The Puffer Forum

Please out me straight here folks, i was given my fahaka puffer (Killer) about two weeks ago, in a freshwater tank and told that was a freshwater fish, and after reading on this forum believed this to be true ......yes.
Well i went to a local LFS today and was talking to the chap in there, was looking for a new tank actually, but anyways, after talking to him for a few minutes, he asked me was i keeping my puffer in brakish water conditions, i replied no and told him that everything i had read and everyone i had spoke to had said that the fahaka lives in freshwater, well this guy torned from mr nice to a complete loonatic lol, telling me that i was going to kill the puffer and that i was being such a terrible keeper, well he didn't sell any tanks to me thats for sure, anyways like i said, i'm sure that i'm keeping her in the right conditions, just thought i'd ask for your reassurance.
Thanks folks

They come from the Nile River (hence the name "Nile Puffer")--strictly FW.

WEll, I do not have any personal expierience...yet.
But I can tell you this, trust the mods/admin on this board more than your LFS. I have even seen them on other boards helping out, and they have tons of expierience in keeping these fish. If they say that a Fahaka is FW, then it is.

if the LFS guy has a comnpter and some skills with it, direct him to this site so he can learn the truth instead of mis-informing his customers and in turn getting fish killed.

They are definately Freshwater.

The ignorance of some LFS workers astounds me!!! I am certainly not tarring all with the same brush and we have a couple of excellent LFS's who often admit that we know more about puffers than they do!! but one of the shops we frequent insists that I am doing my fish severe harm by doing 50% water changes every week and that I am going to cause them no end of problems!! I did try to argue but was definately onto a loser so i smiled sweetly and said we would have to agree to disagree lol , I didn't mention his rather sick looking puffers as I thought he might thump me !!
Sue

Some people know they're wrong but they will not admit it just for the sake of "winning the argument".

Change your lfs if this guy doesn't take on board what you pass on from here...he sounds like a nutter. It's all very well acting concerned about fish, but whether a fish is FW, BW or SW is kinda basic and he should know that.
Pami.

Go to:

http://www.fishbase.org/

Under "Scientific":
Enter in genus block: Tetraodon
Enter in species block: lineatus
Click on "Search" button.
Read page, hit print.
Carry to LFS and hand to individual in question.

Exit premises.

The Fahaka is very widely distrubuted in multiple African River systems, and yes, it it may be found in the esturine portions of those river's mouths into the sea. This no more makes it a BW fish than it does make kribs a BW Cichlid, or SAPs a BW puffer, just as finding fry of GSPs or F-8s upriver does not make them FW.

All long-term hobby keeping that I have seen reported is exclusively FW, but as with all riverine fish subject to wet and dry sesons in the tropics, and with all puffers in general for the family, they are highly adaptable. A fish being found and noted from a particular water type does not mean that particular water type is where the fish normally lives.

If the jerk tries to harass you any more, ask if he is aware of how many miles out to sea pure FW fish are found out from the mouths of the Amazon?

Well all you glorious puffer keepers, thanks for your reassurance, as i said it is ONE of my local LFS, so i think i'll give him a wide birth in future and use the other shops
BIG UP TO FAHAKA'S
Cheers Folks

i too have a fahaka and was down at my LFS in Bristol (aherm... MA) and the guy told me he would be surprised if my pufferfish was freshwater as "90% of puffers are brackish". he was all smug and threw in a few big aqua words... so i switched off as i know the guys here know far more than himself.

then my girlfriend was hassling me saying "what if hes right?" raa raa raa.

i said look "there from the middle of a continent, how the F%$^ does salt water ingress that far! your a marine biologist, you tell me!"

so yer anyway, dont listen to him and go in and tell him what you think