings)
He has white stripes all over his belly, going from his tail to his head... one strip circles his fins.

I thought maybe he was a guineafowl.. but they don't have striped bellies....

Is he just a juvenile something, and his colours will change? Is that why I can't ID him....

Any ideas? I know a photo would help, but after a shaky start he's now up and about.... eating mysis (and begging for more) and chasing the mini river shrimp i put in there for him, so i just can't get a shot right now.

Can someone let me know what i've let myself in for please?


Thanks.

ps... he isn't a black spotted box fish.... it's a puffer, with a very cute puffer face (very dog like), and very distinct teeth.

Possibly a Juvenile Stars and stripes? That would be my guess.

Could be a juvenile guineafowl or a color morph.
Never heard of them changing colors though.

ya, I researched it a little, and he sounds a lot like the Stars and Stripes.

Is a stars and stripes the same thing as a dog faced puffer? They don't have the strips on their bellies do they? Do the young ones?


The one on the top of the site page, (with the 2008 sign) has simiar markings... the spots on top, stripes underneath, but they're light bodied, not black....

ok, i got him....


http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/puffer ... puffer.htm


He'a a green whitespot puffer...


also called stars and stripes... so well done. Thanks guys.

Got conused as Dog faced puffer is also refered too (wrongly) as a stars and stripes on some websites... and he definitely wasn't one of those.



He's beautiful... but he's gonna get big! Gulp!

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/puffer ... pespuffer/



see, they call it a dog faced puffer... and also a stars and stripes... (this is only one website, there are lots..


which one does the picture refer too?

Thats what most refer to as stars and stripes.
Lately a lot of sites are misslabeling them, even there latin names.

ya that confused me a bit when I was search for it. I wish there wasn't so much misinformation.

i know, it's so annoying!

we need puffer police to go round sorting them all out...

because if you get the wrong name.. then all the husbandry can be wrong too....


and it's not like a stars and stripes even looks remotely like a dogface....


lowering salinity a bit today to begin Ick cure... wish me and my new little friend luck!

:0)

good luck!

Def. a stars and stripes. And no, i do not think dog faced and stars and stripes are the same

A stars and stripes puffer is an Arothron hispidus while a dogface is Arothron nigropunctatus.
Ultimately it is always better to go by the latin names because there is no confusion with using them. There are many cases where LFS get names wrong and even suppliers.

yunachin wrote:A stars and stripes puffer is an Arothron hispidus while a dogface is Arothron nigropunctatus.
Ultimately it is always better to go by the latin names because there is no confusion with using them. There are many cases where LFS get names wrong and even suppliers.

On the divers den of foster's and smith they had the latin names mixed up too.
Either way latin names are the best way.