The Puffer Forum

Hi all,

I recently bought two red eye puffers from a LFS in IL (that doesn't really seem to do a great job w their livestock health); one appeared on death's door with ich but did move well when startled, other one with mild ich. I quarantined in a 15gal tub with backup filter that was cycled running on an aquarium, heated, used copper-based medication. They didn't have much interest in food even after a few days so I said "eff it" and moved them into my very-heavily planted 20g tank after a huge water change, taking as many of the guppies out as I could, etc. Their ich is only a little better than it was a week ago [since I've read that to effectively treat w copper, one needs to measure copper levels, so oops], so I've got ParaGuard being express shipped and I'll either give them baths or treat the whole aquarium. The quarantine was fine for copper but I'd like snails to live [until eaten] in the puffer planted tank.

Anyway, what species do you think they are? They have quite different markings than the other Red Eyes I was looking into.

Thanks,
-Pete

Finding some stuff from searching.

Not in the Carinotetraodon family as I had assumed, dangit.

Is a Tetraodon. Several closely-related species. From 2007 post by Corvus, this may be leiurus, abei, cochinchinensis, barbatus, turgidus... What do you all think?

Unfortunately more lurking behavior and larger size than I had intended.

No, not Tetraodon either, more likely Monotrete cochinchinensis (Fangs puffer). They will not do well together. viewtopic.php?f=38&t=28880

I HIGHLY suggest trying the salt/heat method, rather than ich meds. I have seen disastrous results with this, with their skin literally peeling off. At least you didn't kill them with copper!
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28113

Thank you. Definitely helpful, will do.
Tetraodon leiurus definitely has as many pictures that look like my fish though?
When they get bigger, the really cool target spot turns solid black?

Speaking of which, anyone want one when they are de-itched?

Leiurus have a longer snout.

Cool you are totally right, though I guess that genus got lumped in with "Pao" too.

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/60212

"Greenish back with black spots, not well demarcated from belly; belly greyish to dark brown, with or without dark markings; adults with ocellus, sometimes red, but most commonly made of a large black blotch surrounded by a paler area and a series of more or less contiguous large black blotches; juveniles with a small red spot in center of concentric pale and black circles"