Unidentified Puffer......

[puffer_girl]

I am new to this forum as of today. Have recently purchased a puffer that I was led to believe was a red-eye. I now know this not to be true. He has grown rapidly and I have been unable to find consistent info online regarding him.

Can anyone help me out?

I have attacted three pictures of the little guy........

[Vitaliy]

I may be wrong but it looks like a skinny Tetraodon suvattii to me.
http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/images/species/Tesuv_u1.jpg
http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=50301

[puffer_girl]

Came across humpback puffer, dragon puffer, king kong puffer and palembangenesis puffer........ All of which cave different sizes (one of which was really large........) Thought about the arrowhead but I heard that they are extremely aggressive. Mine is rather mellow and laid back. Would really like to know what I am dealing with, especially size wise. Also heard the palembangenesis are rare.......

[Oddball]

Welcome to MFK!!!

These puffers aren't rare but, seasonally imported.


Tetraodon palembangensis
[T. palembangensis]
ThePufferForum


Common Names: Palembang Puffer Also Known As: Humpback Puffer, Dragon Puffer

Synonyms: Tetrodon palembangensis, Tetraodon pinguis Family: Tetraodontidae

Origin: Asia; Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia Main Ecosystem: River

Salinity: Freshwater Temperament: Aggressive

PH: 6.8-7.6 Temperature: 76-84F (24-28C)

Maximum Size: 8 inches (20cm) Minimum Tank: 30 Gallons (US)

Activity: Lurker/predator Lifespan: 10

Gender: No sexual dimorphism Breeding: Unknown

Diet: They should be fed krill, shell on shrimp, crab legs, crayfish, live or frozen mussels, live or frozen clams, live crabs, live ghost shrimp. Feeder fish should not be fed, but if they are fed, they should first be quarantined to guarantee the health of the fish.

Care: These fish do well with either a gravel or sand substrate. As with all other puffers, this species should only be introduced into a fully cycled tank as they are very sensitive to ammonia and nitrites. They should be kept alone or with conspecifics. If more than one is going to be kept, the tank should be heavily planted and/or decorated to break line of sight. Because they are very messy eaters, 50% water changes should be done once a week as well as substantial filtration to prevent biological overload.

Notes: It it vital to train this fish to eat dead meaty foods in the place of feeders. This can be accomplished by dangling a piece of food, a shrimp for example, from a string in front of the fish and bouncing it lightly to simulate movement. Once this is accomplished, the fish will readily accept most frozen or dead foods. They will eat very large amounts of food at a time and because of this they should only be fed every other day while small, reduced to every 2-3 days around 2 inches, reduce to every 3-4 days around 4 inches, and then once a week around 6 inches. They have been kept successfully with T. suvatii in large, heavily decorated aquariums.

[puffer_girl]

Thanks alot. Hard to tell with him puffed. Are you CERTAIN that is the kind of puffer that he is? Seem to be getting the run around alot. Apparently there are alot of inconsistencies when it comes to puffers. Happen to know of any good sites to check out?

[Miles]

I would 99.9% agree with Palembang's Puffer.. which also sometimes hosts the common name Dragon Puffer or Humpback Puffer..

Check out Oddball's Avatar.. he is definately a puffer enthusiest.. As am I. I was going to say Palembang's as well, until Oddball stepped in. Check out ThePufferForum.com for some great info.

The problem with the Palembangs and the many other puffers that are confused with it, is that people have very little resource information regarding puffers. The little resources that are published, are horrible in-accurate. Any schmoe can write a book, and it dosn't have to be precise..

There is a large family of 'target' puffers and many very similiar puffers to this one here, but many of them have distinct characteristics that can only be identified by a true puffer fanatic. Alot of people will claim they know what they are talking about, but it is just ignorant statements usually based off bad information. Most of the other puffers in this family however, are more expensive and less common then the Palembangs, which leads us to believe it would not be one of them..

Do not use Puffer.net as a resource for information, as there is also alot of bad information published on this website as well as many others. The best source of published info for puffers to this point is the Aqualog book on FW/BW puffers, or the 'general agreement' of the puffer forum, which has a number of puffer fanatics who moderate and frequent the site.

[puffer_girl]

Thanks. You guys are awsome...... Really like the little guy and have been considering getting another puffer. Have a 45 gal empty right now. Any suggestions?

[Oddball]

You can put the palembang puffer in a multiple specimen setup. I had a colony of over a dozen in a 450gal. There were some scraps among them until I furnished 25% more caves than the number of puffers. It seems thay like to 'cave-hop'. After the additional caves were installed the only aggression I witnessed led only to stand-offs, with slight inflation of the parties concerned, until one backed off. The only biting was during courtship when the males latched onto whatever female was ready to lay eggs. I was unsuccessful in raising the fry. I may try these puffers again and see if I can find the correct water chemistry and foods to keep the fry healthy. I fed mine on live minnows, market raw shell-on shrimp, clams, FW mussels, ramshorn snails, and live crayfish.

