The Puffer Forum

Anybody have any info on these? They were in freshwater at the lfs but, obviously that doesn't mean it is freshwater fish.


Any other info on this puffer would be great.

a picture or scientific name would greatly help. without that, there is almost no way we can help.

does it look anything like the pictures in the thread titled "mystery puffer"?
you can also look on fishbase.com for the picture.

Just checked out the mystery puffer thread and the first person actaully said what the scientific name is.


It's a Chelonodon patoca. Seemed very active in the tank. I currently own a fahaka just wondering if i could put this guy in my 75 when my fahaka grows out of it.

The Milk spotted Toadfish Chelonodon patoca Is a BW fish reaching 30cm.

Chelonodon patoca, yeh

I have two tiny little guys... was kind of curious if people had any personal experience with them... I read the same few pages anyone else can get with http://www.google.com that tell they can get to 10" or 30cm by different accounts in the wild...

Anyway my two little guys are super healthy and have been for the almost-month that i've had them in BW. They are maybe 1.4" long, 0.7" fat. They eat almost anything a puffer would... krill, zoo plankton, bloodworms, fresh seafood. They are the least messy of the puffers I've seen, but still are messy when you give them smaller food as they only go for the larger chunks... So I tend to give them bigger food things (like krill or cocktail shrimp) and hold them in the water with my 10" tweezers and let them bite away at it.

Mine seem to very much prefer the top three inches of the tank... kinda odd yeh? Anyone know if this indicates any problems? They definitely don't gasp for air (tank is very well aired including a sponge filter), water changes are once a week or better...

-Pyratt Pete

According to Dr Ebert, they stay close to the bottom, even burying themselves in the sand. Do you have sand substrate?

negatory. my filtration is a biowheel filter and a sponge filter

assuming one can't use sand with a biowheel (?)... do you then think I need to go canister?

I'm from chicago area too.. any chance you or other people on this forum attend the Greater Chicago Cichild Assoc. fish swap events?

Illinois Cichild & Scavenger is having an auction on 4/23/6 at Arabian Night Farm in Clarendon Hills. It is located on Clarendon Hills road about 65th street. It starts at noon and goes to about 5:00pm. (this is right by my dad's office so i have to be sure to go)

GCCA has their SWAP on 4/30/6.

you can use a biowheel filter with a sand substrate. i dont see why there should be any incompatibilities. that said, going canister never hurts either.

i wonder if i have TOO much aeration / water movement and that is keeping them at the top.

besides that sponge filter which i have on a huge air pump, i have a bubble wall (also the biowheel puts out a good amount of water movement)... maybe that stresses the fish out or scares them. they don't seem to be stressed in terms of eating habits or fin/general health though. and the behavior seems fine (minimal wall running) other than staying in the top few inches.

none of the other fish i've had seem to mind a bubble wall, but..?

-Pyratt Pete