The Puffer Forum

This should go without saying, but after having a friend experience a tragedy with his young Mbu puffer, I feel the need to extend this plea.

Under no circumstances should you use a glass thermometer in a puffer tank! It doesn't matter if it is mercury or alcohol. While it is not a guarantee that it will happen, a puffer could mistake the head as a snail, and eat it, tragically ending its life in all likelihood. This is exactly what happened to that Mbu. There are many thermometers that are much safer. I use digital thermometers myself and have found them to be safe and highly accurate.

Spread the news. Anyone who buys a puffer needs to make sure they can house them properly. This includes proper decorations, tank size, water parameters, filtration, thermometers, heating, substrate, diet, oxygen, etc. Supplying anything less than necessary leads to unnecessary shortening or even loss of life. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, but I've received a few emails today that have really made feel the need to reiterate this to anyone who owns or wants to own puffers.

I agree and that certainly isn't the first puffer to break a glass thermometer.

Large fish can't be kept with things they can break

Wouldn't it depend on the size of the fish? I can't imagine Thumbelina breaking a glass thermometer.

This has been brought up before, because it had happened at least a few times. Very sad
Those thermometers are really tacky looking too. (IMO, I think they are a bit of an eye sore and I find them distracting)

I lost a whole tank a few years back due to a glass thermo breaking

Size may be a factor, but there's still the risk of you breaking it while you are cleaning or doing water changes, and then the alcohol or mercury would become a problem. Besides being breakable, I consider them too inaccurate/difficult to read for a tank.

xrayjeeper83 wrote:I lost a whole tank a few years back due to a glass thermo breaking

I rest my case. Sorry that happened Xray. Hopefully no one else has the same experience. I mentioned puffer tanks in my original post, but would change that to ANY tank at this point.

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far away, glass thermometers were all that were available. Now we know and can do better. I have not used glass thermometers in a long, long time.

I only use glass thermometers, and don't have any problems with that. I've managed to break one once, but a quick water change saved the tank. I didn't lose a single fish. I find them the most reliable of all thermometers, at least if you stay away from the absolutely cheapest ones (but you still can stay with pretty cheap thermometers). After what a friend of mine found when she tested several digital thermometers, I rely on glass thermometers to be better.

Yes, large puffers occasionally destroy glass thermometers. They can also destroy electric wires from internal skimmers and pumps. So if you have a refugium or a sump, these things (except most stream pumps or power heads) should be there when you keep large puffers (or triggers for that instance). Anything that has to be in the show tank needs to be properly protected.

I use electronic thermometers only these days. I have kept too many large-ish fish to ever consider glass ones anymore. For me they are more accurate anyway, but safety is the primary consideration for their selection.

dont really like the look of the glass thermometers, and never considered that a puffer would destroy one. but they sure are a tried tested and true design.