Fahaka subspecies?

[Aidenb]

I've had a baby fahaka (listed as CB by the vendor but who knows) that's grown from 1.5" to almost 3" over the last couple months. I got this little guy with the intention of having him alone in my 180 gal but now am hearing there is two subspecies of fahaka and one only grows a few inches? I'm not sure how true this is but was wondering how to tell the difference? I got this guy to have a big puffer to keep in my 6' tank.

[Pufferpunk]

Never heard of that, only stunted ones.

[nzac]

I have actually heard of several chain fish stores here telling people that same line of crap about some kinds of Fahaka only growing to 6". I also had a lfs try to tell me the 10" mbu puffer in his store was already at its maximum size and would be fine in a 55 for life. It just goes to show the lack of knowledge or care from people selling fish. The "anything to make a buck" mentality really sucks in the aquarium world.

[Aidenb]

The name I've heard tossed around is Tetraodon lineatus rudolfensis. I've got a 6'x2'x2' that I intend to be a home for this guy so I'd obviously like a full sized fahaka down the road.

[pufferjw]

Nzac is right, there is no such thing as a small fahaka; only a stunted one. Someone at my LFS tried to sell me a midas cichlid for my 50 gallon tank...

[Corvus]

Of course there is Tetraodon lineatus rudolfianus (not rudolfensis), which apparently stays quite small.

They have been discussed in the past here:

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/vie ... &sk=t&sd=a
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/vie ... 9&p=319589

Lake Turkana is just another name for Lake Rudolf, where they have been found and described in the 1940s.

It is just highly unlikely these puffers are imported, so I would not trust the trade here unless they can show papers proving an import from lake Turkana.

There are 3 described subspecies of T. lineatus:
T. lineatus lineatus: the original Nile-puffer. Probably extinct due to human civilisation.
T. lineatus strigosus: what we get in the pet fish trade
T. lineatus rudolfianus: the small one (2.5 inches), to my knowledge not/never traded

[pufferjw]

That's really interesting! How do you know all of this?

[Pufferpunk]

Lol, that's why he's one of our mentors!

[pufferjw]

I suppose that's true! Speaking of Mentors, I've noticed the Neale Monks hasn't been on the forum for a couple of years(I looked at TPF for a couple years before I joined). Is he still a member?

[Pufferpunk]

He is still here. He'll pop in if I tag all the Mentors in a thread.

[Corvus]

We have always had aquariums in the family, I grew up with this, and later I even imported and traded a little. I'm interested in puffers for decades. My grandpa had a puffer in his aquarium (after all these years I'm not sure, but think it was a schoutedeni back then, I know they were sold that time). I'm also a scientist and worked for a university, so I had access to scientific literature and collected what I fould about puffers. Now, more and more literature is also available online, which makes this easier.

I'm even more interested in moray eels, so don't get me started on that.

To get back on topic: I've never seen T. l. rudolfianus in trade. In Ebert's book there is one picture on p. 35 by Mr. L. Seegers. 7 cm, about 2 inches. So maybe it was imported once or twice in the past. However 2.5" was the maximum size in the lake Turkana.

I don't think those 6" specimens, that don't keep growing, are T. l. rudolfianus. They could be another, unknown subspecies or - what is more likely - stunted. Not all fahakas will reach 16.5" maximum size (just as not every person grows to 7 feet), but 6" let's me think there is something fishy.

[pufferjw]

Wow, that's very impressive! I'm just curious, do you know if I can somehow get someone from another country to import rare fish into the United States? My birthday is coming up, and I'm thinking about getting a Cross River Puffer or Duboisi Puffer if I can find one.

[Corvus]

Someone from Africa would have to do the export, someone from the US would have to do the import. You could do the US part (a lot of paper work, arranging a flight, picking them up at the cargo airport, etc.). Such orders usually have to be >>1.000 $, which means you cannot only import one or two fishes, but will have to order a lot and consequently have to keep or sell them.

Both species come from different countries, pustulatus from Cameroon/Nigeria and duboisi from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Both are not available all the time and you may have to wait a year or more until a few specimens become available in trade (unless you offer a pretty insane sum, so a catcher will search them specifically for you).

Given these two limitations: the necessary size of an order and the availability of the species you ask for, it certainly is the most easy way to find a LFS specialized in African odd balls or a LFS ordering from a wholesaler specialized in African fishes and place an order there instead of importing yourself. The store which imported the schoutedeni might be worth a try.

[pufferjw]

Thank you very much for all of the information! I'm definitely not placing an order directly to Africa, as that sounds like WAY more work than I'm willing to do. I know a few good stores in my area, including the one that had the Schoutedeni and the place where I got my red Miurus. By the way, how rare is the red Miurus compared to other species of FW puffers? Mine was the first one the store got in for two years, but I've heard people say that they aren't nearly as rare as similar puffers such as the Duboisi, Baileyi, or Palembangis.

[Pufferpunk]

I have has several red Miurus puffers. If bought at a shop, figure on paying close to $200. Check Aquabid.