The Puffer Forum

Hey guys,

I'm new to this forum. Just wanted to ask what Puffer Fish species this is? (I've attached afew pictures of it here). Much appreciated if someone can tell me what it is. Thanks for the help! (I've been trying to find out what this species is, but to no avail)

P.S It's huge, about the length of an average person's forearm.

Beautiful fish! Are the big circles on it's back outlined in orange? Do you have it in SW? My guess is Takifugu ocellatus. Is it yours?

Thanks for the compliments!

Yes it's mine. The circles on its back aren't outlined in orange. I don't know if it's a Takifugu ocellatus or a Banded Puffer. I'm really lost here. There are three big black spots, one on its dorsal fin and the other two on its sides as you can see in the picture. However, they aren't outlined in orange nor connected, so I doubt it's a Takifugu, unless it's a different kind with a different pattern or something.

I know, you must be thinking that it's abit weird for me to buy a Puffer fish without even knowing its species, but my Dad bought it. And the man my dad bought from doesn't know what species it is as well. But so far, it's pretty happy in my tank. Moving him to a bigger tank sometime soon.

A Takifugu for sure.

I'd say Takifugu obscurus (see http://www.puffer.gr.jp/prep/img/mefugu.jpg, a close relative of T. ocellatus).

Superficially similar is also the Torafugu Takifugu rubripes, but they also have smaller dark spots, the ones of your puffer seem to be white as those of T. obscurus.

More pictures for comparison:

http://www.kaikyokan.com/cgi/f0_files/72_img.jpg

and

http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/Ar ... 498987.jpg

Wow, that is one beautiful puffer. Congrats on the wonderful find!

Thanks so much Corvus! Thanks Dadof4 too for the kind words.

Corvus: You're absolutely right! It's a Takifugu Obscurus. Finally, I found it.

I wonder why it doesn't show up on aquariumwiki.com or other Puffer sites. Would you happen to know what is benificiary to its diet. What it should eat? etc.

Thanks for all the help guys!

You'll not find much information online about many of the more than 140 puffer species, because they are not traded on a regular basis.

I'd feed various shrimps, crabs, crayfish, snails, mussels, clams and such of sufficient size. Also see here: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/ . And don't forget to add vitamins regularly.

Thanks Corvus! I threw a couple of snails in yesterday but my puffer didn't even touch them. I tossed in two mussels as well and it wasn't eaten too. It only ate a handful of ghost shrimps.

Also, in the future, when I feed it frozen mussels or cockles. Do I deshell them? or leave the shell on? cos my Puffer seems to have a hard time with the shellfish I threw into the tank so far.

Puffers need to keep their teeth trimmed by eating hard-shelled foods. Did you see the feeding page Corvus linked you to? Article about getting your puffer to eat dead foods in there too, as he is used to eating live in the wild.

Yup I saw it!

Thanks once again for all the help! He seems to be pretty happy where he is! Any idea if he should be kept in FW or SW though?

I just keep him in a FW loaded with truckloads of Aquarium Salt.

Preferably SW. They enter freshwater once a year for a few weeks in their breeding season. Their migration cycles are quite well known in contrast to many other puffers. Also known is their ability to adapt to various salinities, which is better than that of many other puffer species. Nonetheless, I'd prefer to mimic in the aquarium the environment they spent most times in: the shallow sea.

Read:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articl ... id=1351200

and

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_o ... d1126719ef


to learn about the babies, that need different conditions.

Thanks Corvus,

That helps alot! Another quick one! My puffer is a really messy eater and leaves all his food strewn across the gravel on the bottom. Any bottomfeeders I can keep with it? or is it not advisable? Thanks again!

In a large tank maybe some Scatophagus species. But every puffer is different, some might not accept any tankmates at all.

A good tankmate to clean the bottom would certainly be: a net.

Corvus wrote:In a large tank maybe some Scatophagus species. But every puffer is different, some might not accept any tankmates at all.

A good tankmate to clean the bottom would certainly be: a net.

Ooh, I've got one of those! Very cheap to feed!