Puffers bite poisoness?

[Magnus30]

Is the spotted puffers bite poisoness or is it just there bodies that are, I found my 15" gibby pleco dead w/ what appeared to be a small bite on the nose

[Jason_S]

no, the bit itself is not poisonous. only the flesh of the puffer is poisonous I believe. it has to be ingested to have any effect. :thumbsup:

[Magnus30]

Thanks!

[Jason_S]

you're welcome :thumbsup:

so, are you gonna try to keep the puffer or are you going to get rid of it like you said in your other thread? shoulnd't cost too much to setup a 29 brackish for the puffer to be in by itself. :grinyes:

[Magnus30]

I've done some rearranging for the time being, unfortunaly I sold my 70g but I do have a 10g in the garage I can setup temporarly.

[davo]

theres a vid of an otter trying to eat a pufferfish somewhere in the vid lounge, think it explains that it is the puffer itself that is poisonous, and not the bite.

[USMCtanker]

i never even new they where

[Miles]

Most Puffer species produce a slime coating mucus on their skin, called Tetraodoxin (correct me at any time).. It is this mucus, which is found most concentrated on the inside of the puffer, that is lethal to humans. In some species, it is supposively more lethal than cyanide! Don't EVER lick or bite your puffers! (Please I hope you don't..)

HOWEVER, personal experience and studies have shown that most Puffers in captivity lose the ability to produce Tetraodoxin because their dietary needs change. So whatever they eat in the wild that allows them to produce Tetraodoxin, is not found in home aquariums. (I am assume it to be certain crustacea or shellfish..)

[rottbo]

also i beleive that their gall bladders are lethal

[KillerKlover]

also i beleive that their gall bladders are lethal


Yea thats true

[Zoodiver]

HOWEVER, personal experience and studies have shown that most Puffers in captivity lose the ability to produce Tetraodoxin because their dietary needs change. So whatever they eat in the wild that allows them to produce Tetraodoxin, is not found in home aquariums. (I am assume it to be certain crustacea or shellfish..)

This is 100% correct information.

[ewurm]

Here is a cool thread.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrodotoxin

[halofishboy]

remeber that the japanese eat puffer fish so at least some of it is not poisonous



u have to be a special chef to prepare this meal(i saw this somewhere)

[Jason_S]

remeber that the japanese eat puffer fish so at least some of it is not poisonous



u have to be a special chef to prepare this meal(i saw this somewhere)


I also heard you have to sign a waiver before being served.

Miles, I'd never heard that about the mucous. please don't misunderstand, I'm not by any means saying you're wrong, just interested because that's something I hadn't heard before. I always thought it was only the flesh of the puffer that was poisonous. . :)

[rottbo]

its the gall bladder that chefs hve to know how to cut around

[Magnus30]

Good info!

[Miles]

I also heard you have to sign a waiver before being served.

Miles, I'd never heard that about the mucous. please don't misunderstand, I'm not by any means saying you're wrong, just interested because that's something I hadn't heard before. I always thought it was only the flesh of the puffer that was poisonous. . :)

I could be wrong, but I had thought I read this before as well as seen it on Animal Planet..

'Most Xtreme' show, with Most Xtreme poisoness animals.. The puffer was #2. It had a short segment in which a moray eel tried to turn a small saltwater toby puffer into a meal. The puffer blew itself up inside the mouth of the eel immediately, then the eel was stunned and left motionless for a short while. However, the Puffer vs. Otter video in the video gallery shows the opposite, as the otter had no ill effects from trying to snack on the Mbu..


Again I am not completely sure about some of this, as it is just information I have collected from various sources.. Could be different levels of toxicity between different species, including where the toxicity is most concentrated such as flesh, mucus, bladder, etc.. who really knows?


Interesting Thought - I once read that Puffers are a family of fish that is not often studied, so very little is known. The only studies carried out comes completely from the aquarium hobby.. The reason was because Puffers have no value and create very little interest for most scientist. There is no real great practical reason to study them thoroughly, so governmental programs and scientists overlook them.. I don't know how true this is, but I could see this happening.

[Jason_S]

Could be different levels of toxicity between different species,

that's probably the case. I wish I could have seen that episode of Most Xtreme you're talking about. I've seen a few episodes and they were pretty interesting, but haven't caught one that had anything to do with fish (or even mentioned a fish) yet. There just aren't enough aquatic-related T.V. specials like that, especially with freshwater. sure there are lots of shows about sharks and whales, and don't get me wrong I enjoy those as much as anybody, but let's see a mini series about the fish of the Rift lakes and the different regions in SA and CA. Heck, a Madagascan series would be awesome. that's a shame about puffers not being extensively studied though. they are such awesome fish. :headbang2

[The_Gooch]

I don't know too much about the subject, but I've heard that the algae in their environment plays a part in their toxin production.

And I'm with Jason, I've always thought that their exterior was fine, but their interior was where the toxin resided. Lol...I've burped my Fahaka with no ill effects...to my knowledge. :)

However, I think that some of the "spiny" saltwater species have the ability to secrete the toxin through their spines as a defense mechanism.