The Puffer Forum

Hi all,

I just got a new male Carinotetraodon irrubesco about a week ago and last night I noticed him behaving strangely. He was kind of charging the back wall of the aquarium and puffing up at it. Not a full puff, but he was definitely expanding and I noticed that it looked like he had a ridge of skin hanging down from his chin to his belly while he was in his slightly puffed state.

I looked closer and noticed that my aquarium light, which is at the front of the tank, was casting his shadow on the back of the tank and that's what was freaking him out. I can't move my light because it's built into the hood.

I've always read that puffing is extremely stressful for puffs. I'm assuming that even a partial puff is stressful? Should I be worried?

In one of the Puffer FAQs here, it says that some puffers just enjoy puffing on occasion. Could someone tell me what puffs do this? Is the Carinotetraodon irrubesco one of them?

Thanks!

Can you put a background up so he won't see his shadow? Or maybe plants along the back wall?

I already have a background up, it's a jungle-y looking background.

any chance of a pic of the tank?

Sure! Here is a picture...

#1 clip that lotus stem before it reaches the surface You'll get more leaves at the base.

There is a theory that may or may not apply in your situation. It is the "fruit stand" theory. Tall plants at the back and progressively have shorter plants towards the front. This tiered display allows all the plans to get their light but doesn't look all that natural but it is not without its purposes. It does allow one to view the tank form the front pane for maximum visibility, but for fish and other critters, it limits the viewing angle. They tend to hide in the foliage and we have to "find" them.

If you feel the angle of the light is the issue have you tried adjusting it so that it faces more towards the front?

Also the intelligence of these guys and gals may be a factor. They KNOW there is a world outside their box and sometimes they want that too

If you put a layer of vaseline or vegetable oil on the back between the background and glass and spackle it smooth with a credit card, it should cut down the glare.

Thank you J-P and sevenyearnight!

I cut that lotus stem a long time ago, I think that picture is about 2 months old!

Hmm, that log takes up a lot of room but I might be able to squeeze some tall plants behind it. What would you recommend for a low-light tank?

I can't adjust the light, unfortunately. It's fixed. It's an old Eclipse (now Marineland, I think) 10 gallon I inherited from my sister-in-law.

I looked over the Pufferpedia again today and realized that the ridge of skin was his keel! So, does it hurt him to show his keel very much? Yesterday was the first time I noticed it, but I've only had him about a week. I never noticed my original Puff doing that, but I think he was much younger since he was smaller.

No, it is normal. He may be just working off some aggression.

Puffing is not necessarily stressful when the puffer initiates it. They do "practice" puffing. It is stressful if you net them and lift them into the air - that is real stress and dangerous.

Hi RTR, thanks for the reassurance. This morning he was displaying his keel again. I read that they display it during courtship or when they're feeling aggressive. Since there's not a female in the aquarium I suppose it's aggression. If it's normal and it doesn't hurt him, then I won't worry about it anymore.

Thanks everyone for your advice!

It seems that some pufferfish just like to puff up. My toby puffs up when she gets excited, especially during feeding time or when hunting live foods.

Yes, some likes to practise puffs. I've only experienced it one time, and I can tell you it was most stressful for the owner. It scared me quite a bit. I wish she could do it again, as I would enjoy it a lot more this time.

My most stressful puff was one of the fahakas, moving up to their final tank. I bag caught the fish (reasonably), but when I lifted the bag out, the blasted fish puffed in the bag, making it too thick to fit through the only hlaf-open cover of the big tank - I pushed the cover glass off onto the floor behind the tank, lowered the bag, released the fish and sat and had the shakes. I could not get to the broken glass for a few years, so I ignored it.

If he is actually approaching the background because he is seeing his reflection and is attempting to challenge this mirror image doppleganger "rival", and this is happening on a regular basis, I would have to say in my opinion that this could be very stressful for him. I would do something to prevent him from seeing this "intruder" in his tank because I can't imagine him bring very happy about repeatedly having to chase off and intimidate an recurrent unwelcomed guest. He should feel comfortable and safe.
Just my opinion.

Unless there is a mirror background, there should be no reflection visible to the fish. The reflections hobbyists see from outside the tank are artifacts of refraction - from looking through one pane of glass at another at an angle to the first. The fish do not see that, as they are inside the tank looking out..

HTH