FW Puffers

[CraZ4fiSHieS]

Ok, I suppose this question is mainly aimed at Pufferpack, but anyone else can answer me too!

I have tried 3 or 4 different times to keep puffers, but have not been successful in any of the attempts (except for one, but they got given away accidentaly...dont ask... and I dont kno if they survived after that). I have written it off as slow death from lack of a brackish environement. My LFS assured me each time that the puffers were indeed FW, but everytime after a few weeks, the fish would die and I would come on here for advice and be told that it was because no puffers are truely FW and I am a horrible person for not knowing that yadda yadda yadda. BUT I have learned from Pufferpack's lovely responses and articles that there ARE FW puffers. SO My question is how can I tell if the puffers at my LFSs are healthy, in the correct water environment, or if I can take an incorrectly housed FW puffer from the BW tank at the store and acclimate it to FW. Or is that just a death sentence?? Cause I have read Pufferpack say dwarf puffers are FW but my LFS keeps them in BW. I guess I just want to know why my puffers kept on dying and how I can try again sometime. Thanks all!

~KT~

 

[Pufferpack]

Hi CraZ4fiSHieS

I am finding that a lot of lfs are under the impression that all puffers are either BW or marine, or else thay house the BW puffers in FW . But there are quite a few FW puffers, as well as some that either do well in both FW and BW or start out in FW when young but require BW as they mature, and there are some species that look almost identical to their BW cousins. It can make your head spin .
All I can suggest is if you see puffers in your lfs ask what type of water they are being kept in, then go back home and research whether they are being kept correctly (I have gone as far as taking pics at the lfs and comming home to compare for a proper ID). Puffers kept in the wrong type of water conditions can and should be acclimated back to the proper type, but this is more stress added onto the already high levels from being relocated, IMO it's best if the lfs would do the re-acclimation before selling them.
I have tried on numerous occasions to inform the sales people at the lfs's if I see a puffer in the wrong water, sometimes I was listened to, sometimes I was brushed off. It gives you a good idea of the type of lfs they run.
As for whether a puffer is healthy or not, you can usually tell from good coloration (it may be a bit washed out due to stress) , clear eyes, no greyish tinges or sunken belies, and no major wounds (some nipped fins are to be expected in shipping). If you can time it right try to go to the lfs at feeding time and see who is eating, this may also help in finding out which ones are the least aggressive towards others.
Some of the more popular FW puffers available are Dwarf Puffers, South American Puffers, Red-Eye Puffers (a couple of different BW puffers are also labled as Red Eyes so be sure what you are buying), and Avocado Puffers, for the BW Puffers the ones I see around mostly are the Figure 8's and Green Spotted, but there are many more varieties that pop up occasionally.

HTH