The Puffer Forum

I have what I belive is a Turgidus, or brown puffer. I"m not 100 % certain, but from all the photos I"ve seen of them I think that is what mine is. He is a fresh water puffer that I know for sure. I"ve had him/her for almost a year now, and have a couple of questions. He (don't know the sex so I'll just say he) is doing fine, eats and has grown since I bought him, but he never swims around the tank just sits in his little log hideaway and watches things. I think maybe at night when the lights are off and I"m not in the room he most likely comes out and swims around the tank. I know he's eaten a number of fish I"ve put in the tank (guppies, swoadtails, ect) which is fine lol. I feed him worms, shrimp, shelled fish such as clams, mussels and also a few other things. I normall place them inside his hollow log or just outside it. He will grab those things sometimes even when I"m there and the lights are on, but never comes out and swims. Well except for when he's been scared of something like a noise or a sudden movement by me, then he will dart across the tank into a corner and sit there. Is this normal for these types of puffers? The only things in his tank is the hollow log (bought at walmart), a small piece of driftwood and a small fake plant. Sand and gravel mix on bottom of tank. The tank is only 10 gals, and I was going to move him to a bigger tank, but since he never seems to do anything I have not moved him yet.
Any advice or tips would be great

That certainly does sound like a typical Trgidus behaviour, sits on his a$$ and comes out for feeding only. Fishkeeping can be so interesting sometimes.

lol, thanks HIlly, at least it sounds like "noramal" behavoir then. I always worry about him, he's such a cutie! I wish I could put another puffer in with him but before I bought him he had been with another of the same type and was beaten up pretty badly. I had to nurse him back to health and I guess that's why I love him so much, just feel like he looks so lonely.

Rene

It can be frustrating sometimes wit just the 1 in the tank, I tried a Delehzi bichir with my Abei, that lasted about 10 minutes. It was fine whilst the Delhezi didnt move as soon as he did the Abei swung round like an Apache helicopter into a strike position, so that was the end of that experiment. I know what you mean though sometimes it would me nice for a little more activity in a tank, but if the outcome is you having to nurse another fish back to health after a battering it becomes even more frustrating.

I know what you mean, but I was more feeling bad about my puffer (peek-a-boo) because he just seems so lonely. But I guess he's just being his puffer self and I shouldn't worry. I have been able to keep a couple fish in with him. I added two Bolivian Ram Cichlids about 2 weeks after I got the puffer and they did fine with him, maybe I was lucky, or they just were the best to keep with him but it went fine. I don't have them in there any longer as I decided I wanted to move them to my 55 gal cichlid tank where they are still doing quiet well.

Rene

I couldn't have had any fish together with my suspected turgiduses (I've bought them both as other species, but they maybe turgiduses, I really don't know), they are both too aggressive. They would instantly have attacked any poor tank mate. The only time I've tried keeping other fishes with a puffer, is with the abei I had (yes, poor choise, abeis are really aggressive puffers). I tried a pleco, as I would have thought them to have too hard body armour to get injured. Luckily I was prepared for what could come, and kept a close eye on them. The puffer went for the only vulnerable part of the pleco: its belly. The pleco got a really bad wound. Luckily it healed without any problems, and the pleco now lives happily together with my discuses (allthough in a little bit too hot water for him), and is feasting on discus food. And I never will try another fish with a puffer again.

I think I just have strange fish lol
My puffer didn't bother my two Bolivian Rams at all, maybe they were too fast for him, I don't know. I also have a brackish tank with 2 green spotted puffers that share their tank with several mollies, two dragon fish (violet gobies) two knight gobies, and a bumble bee gobie. I"ve never had any problems in that tank either, well except for the few times one of the puffers has nipped the dragon gobie on the tail (I think they think the dragons are big juicy worms) but the dragons just dart off for cover and all is well again. No harm done so far. They have all shared a tank for close to a year now too. In my 10 gal tank I've got 3 dwarf puffers, guppies, 2 hatchet fish, 2 panda cory's, 1 striped rafel catfish, 1 clown pleco, ghost shrimp, 3 african dwarf frogs and a white tipped tetra. No problems there either, but I haven't had the ghost shrimp in there for more than a week so who knows how long they will last lol
I also have a big tank with 3 large oscars, two huge plecos, a clown knife, ghost knife, huge tire track eel, 4 long finned rosy barbs, 1 african butterfly fish, 6 cory cats, 2 red finned tin foil barbs, 2 bala sharks, and 3 clown loaches. I think I have a couple of other fish but can't remember who I left out. All has been good in that tank too but because of the heavy stocking I have to do a lot more water changes in it than the rest.
I also spoil them all and most likely feed them more than I should, but maybe that's why they are so well behaved??? In all I have 9 tanks running (2 are tiny nursery tanks for baby guppies, mollies and snails)
I think I"m about half fish crazy

I just recently bought a (what I am almost certain is) turgidus (...I don't think anyone ever really knows lol) and he seems to be happy enough to hide all day long. Because of the hours I keep I sometimes end up being awake nights too, and he pretty much stays hidden then too. Sometimes I will be lucky enough to see him peek out just long enough to munch on something I dropped in there for him. Whenever I do happen to see him sticking his head out (he has a cave and a HUGE hollow castle) he gets kind of irritated and goes even further in.
I've been told that they have to have at least 30 gallons, but it is sort of frustrating to have a tank that big that ALWAYS seems empty, especially since it is the largest tank I have. He nearly always stays on the bottom ...'strata?'.. and has nested in about a ten inch diameter.
It has been only a couple of months, so I don't know if he will get more accustomed to his new tank (the LFS had been keeping him in a tiny tank with no decorations. they said they had had him a few weeks by the time I bought him, and he was being sold as a "Spotted Puffer")
Does anyone have any experiene with how many gallons they should have?

I think a 15-20g should be OK for them, as long as yu keep up with large, weekly water changes.

GP, your 10g tank is terribly overstocked & you will run into some problems there. That raphael will eventually eat most of your fish & they grow quite large.

I'm hoping your BW tank is around 75g & your oscar tank is 300+g.