Spotted Puffer

[treelo]

im currently cycling a tank to eventually have a spotted puffer in, but the only store locally that i can find that sells them has them in freshwater, but everything ive read up on has said that they need to be kept in a brackish enviroment with the salinity levels increasing slightly as the fish grows in size

will it be a big problem buying a puffer that has lived in freshwater and gradually introducing salt to the aquarium?

or am i better to find somewhere that keeps them in saltwater?

the store are telling me they are fine freshwater fish and wont need to be changed to brackish, i have read a lot different than that from people who seem to have a lot of experience with puffers

 

[nmonks]

There's absolutely no problems with adapting brackish water fishes between freshwater and brackish water conditions. It can easily be done within an hour using the "drip method" or something similar (such as adding a cup of brackish water every 5 minutes to a bucket of freshwater with the puffer in). By definition, brackish water fish are able to adapt to rapid changes in salinity, and to some degree it is probably therapeutic (in some cases it leads to spawning).

If you mean by "spotted puffer" either Tetraodon nigroviridis or Tetraodon fluviatilis, then yes, these both do better in brackish water. In freshwater conditions they are at best stunted and prone to diseases, and at worse simply don't last very long.

The "increase salinity as they age" idea is a myth. These fish live in estuaries and swim in and out of freshwater and brackish water conditions their entire lives. It is standard practise to maintain them in low-end brackish water when very small, but there's no reason you can't adapt a juvenile to SG 1.010 straightaway. Juveniles certainly don't need to be kept in freshwater when small, and then SG 1.010 when half grown, and marine aquaria when adult. I'm far from convinced they *need* marine conditions as adults at all. More likely, it is the spin-off benefits that help, specifically better water quality from protein skimmers and living rock, plus a better pH/hardness buffering system.

Cheers, Neale

 

[treelo]

thanks for the swift and informative reply

i havent actually kept brackish fish before and from what ive read, it doesnt seem too complicated, but i dont want to go jumping in over my head by purchasing a fish that i cant look after or wont have enough knowledge to keep for its expected life cycle

would you advise me to get dwarf puffers before making the leap to a spotted puffer?

i wont be purchasing skimmers and other products which may benefit the water conditions for a brackish water fish for my current tank so would dwarfs be a better option for me?