The Puffer Forum

Hey all. I'm considering getting an abei, but the info out there is pretty bare-bones. Does anyone have one? What are their habits and personalities like? What substrate do they prefer? I read one report of them shredding plants (for puffer fun?), and am wondering if that's true...

Basically, any personal experiences (and/or videos/pics!) would be very helpful. Thanks!

Nobody here has ever had one?

I don't believe the folks who have kept them are posting here lately. Have you done a search here?

I have. There's very very little I've found in terms of basic behavior patterns, personal experiences and what not. Perhaps my searching has sucked (I've gotten something like 1700 posts when doing a search for 'abei', and gone through maybe the first 30-40 pages?). Any directions being pointed at would help. What little I've picked up elsewhere (Monster Fish Keepers, i think?) have pointed towards them being nocturnal, maybe, and not hyper-aggressive. Perhaps. Which is not a lot to go on...

Any advice is welcome - I'll be the first to admit I'm even positive where to look...

I just looked it up in Dr Ebert's book & there is only 2 poor pics of them & no info at all.

Still looking for info? I've been keeping an abei for about a year now. Definitely a one fish to a tank kind of fish. So far I've learned he seems to be most active at dawn and dusk, so crepuscular would be the best word. At night he always seems to be in his favorite hiding spot and definitely seems to be asleep. He kills anything he can get a hold of, but hasn't had any interest in snails. He mostly eats crayfish, fidder crabs, frozen krill, and live red worms or nightcrawlers. I always know where he is when my hands are in the water or even close to the surface. Not very active unless food is present or expected. As far as aggression goes, have you ever kept snakeheads or undulated triggers? Pirahnas don't worry me a bit to stick a hand in the tank. After seeing my abei go through both sides of a mussels shell like a hot knife through butter, his aggressive nature makes me check twice. Not trying to scare you off of one, but it's something to consider. A bite from a big one is going to hurt. That said, awesome fish. Super smart, lot's of personality. Also really colorful and great color changing abilities.

P.S. Mine occasionally takes his anger out on plants.

I have cared for an abei and had some decent experience with most of the target group, what you say sounds spot on. Aggressive, yes- they will kill everything in the tank even if they are so full they can't take another bite. Then they will kill without eating it. They don't live with food and don't make friends. They are lurkers and will basically hide in their fav cave all day and when the late afternoon and early evening comes they perk up. Will interact with their owners during early-mid day only when food of their liking is presented. Some are more social to their owner than others, but are by no means active fish. They are brooding fish lol seemingly half unhappy at times, but to me I find it to be their lazy nature and lack of something to constantly hunt.

If I think of anything else I will add it, but also my abei experience was with a healthy subadult, and then medicating a sick juvi who was also blind in one eye. They both had been mislabeled as Cochin, but had been IDd as abei after purchase by other keepers.

Didn't someone accidentally breed some abeis here? She got them both together as an adoption sort of rehome situation, and once she got them settled they spawned and the fry made it?!?? I'm off to go dig it up...

I've heard of people putting small ones into large community tanks. The few I've heard more about didn't go well at all. Can't imagine the others fared any better. Mine had nine tiger barbs that cycled his tank. One gone five minutes in. One more on day two. On day six, he killed five in about twenty minutes while I was making dinner. He even chews his driftwood and sometimes attacks the air stone /hose, the hemostats, and even the hand that feeds him. Just like a good undulated trigger. Also like a good undulated trigger, no wires in the tank!
Would love any info on captive breeding and sexual dimorphism. There really isn't much useful information out there. Mostly just learn as I go.

Great info, guys... Thanks!

Not a problem. I have a few good pictures, but can't figure out how to get them on here. If anyone here is less of a technological moron than me I would be happy to e-mail some to you for posting.

I've had one for about a two months. It's like having a vicious potato in the tank that eats your food (and fish) and slams the door in your face.

When I first got mine, it went through 5 fish in 4 days. I got some of my favorite fish. I suspected that there would be some damage. Now I keep ghost shrimp, worms, and crayfish on hand. I really like that fish but wish I could enjoy it daily.

DDR2 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 06, 2017 11:11 pm I've heard of people putting small ones into large community tanks. The few I've heard more about didn't go well at all. Can't imagine the others fared any better. Mine had nine tiger barbs that cycled his tank. One gone five minutes in. One more on day two. On day six, he killed five in about twenty minutes while I was making dinner. He even chews his driftwood and sometimes attacks the air stone /hose, the hemostats, and even the hand that feeds him. Just like a good undulated trigger. Also like a good undulated trigger, no wires in the tank!
Would love any info on captive breeding and sexual dimorphism. There really isn't much useful information out there. Mostly just learn as I go.

I witnessed mine devour most of a crayfish in a split second.

DDR2 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2017 11:48 pm Still looking for info? I've been keeping an abei for about a year now. Definitely a one fish to a tank kind of fish. So far I've learned he seems to be most active at dawn and dusk, so crepuscular would be the best word. At night he always seems to be in his favorite hiding spot and definitely seems to be asleep. He kills anything he can get a hold of, but hasn't had any interest in snails. He mostly eats crayfish, fidder crabs, frozen krill, and live red worms or nightcrawlers. I always know where he is when my hands are in the water or even close to the surface. Not very active unless food is present or expected. As far as aggression goes, have you ever kept snakeheads or undulated triggers? Pirahnas don't worry me a bit to stick a hand in the tank. After seeing my abei go through both sides of a mussels shell like a hot knife through butter, his aggressive nature makes me check twice. Not trying to scare you off of one, but it's something to consider. A bite from a big one is going to hurt. That said, awesome fish. Super smart, lot's of personality. Also really colorful and great color changing abilities.

Not a great pic but...