The Puffer Forum

Hey guys, I've been preparing for a Congo puffer for awhile and when I went to the LFS they had arrowheads labeled as congos. So now its down to Arrowheads or... the other puffers they had. The brown spotted puffers were in pretty bad shape, but looked adorable nonetheless. The other puffer they had was about two inches and labeled Dubois Puffer. I know for sure that wasn't a Dubois puffer but was of the target group. I forgot to take a picture of it, sorry! Anyway is there any extra info you guys could give me on the target group or arrowheads? I've read pufferpedia but it's pretty vague when it comes to personalities and whatnot.

I don't mind if the puffer's inactive but from what I've read Arrowheads NEVER come out. Is this true? Also, will a target species puffer be roomy in a 29 gallon? I'll get pictures up by tomorrow!

hobbes wrote:Hey guys, I've been preparing for a Congo puffer for awhile and when I went to the LFS they had arrowheads labeled as congos. So now its down to Arrowheads or... the other puffers they had. The brown spotted puffers were in pretty bad shape, but looked adorable nonetheless. The other puffer they had was about two inches and labeled Dubois Puffer. I know for sure that wasn't a Dubois puffer but was of the target group. I forgot to take a picture of it, sorry! Anyway is there any extra info you guys could give me on the target group or arrowheads? I've read pufferpedia but it's pretty vague when it comes to personalities and whatnot.

I don't mind if the puffer's inactive but from what I've read Arrowheads NEVER come out. Is this true? Also, will a target species puffer be roomy in a 29 gallon? I'll get pictures up by tomorrow!

I have both. an Arrowhead and a member of the target group (M. Turgdis) and both are fantastic fish. My arrowhead is named Marc Antony, I named him after the Bugs Bunny cartoon Bulldog, his temperment is identical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyIggwxF ... L&index=32 to the beginning of the cartoon, comes on all vicious like but really is a sweetheart. He does come out and cruises the tank, more twords the evening and early night. Feeding time is a trip! He loves nightcrawlers and when I bring the container of them in to the room he'll poke his head out. When I actually take a worm out of the container he comes charing to the glass and spins circles waiting for me to drop it in. Once it's inthe tank, it's gruesome...he takes absolutely no pitty and there are worm bits flying everywhere! Oh, he has a pet ghost shrimp that I caught him giving rides to.....

The M. Turgdis is named Leon, after the assassin in The Professional. It fits him very well. Like a typical lurker he hangs out on the bottom, in a little "pit" he's made in the substrate. He is interactive, when I walk in the room he does this little body shake and the fins start fluttering like mad! His tank is next to my bed and at head level so I wake up to him every day, he sees me move, he gets excited. Another one that loves his nightcrawlers but also really enjoys shrimp, fiddler crabs, and snails. When I feed him he hunkers down in his pit and waits for dinner to walk by, when it gets close enough he springs out and eats it. Nothing survives in his tank with him, he will kill it just for being near him but he is docile towards me. He wouldn't move when I was cleaning his tank and I had to reach in and move him with my hand, never batted an eye at me.

All puffers have different personalities, really depends on the fish. These are just from my personal experience. Oh, if those are really Dubois puffers.....I want one.

I love your descriptions!

Thanks for the quick reply Dadof4. Both of those puffers sound awesome! I'm really torn between which one to get though. Do target species require the same kinds of setups as an arrowhead? Plants, caves, and whatnot?

Pretty much the same setup. My arrowhead is in a 40 gallon tank with a good size peice of arched driftwood that forms a cave under it and some plants. I used a sand substrate about 2 inces deep so he can bury himself if he wants. Leon, the Turgdis, is in a 30 gallon with a chipped granite for substrate about 1 inch deep. Very few plants, he didn't care for them and tore them out. I put in a driftwood stump with roots that make it stand about 3 inches above the bottom and also made a small shelf that has artificial vine coming from the front, kind of like a concealed cave. He uses neither....perfers to lay in a pit he made for himself out in the open. They are both awesome fish and have made for fantastic companions.

Do you know which one of the Target group they have? Their care is relatively the same but I'm curious.

Hi Hobbes, I have 2 Arrowheads, 2 Congos and 1 turgidus .... And as Dadof4 says, they are all lovely fish. My Arrowheads do move around here and there, but it's usually to go from one hiding place to the next. I am very partial to my Congos because they are just so cute and have a special appeal to them, don't know why. I haven't had my turgidus too long, but he's a real sweetie. He comes to greet me all the time. I thought he was going to be very inactive and I'd never see him since I read he's nocturnal, but I see him alot. He comes to see me when I use the vacuum on the tank too. I've got him a slate cave and he hangs out in that, or more frequently, he hangs out in the Java fern I've got in there. My husband has fallen in love with him. We think he's blind in one eye, because that eye is white, but just makes him all the more lovable and it doesn't stop him from seeing things, he has no problem finding his dinner.
I'm with Dadof4 on the Dubois -- if I could find one, I'd have it in an instant (altough not sure where I would put it right now! )

schismy007 wrote:I'm with Dadof4 on the Dubois -- if I could find one, I'd have it in an instant (altough not sure where I would put it right now! )

I'm trying to come up with a system like bunk beds...bunk tanks?

Yeah, let me know how that goes Dadof4 because I'd be VERY interested. I think going up to the ceiling is the next best idea .....

Well! I got myself an arrowhead. The whole tank is still under massive construction. I'm still debating on which driftwood/rocks/plants and whatnot. However... I'm a little worried about his behavior. On his belly theres a dark stripe. Is this just a marking or could it be worse? I know they're supposed to have white bellies. He swims around for a minute, probably checking out his new tank, and stops. And he just went to the bathroom. I haven't seen puffer poo in a year but something that looks like a pellet is a good thing right? At first I thought it looked more like sausage links and screamed IP. But I'm probably just being a worry wort about the new guy.

I think you're just being a little paranoid .... but the poo you mentioned is good. As long as nothing white comes out, you are okay, and your puffer just sounds like he is settling in. They can change their colours to a degree, so keep that in mind. Nice to know you're a fellow suvattii keeper!

schismy007 wrote:Yeah, let me know how that goes Dadof4 because I'd be VERY interested. I think going up to the ceiling is the next best idea .....

Ohhhhh!!! Hanging them from the ceiling! I never thought of that!

My camera ran out of battery as soon as he sat still.

He's a nice size too! Good for you, you will enjoy having him I think, although they aren't too active sometimes, but unique and interesting.

He settled down as soon as it got dark. I just went out and found nice tree roots that I was hoping to use. I have to see if they'll even survive boiling. They're very withered and look like they might just rot in the tank. I've read that oak does well in aquariums so I'm just gonna cross my fingers. Got a couple pictures of him with some ghost shrimp I got. Started out with 5, now there's only two left. I tried gut-loading them but they didn't take spirulina or blood worms (only stuff I had). Hopefully at the next feeding I'll actually be able to feed the shrimp. Silly guy, he doesn't mind when the ghost shrimp are lounging but he minds when they run into him. The two that are left are just chilling next to him as if the last three ghost shrimp just magically vanished...




boswell's face, up close.


Sorry about the water stains and whatnot. It was a pain to clean this tank since it was in the garage for months. Mold, grime, the works. Now I just need to touch up on those outside stains.

He'll want some substrate. Sand is best. This species likes to bury itself, and he'll likely feel insecure without deep substrate.