The Puffer Forum

hi, i've been checking in every so often when i've had puffer questions, but i just signed up because i found a little dude (actually i think she's a dudette, given the markings) dropped off and in need of a home at the lfs. seems quite healthy, and i have a cycled 29gal tank with coral gravel, rocks and plastic plants (right now, there will be live plants as soon as they get some good ones in...) waiting to be stocked. the water's sitting at 7.4 pH, rather hard, and mid to high 70's in temperature.

now here's my problem - i can't find much information at all on what these guys need, besides plenty of hiding places, freshwater, and the varied food demanded by every puffer i've ever met (i had a gsp who kept me running to the fish section of the grocery store for shrimp and mollusks). any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. i want to know what i'm getting myself into before i go bringing home someone who'd just be unhappy.

Have you checked out the "Puffer List"?

http://www.pufferlist.com/puffer/freshpuff.php?puffid=2

I've never kept one of these, but I'm sure lots of other folks here have and can give you advice. Sounds like you have the basics down...

awesome, thanks for the link. i'll keep looking around to see what other information i can find

oh, another question - probably a stupid one. tankmates? i'd intended to do rainbows, flagfish, maybe some small cichlids (kribs most likely)... things that can stand up for themselves. yes or no?

Tank mates really don't fly with puffers. You will likely have mega aggression issues, especially if it is a loreti (not an irrubesco) as the are quite mean.

i assumed as much. some material i'd seen said they couuuuuld be friendly, but since she's been dropped off at the store i'd bet it's because she wasn't. thanks, i'll be checking back there tonight, i think.

It's not a matter of "standing up" for themselves. Puffers aren't just mean, they have beaks that can rip flesh. No matter how mean the other fish are, there's no standing up to that. Being quick is better than aggressive when it comed to puffers & even then, there is a chance they can get caught.

Flagfish should be ok. They seem to pick a spot and not move much. They are not that aggressive to their territory either. Kribs on the other hand will kill anything that enters their breeding spot or a place with eggs or fry. I would not look into any tank mates IMO because lortetis are quite evil. My pair seem to rule the tank at night and I find a few startled fish other then the other puffs in there. BTW you might want to look into new gravel, crushed coral causes your PH to go alkaline puffs (FW ones atleast) like neutralish water.

Tihsho wrote:Flagfish should be ok. They seem to pick a spot and not move much.

I would think the lack of motility would make them a prime target.

Tihsho wrote:BTW you might want to look into new gravel, crushed coral causes your PH to go alkaline puffs (FW ones atleast) like neutralish water.

AFAIK, crushed coral really does little buffering in FW.

Tihsho wrote:Flagfish should be ok. They seem to pick a spot and not move much.

LisaLisa wrote: I would think the lack of motility would make them a prime target.

Flagfish move when they have to, I meant not moving as they don't poke their nose into every crevace of the tank like puffs so they won't get attacked from getting in the puffs way.

Tihsho wrote:BTW you might want to look into new gravel, crushed coral causes your PH to go alkaline puffs (FW ones atleast) like neutralish water.

LisaLisa wrote: AFAIK, crushed coral really does little buffering in FW.

IME I have had the PH of a FW tank with crushed coral the PH goes up to around 8. But thats also cause my hard water didn't really help.

we have really acidic water here for some reason (6.0 or so straight out of the tap), which is one of the reasons i picked the crushed coral - even now (it's been in there a month, i'd say) it's got a minimal buffer (about 80-90ppm).

as for tankmates, i'll steeer clear. i was hoping that the rainbows would move fast enough that they'd be out of harm's way, and the flagfish do seem to stay off to themselves usually, but i'd rather not tempt disaster. what would be an appropriate-sized tank for her if i don't use the 29? i have a 10 (sitting considerably more acidic) that's got guppies right now, but i could always move them to the big tank.

FWIW - Crushed coral definitely buffers in FW. It's a rift lake staple to get those high PHs Tanganyikan and Malawian cichlids prefer.

Eric

The females are (usually) less agressive than the males.
If I were to test out the tolerance level of a non-piscivore puffer I'd start out with an Ancistrus and maybe a couple of mollies.

How do you know your female to be a lorteti?
The markings of female lortetis, salivator and irrubescos are close to identical, (and might change with age, IME).
Do you have a picture of the girl?

Basics (according to DR. Ebert, the Guru):

Belly pattern.

C. lorteti, monochrome or with indistinct spotting.
C. salivator, continiuos black stripes.
C. irrubesco, interrupted black stripes.

Some pictures:

Female C. salivator. Courtesy of The Puffer Forum.



Female C. irrubesco. Courtesy of yours truly.



Female C. lorteti. Courtesy of http://www.jjphoto.dk/

Jayhawk wrote:FWIW - Crushed coral definitely buffers in FW. It's a rift lake staple to get those high PHs Tanganyikan and Malawian cichlids prefer.

Eric

Ahh I see. I was under the opposite impression. Hence the AFAIK (as far as I know). Thanks for the info!

she was very pale tannish and kind of splotchy-patterned - which could be from a pale substrate and stress (she's sitting next to oscars!). fairly decent size, i'd guess 3 inches from tip to tail. i'll go back and try to get a better look at her.