Puffer Question

[CAPOREGIME]

My first post. Whats up? (hope this is the right section)
Me and my buddy have a joint venture on a Fahaka Puffer. Just bought him yesterday. The question is about a certain behaviour of the fish. He seems to be burying himself in the gravel with just his head poking out. Is this normal Fahaka behaviour, for hunting and what not, or is it something we should worry about?
Thanks alot guys and gals...

[kentobizmol]

never heard of that; unless it's a spiny eel or oscar.

but i know this; don't scoop up your pufferfish with a net, unstead scoop it up with a bucket or smoething that doesn't let the pufferfish interact with air.
since if pufferfish ouff up, when it's outta dA tank and if it ingests air, it will not be able to swim well.

[yourmylunch]

this is normal behavior congrats on a happy puffer

they wait like that for their prey and pounce on it throw some shrimp in there and watch

[guppy]

Hiya and welcome caporegime, welcome to MFK, I have come across pictures of young puffers doing this so I would guess it is normal.

[RobD23]

:thumbsup: Well i hope you guys are right because although he has eaten the two knife fish i had in my tank with him and proved he's no push over to the redtail wolffish he continues to hide.

ps... whats the most healthy food for a fahaka puffer besides krill since he doesn't seem to like krill to much

[clare]

Fahaka puffers are renouned for being absolute killers with anything in their tank.They should be kept in a species tank without even plecos.Burying is natural but usually lessens with age.Sand substrate is always better with puffers as when they eat they often ingest substrate and sand passes through the gills better.Although large puffers seem to have less problems with overgrowing teeth they still need shelled foods.Try snails when young,when older cockle and prawn in and out of shell,clams in shell and mussel.Mussel in shell sometimes causes a reaction and avoid fish,they cannot digest properly.

[Miles]

You might want to watch the behavior of that wolf fish towards your puffer. The wolf is a fast, agile and aggressive predator.. while the Puffer is much the opposite.. He is a clumsy, opportunistic predator. The burying of himself could be a sign of stress, and he is indeed hiding from your wolf. Make sure he has no bite marks on him. I tried keeping my juvie puffer with a buttikoferi, thinking they would be good tankmates. The 1" Butti beat the crap out of the 4" Fahaka..

Good luck!

[flowerfan]

watch out for your butti, your fahaka will kill it soon or later.

[Miles]

I "tried" to keep the Butti with him, but he picked on the Fahaka..

The Fahaka tank is now fully stocked.. but people keep telling me sooner or later that will change.. Still waiting. :)

[flowerfan]

my 14" red devil and my 3" dovil were noth picked on the new comer( my new 7" fahaka), few days later my dovil missed portion of its gill and few week later my 14" red devil almost got kill util I couldn't take it any more.

[RobD23]

Look i've had two fahaka puffers and the only way to bring them down it by desease because they are probly the toughest fish i've ever had...When i first got my puffer he was two inches and i had a 12'' florida gar....the puffer attacked my florida gar to the point where the gar had very little fins left...now the same is happening with my new 2'' puffer and my 5'' redtail wolf... the wolf now hides from the puffer but this puffer has left it alone now...i guess it took out all it's agrivation on the two clown knives that it recently ate :eek: ...so like i said given alot of room pound for pound nothing can touch a Fahaka puffer :naughty:

[flowerfan]

I think only piranha can out class the fahaka

[clare]

A group of piranha perhaps,large puffers take no prisoners and dont just bite through flesh but bone as well.Ever tried cracking the front claws(not legs) of a large crab?A full grown fahaka can get through them in a short while and our full grown mbu takes one bite only.

[flowerfan]

I would say the piranh should have the upper hand coz they are faster and they eat fish

[clare]

Just because large puffer fish look slow dont assume they are.They dont usually use their tails as anything other than a rudder but when they are extended and you see their size and they give one flick you will see how fast they can move.With our mbu I am more wary of getting my arm caught by his tail than being bitten.If he flicks like he can,my arm is broken.

[shoefreak03]

fahaka puffers are fun to watch hunt. i miss my fahaka now. :cry:

[RobD23]

Just because large puffer fish look slow dont assume they are.They dont usually use their tails as anything other than a rudder but when they are extended and you see their size and they give one flick you will see how fast they can move.With our mbu I am more wary of getting my arm caught by his tail than being bitten.If he flicks like he can,my arm is broken.


how big is your mbu puffer if your afraid of it's tail it much be huge...and do you have pics of it

[benzjamin13]

I've been interested in puffers as of late. I just keep hearing that they should be kept alone or in a species tank with just a few of them. And they need some salt in their water. Can anyone else lend some advice before I make a purchase of one of these oddballs?

[RobD23]

I've been interested in puffers as of late. I just keep hearing that they should be kept alone or in a species tank with just a few of them. And they need some salt in their water. Can anyone else lend some advice before I make a purchase of one of these oddballs?


I've had a Fahaka puffer for about six months and i've noticed they are only agressive towards fish that are bigger then they are...or fish that are already dieing. Fahakas dont' need salt water, and you can feed them any type of shrimp, they also eat rosey red minows and shell fish like snails, crabs and crestations. One more thing to know about them is that they can easily be put on a schedule when they are by themselves in a tank but when other fish are introduced they begin to act very different.

[flowerfan]

yes, I agree with you too, but my fahaka will kill small fish too if he can catch, that's how my small dovill got some of his gill gone.

[clare]

Mbu puffer is 26" check my gallery for picture,and when he fans his tail it is over a foot deep.Having said that he is a social mbu,some are killing machines some are happy with company.His best mate is a channa marulioides and hes also in with a longibarbis 24" and two giraffe cats one 20" one 24".One from the same batch as him belonged to someone we know and it killed an 18" gibiceps imediately it was put in his tank.Benzjamin13,post which puffer your wanting and we will give specific advice.One misconception is that all puffers need some salt,many are freshwater only.

[flowerfan]

wow, you mbu is huge! how big your tank?

[clare]

tank is 9ftx3ft6insx2ft and is on a 4" thick steel stand with an 8ftx3ft6insx2ft tank below.Yes,just over 4 ton in weight.

[flowerfan]

wow! you have a big ass tank. My you may try to find some tankmate for him, he seem look alittle bore.

[clare]

Check further up post 21,you will see what hes in with,his best mate is a channa marulioides.

[SHER4692]

I have a green spotted puffer fish and it is about 2 inches long , it also has taken round bite size chunks of topefins and tails off 2 red tiger oscar babies 3 inch and 4 in
the puffer is 2 inch, it ate all the 20 ghost shrimp i put in there including the big pregnant ones , I feed it frozen ( thawed krill and blood worms & brine shrimp and diced rosey red minnows ( i freeze them and dice them up myself) she ~he~ it loves them since i read they like fish scales fins tails & errr uh FISH<, but ate all the baby snails already , is there any fish food like frozen baby snails or crustaions for its teeth upkeep?Speaking of snails i have 4 mysterty snails in there they play dead while the lights are on , and boogy fast when i turn them out , is this because they know there is a predator that will grow up and eat them or do they not like the lights?
sher4692