Puffer Id

[Straydum]

I was at the shop today and they just stocked 4 puffers, labelled as Red Line Puffers. I've never seen anything like it. It's longer compared to the Green Spotted Puffers and its shape resembles a Mbu Puffer.

I tried googling Red Line Puffers but nothing comes up. It looks something like the above except the yellow is more of a greenish yellow and the color inside the red lines (the patterns) are I think to be a darker green. I'm not really good at Paint so don't flame me

 

[nmonks]

Is it Takifugu ocellatus?

Quite common in the trade. Difficult (probably impossible) to keep alive in a tropical aquarium though, and most specimens die within a few months. Appears to be a subtropical fish, and in relatively cool (16-20C), well oxygenated, mid salinity (SG 1.005-1.010) conditions it does rather better.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Fella]

Sounds like T. ocellatus to me. The name makes it sound like it might be this fish -

But the description doesn't match. I kept a pair of T. ocellatus for all of 48 hours before returning them to the store. The destroyed my gobies fins right down. They do't play nice.

 

[Straydum]

ah yes its a Takifugu ocellatus. thanks! i got the pattern mixed up in the picture above the 4 look really really lively in the tank. by far the most active puffers i've ever seen

 

[DarkEntity]

Unfortunately, as mentioned their life expectancy in a tank is very very low. Possibly another fish along with Pacu, Arapaima, Alligator Gars, Mbu Puffers that should be on the Not for Sale/Import list imo

 

[piranha_trader]

Unfortunately, as mentioned their life expectancy in a tank is very very low. Possibly another fish along with Pacu, Arapaima, Alligator Gars, Mbu Puffers that should be on the Not for Sale/Import list imo

thats so lame that fish with low life expectancies are allowed to be traded ending up at LFSs. So lame.


Why do they not do well in aquariums?

 

[nmonks]

In the case of Takifugu ocellatus it is likely heat stress / inadequate oxygen. They're subtropical fish rather than tropical fish, and all the successful reports of maintenance have been where the fish has been kept in a relatively cool aquarium with supplementary aeration. They're also estuarine and not freshwater or marine fish. The bottom line is people keep them under the wrong conditions, so they die.

Cheers, Neale

Why do they not do well in aquariums?

 

[Straydum]

what a shame. i was thinking of getting them together with a moray that just arrived. yeah i would agree that species that are hard to keep alive or keep properly should not be imported.

 

[DarkEntity]

We, meaning humans seem to think everything is ours to do with as we wish, and currently we know less about our seas and oceans than we do about Mars!

I cant imagine being lifted from my home, manhandled into a holding tank with many other fish, manhandled into transport containers then again lifted into other containers to be shipped to LFS's, then when you arrive you are thrown into a tank where the water parameters could be no where near what they were in the sea. Then lastly you are again caught put in a bag, and lastly dropped into a tank in someones house, where again the water chemistry could be completely different.

The stress must be amazing

 

[nmonks]

To be fair on Takifugu pufferfish being discussed here, I believe they're farmed for sushi. Some happen to get into the aquarium hobby, and assuming they get looked after, that has to be a plus compared with being put into a California Roll!

Cheers, Neale

 

[Straydum]

okay yesterday i was at the shop and the puffers are still there! the same 4 and still really active. just had to get that off me