The Puffer Forum

i have been looking everywhere for a freshwater puffer other than a dwarf as i fancy something a little bigger.
All the fish centers i have been to can not get me any, then I thought i found one, there was a tank full of puffers, the man said they were green spotted puffers, firstly i said i thought they should be brackish, he said they are in freshwater and need to go into freshwater.
The main thing I'm querying is, they look very much like dwarf puffers to me, I said to the man if he was sure they were not dwarf ones and he said definitely not. (I'm still not convinced) so I'm wondering if green spotted babies look anything like dwarf puffers.

When i've seen baby GSP'sh they still look like GSP's lots of little balck spots the yellow/green colour on top buzzing around the tank. They look nothing like Dwarf puffers to me.

Agreed, they are very distinct-looking even as babies. Can you get a photo of them?

But even if they aren't dwarfs, and are in fact green spotted puffers they are not freshwater. It sucks I know, they are so cute and full of spunk. Unfortunately these poor fish suffer more from lack of good information in fish stores than any other species I have seen personally. While they may be able to live in freshwater for a limited time, their health and vigor will never reach their full potential if they are not gradually acclimated to brackish and then eventually marine conditions as they reach full maturity. In fresh they gradually waste away.
Its almost impossible for the guys at the fish shops to know everything about every species, most of them have a broad general knowledge that could help you keep many common species successfully. Puffers are an oddball fish most them dint have a whole lot of experience with passed keeping them alive in the shop for the week it takes to move them.
There is an information page about green spotted puffs in the puffer pedia and this article http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... s/#more-27 is a gem if find you cant resist those cute little faces and want to provide an awesome home for one of these personable little characters. A brackish tank may sound complicated when you read it at first, but once you get it down it really isn't so much to handle. The cute face happily greeting you like a little underwater puppy makes the extra efforts more than worth it.

cdamsell where are you from?

In Shropshire, UK I have seen lots of dwarfs, gsp's, abei's and F8's recently.

I have had another look at these so called green spotted and am more sure than ever that these are dwarf puffers.
could anyone advise me of any other freshwater puffers available that is bigger than the dwarf but not huge.
Also any suggestions how to get hold of one, been tryin for about 6 months now.

i live in the bristol area.


thanks clare

The Abei is a lot bigger, have a look at the pufferpedia, there were some in stock at Maidenhead Aquatics in Newport Shropshire last week.

What do you consider "huge?"

tina thanks for all those names im going to do a bit of research on them all.
Also thanks for the info on pufferpedia.

hopefuly i will be able to find something soon.

just looked at the abei puffer very nice,

What size tank are you working with?

Good call PP

Rocker wrote:Good call PP

It really pisses me off sometimes that she can come along with some common sense question that makes me feel really stupid.

at moment i have a 3ft tank but eventualy will be upgrading to a 4ft.
I have been looking at some of the puffer names given me and like 2.
the abei and the true red eye (female), but i have rang around every fish centre in my area and some a little further away and can not find anywhere that can get me any.
ergh!!! im so frustrated now.