Thai puffer/Fugu

[sarahw20000]

Hi just wondering if anyone had seen the Thai puffer for sale anywhere in the uk?

It's the same one that they eat in thailand and it's got really nice colouring

Also can anyone tell me which puffers would fit the following:

-Freshwater
-gets quite big (4inch+)
-would live happily all it's life in a 55gal

Thanks

 

[SirMinion]

The puffer most commonly sold as the fugu puffer is takifugu ocellatus also known as the peacock puffer.

This is a marine puffer sometimes found in strong brackish water that is nearly always sold as a freshwater species which it is not. Consequently they don't live more than a few months.

It is well known in the hobby as one of the most difficult puffers to keep with even experts of 40 years unable to keep it alive in captivity beyond a year.


As to your second question, a large freshwater puffer that doesn't need much room pretty much describes tetraodon palembangensis, the Dragon Puffer also known as the Humpback Puffer, the King Kong puffer and the Real Palembang Puffer.

This species grows slowly up to a maximum size of eight inches but due to it's inactive nature would be more than happy on it's own in a 55g for life.

Do bear in mind that it will tollerate no tankmates at all, in most cases (as I learned from an unfortunate experiance) not even amoured plecos or bristlenoses.

 

[sarahw20000]

Ahh i've just read your info on them in another topic, they sound cool!

I know you have to feed puffers snails so their beaks don't need trimming as often but do you keep them in a separate tank so they breed and you have a constant supply or do you have to keep buying them?

 

[SirMinion]

Because we have several puffers, some of them quite large, there's no way that we can keep up with the demand by breeding snails.

So we partly rely on the largess of friends with ponds and partly buy them from pond centres.

However, snails are not the only foods that help with puffer's teeth, shell-on prawns, winkles, mussels, cockles and clams all help.

 

[sarahw20000]

When you say mussels, cockles and clams do you mean also still with shells on?
We've got a beach not too far away that always has mussels on it so that would be quite handy!

I think i'm leaning towards an all puffer tank, maybe dwarfs and south american's and possibly some sort of algae eating plec that would be left alone (if there is such a thing).

I had a look at some of your puffer pics, you must have a massive house for all those huge tanks
whats the brown puffer like?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Actualy, the puffer eaten as fugu is the T oblongus, I believe. The T ocellatus, is best left in the wild. Captivity is a sure death for this species.

The brown puffer (T turgidus), is in my avatar. It is a killer (no tankmates!), that can grow to 6". Mine is always in his flowerpot "cave", or in a plant. Eats earthworms, crayfish, scallops, shrimp.

 

[SirMinion]

When you say mussels, cockles and clams do you mean also still with shells on?
We've got a beach not too far away that always has mussels on it so that would be quite handy!

[snapback]906820[/snapback]​

Yep. with the shells on but cracked open.

If you're collecting wild shellfish make sure you get them from an area that's been cleared as ok for human consumption. If not, you may collect mussels contaminated with outflow from agricultural fields (pesticides) or outflow from treatment plants (sewage).
Also be aware that raw dead shelfish can be very, very poisonous.

It's best to cook the shellfish before using it too.

All in all its a lot less trouble to just buy it from the fishmonger!

 

[trace1]

hi just thought i would say that i,ve been to 1 of our lfs today they had the figure 8 puffer but the also had a sign for the fugu puffer as well. was tempted with a dwarf puffer for my 12 uk gallon tank but they didn't have any. the woman in there was gona be quite happy to sell me a figure 8 puffer for this tank but wasn't so sure about it so didn't bother