My puffer puffed

[jflowers]

This morning while watching my tank my largest SAP puffed. It looked really comical and lasted only a few seconds, but I am sure I have read in other places that this is not good. So, why did he puff? there were no other fish near him, and what damage can it do?

Thanks

Jon

 

[fuzzyferret]

I'm not an expert in this field - far from it! But, we used to have a puffer a few years ago in a marine tank (obviously a different type, but a puffer is a puffer).

Every few months, he would puff up for no reason - seemed to us to be 'practice'.
Keep the skin elastic!! Just in case he needs it in a real emergency.
Used to gulp in water and get huge in seconds - used to take a short while to go down, shaking the water out of his mouth bit by bit. Concerned us at the time! We used to wait with bated breath until all water was gone and he was 'normal' again!

Just a guess - it's the reason we came up with in the end.
I'd be interested to know the real reason myself.....

 

[Munch]

I'm not an expert in this field - far from it! But, we used to have a puffer a few years ago in a marine tank (obviously a different type, but a puffer is a puffer).

Every few months, he would puff up for no reason - seemed to us to be 'practice'.
Keep the skin elastic!! Just in case he needs it in a real emergency.
Used to gulp in water and get huge in seconds - used to take a short while to go down, shaking the water out of his mouth bit by bit. Concerned us at the time! We used to wait with bated breath until all water was gone and he was 'normal' again!

Just a guess - it's the reason we came up with in the end.
I'd be interested to know the real reason myself.....

Sound like a good reason to me .

 

[Puffer_freak]

Not usually good, but can be OK, LadyM and SirM, one of their dragon puffers puffed to intimidate another puffer of something (you'll have to ask them) and Claire, one of her puffers (Mildred I think) puffs when they don't feed her on time!

 

[SirMinion]

LadyM and SirM, one of their dragon puffers puffed to intimidate another puffer of something (you'll have to ask them)

He did on ..ahem.. the other forum... but I'll post our reply here too for the benefit of TFF memebers

Yes, our Brown Puffer, Titch used to puff when he encounted his larger tankmate Archie, presumably to appear more intimidating. Titch now has a tank of his own.

Also a few weeks ago, Martha, our eight-inch Fahaka puffer began to puff for no obvious reason. I didn't see it, but LadyMinion was there and she says it's an awsome sight. Martha deflated almost instantly and there seems to be no ill effects.

LadyMinion thinks it may have been Martha getting grumpy because we had a lie-in that morning and were late with switching her light on and providing her with breakfast prawny goodness

 

[digital_run]

[

LadyMinion thinks it may have been Martha getting grumpy because we had a lie-in that morning and were late with switching her light on and providing her with breakfast prawny goodness

You know your dedicated when your fish get grumpy because you slept in

 

[sylvia]

I know nothing about puffers but this is interesting... why is puffing bad for the fish if it's their natural defense mechanism in the wild? I would think it might be stressful and the cause of the puffing would be a cause for concern because it means something is upseting the fish but why is it dangerous for the fish in itself?

 

[Opcn]

Humans have reserves that we can pull on in an emergency, mothers pulling cars off there children and poeple lifting trees however its very bad for us to use those reserves, we tear connective tissue and destroys the senovial capsules that surround joints, crushes vertibrea and tears the fibrous cartillage disks that absorbe shock. Fun fact if you lined up all your muscle fibersand affixed a load you could lift approximately 2.5 million pounds 1.3" for about half a second.

 

[sylvia]

I thought that was different though, I don't think those are natural defense mechanisms so to speak - other animals tend to have defense mechanisms that make sense and don't usualy result in their death or destruction - for example, lizards losing their tails or bees stinging (I know the bee dies but it isn't about the bee - it's about the whole population/colony/hive).

So what exactly happens to a puffer when it puffs?

edit: BTW, that lifting thing is incredible!

 

[Opcn]

For one thing there entire system is filled with stress hormones, in addition to that every bit of conective tisue in there body is streatched right to the edge of breaking, and there digestive system is thrown off (there stomach is filled with water) Every Orgain in there body is compressed and they need to put energy into puffing that they shouldnt.

 

[SirMinion]

Sure a lizard losing it's tail as a defence doesn't kill the lizard, but it still causes it harm and stress, quite apart from all the extra food it needs to find to re-build the tail.

Or think of it in human terms.

The human reaction to danger is the 'fight or flight' response. Our body is flooded with a hormone called adreneline which raises blood pressure, increases heart rate, causes the bowels to stop digesting food, releases the bladder, causes tunnel vision, starts the sweat function and dries the mouth
All these affects are designed to allow the human the fastest getaway with all resources going into fleeing, and so avoiding death..... but if this is kept up for any length of time, even at low levels it causes strain on the heart & myocardial infarction, psychotic episodes, embolisms, stomach ulcers, strokes and a host of circulatory issues.

People die of stress...eventually


So to conclude, animal defenses are a short term emergency thing with long term concequences. The body doesn't care if the defence mechanism eventually kills the animal, just as long as the animal survives long enough to pass on its genes to the next generation.

 

[Opcn]

just FYI here SM the hormone isnt acctually called adrinaline, its epinepharin that is released. Adrinal refers to the glands that release it (add meaning above and renal meaning kindey)

 

[sylvia]

I see. Thanks. Just wanted to know what exectly happens to the puffer when it puffs but that other stuff is realy interesting too .