[Oddball]

I should point out that the caves should not have their openings visible from another cave. The puffs treat the visible area as part of their own territory. I used rocks and driftwood to isolate each cave from another. Also, I started out with 17 puffers and had to weed 5 out for being too aggressive. So, be ready to do some swapping with the lfs just in case.

There's no way to sex these puffers other than after they're breeding size. Then, they can be sexed by spawning damage. Females will have ring scarring behind the pectoral fins. Males will have broken teeth from the females thrashing when they're latched on.

[puffer_girl]

Bet that was a great tank! Would love to see pics if you have any. For some reason I have been posting and replying but still can't view others personal galleries or open pics yet..... Have you had a arrowhead puffer? Do they have good personalities?

[puffer_girl]

Their mating habits sound a bit disturbing.... Did you have all of the same species in the tank or can you mix? What species would you suggest as far as personality?

[Oddball]

Haven't had an arrowhead in years. I go through phases in puffer keeping and rotate through several species. I just sold off a tank full of dwarf pufers. Now, I have a colony of 12 Assel's FW puffers to see if I can get any spawning activity in them. I also have 7 mbu puffers but, they're several years away from becoming sexually mature. The only odd single puffer I have, currently, is a Lake Turkana fahaka puffer. He looks just like a riverine fahaka except that he's over 2 years old and only 2" in size.

[puffer_girl]

What size tanks are your mbu's in? They are beautiful but i understand that they get huge! Would love to have one but the biggest tank I have right now is a 55. Sold a 125 and regret it.

[puffer_girl]

Will they out grow a tank or only grow as big as the tank allows like a lot of fish? (minus pacus and oscars or course!!!)

[Oddball]

Their mating habits sound a bit disturbing.... Did you have all of the same species in the tank or can you mix? What species would you suggest as far as personality?

These mating habits are pretty standard among Tetraodon species. I keep my puffer colonies in a single species setup. I have kept mbus with other fish but, I've experienced a few mbu ambushes. So, it's a risk whenever you mix. I have been able to keep Assel's puffers (from Peru) in the same tank with dwarf puffers. The different species ignored each other and had minor to-dos only with their own species.

For personality, I have to cast my vote for the mbu. That's my personal favorite.

[puffer_girl]

what minimum tank size could you get away with if you only had one?

[Oddball]

Will they out grow a tank or only grow as big as the tank allows like a lot of fish? (minus pacus and oscars or course!!!)

Wow, I haven't seen this subject in a while. There is NO SUCH THING as a fish only growing to the size of fitting it's tank. If that idea had any factual basis, there would be breeding pairs of dwarf oscars in nano-tanks, pimas could be housed for life in a 55gal, the latest wave of killie-sized chili-red arowanas would be available from overseas, and redtail cats could be sized to live with sailfin mollies.

What is actually occurring when a large species is forced to live in too small of an enclosure is nothing short of slow poisoning. Their growth is retarded due to poor water conditions and under-filtration for the metabolic needs of the species. A condition known as methamoglobin or brown-blood disease afflicts these fish and decreases their blood's ability to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. After a period of time, this condition will have adverse effects on the fish's immune system and cause damage/failure of its liver and kidney functions.

[Oddball]

what minimum tank size could you get away with if you only had one?

One what?

One dwarf puffer - 10gal
One mbu puffer - 300 gal
One palembang puffer - 40gal

[puffer_girl]

Wow. Didn't know that. Was always let to believe that they just adjusted to their habitat. Feel bad for even thinking that now.....

[Oddball]

Don't feel bad. That's a common misconception that's been around since long before I started in this hobby over 40 years ago.

[puffer_girl]

Glad that I know now though. Have one oscar in a 55 with a blood parrot and a pleco, in my 47 I have a oscar, catfish (max size 8 inches and only 45 now) and a pleco...... Do you think these tanks are big enough?

[Oddball]

Glad that I know now though. Have one oscar in a 55 with a blood parrot and a pleco, in my 47 I have a oscar, catfish (max size 8 inches and only 45 now) and a pleco...... Do you think these tanks are big enough?

My answer would have to be "no" the tanks aren't big enough. Then again, I house my fish according to their adult size. A tank should be at least twice as long as the fish's adult length and half again wider than the fish's adult length. Taking that into consideration, an oscar grows to an average of 12". That means a single oscar should be housed in a minimum footprint of 24" x 18".

[puffer_girl]

Thanks for info. Not full grown yet but are growing rapidly! Going to have to keep my eyes open for larger tanks..... Finding that this hobby definitely keeps you on your toes!!! To think it all started with a five gallon and a goldfish.... Love it though!!!!!

[Oddball]

Tell me about it. I started with a Gallo wine bottle with a tadpole and a mud-nose dace. Now, I'm running over 5,000 gallons worth of aquariums and a 20,000 gallon crayfish hatchery. And, I'm still adding to both.

[puffer_girl]

Just want to say thanks for helping me identify my puffer!!! Had been driving me crazy!!!