The Puffer Forum

Hello again

Was browsing the tanks in a newly found aquatic store today and came across this puffer. They seem adorable! I can't seem too find much in the way of information on them though, apart from a guide of 4cm as a max size? Just wondering what sort of set up they like, and what size tank? I'm considering getting one - both the ones I saw looked so healthy and happy zooming around in their little tanks! I have both a 60litre and a 110litre hanging around empty, and have 3 extra cycled filters sitting in my other tanks. Would either of those be suitable do you think?

Also, is £20 each a good price? They're looking to be full-sized if that guide was correct.

Annnd another quick question.... Carinotetraodon Lorteti.... isn't £3.95 very cheap???? they had one of these too.

Hi,

I've got a Borneensis male, and I think they are beautiful puffers. I've got mine in a 30-gallon tank, so if I were you, if you do happen to get one, I'd put it in the 110-liter tank and not the 60-liter (that's just too small I think). They don't really need anything special, but they do seem to like hiding in plants, so I would say if you're going to have one, get some plants. And £20 is about the going rate for them, sometimes you can get them a bit cheaper if you buy 2 at once.

The price on the lorteti is good I think. They too, are very pretty, especially the males. The males of the redeyes species are the prettiest in my opinion, as the females tend to look a bit bland to me.

Thanks very much

They're all so lovely - they had a "hairy" puffer too which was just adorable... he looked really sad, they have such expressive faces lol

"Hairy" puffers always look grumpy, sad, or hungry. Those seem to be the 3 states the lurkers are best at anthropomorphizing towards, anyway. I don't know if it's a coincidence that their faces and body language imply these moods to humans so accurately... it's obviously a coincidence that their facial features resonate with humans, but I find it a really funny quirk that their expressions using those coincidentally endearing facial features register to us accurately, and I continually wonder how much of this is us clever humans learning how to interpret the behaviors and body language of the puffer fish, and how much is the clever puffer fish learning how to alter its body language and behaviors to get what it wants from the humans. That I even have to wonder "Is this fish changing how it acts to manipulate my emotions and get what it wants?" is strange indeed.