Deadeye’s Amazon Puffer Thread

[Deadeye]

Yesterday I got a shipment of a long awaited fish for me: 3 Colomesus asselus, Amazon puffers.
All 3 arrived very healthy and in great, round condition at about 1 inch each. Already glass surfing (which I suppose is inescapable for these guys), though two have calmed down at this point.
Names are simple: Huey (the smart ne), Dewey (the crazy one), and Louie (the lazy one)
They are being held in quarantine for a while just to make sure everyone is healthy. I am currently treating prazi pro just because you can never be too sure.
I would try to get them some hex shield, but puffers and pellets don’t go well. I tried feeding bloodworms yesterday, one definitely ate, one may have, and I didn’t see the third touch anything. Hopefully tomorrow they have more of an appetite.
Once out of quarantine they will bring some much needed life to a 36 gallon bow front planted tank, along with an EBA and some loaches. I hope to also add a peacock eel and some tetras. I’ll move the loaches if they get too mean.
Enough talking, heres some pictures:

 

[twentyleagues]

Yesterday I got a shipment of a long awaited fish for me: 3 Colomesus asselus, Amazon puffers.
All 3 arrived very healthy and in great, round condition at about 1 inch each. Already glass surfing (which I suppose is inescapable for these guys), though two have calmed down at this point.
Names are simple: Huey (the smart ne), Dewey (the crazy one), and Louie (the lazy one)
They are being held in quarantine for a while just to make sure everyone is healthy. I am currently treating prazi pro just because you can never be too sure.
I would try to get them some hex shield, but puffers and pellets don’t go well. I tried feeding bloodworms yesterday, one definitely ate, one may have, and I didn’t see the third touch anything. Hopefully tomorrow they have more of an appetite.
Once out of quarantine they will bring some much needed life to a 36 gallon bow front planted tank, along with an EBA and some loaches. I hope to also add a peacock eel and some tetras. I’ll move the loaches if they get too mean.
Enough talking, heres some pictures:
View attachment 1456983
View attachment 1456984
View attachment 1456981
View attachment 1456985
View attachment 1456987
View attachment 1456988
View attachment 1456989
View attachment 1456990
View attachment 1456991
View attachment 1456992

View attachment 1456986

Looking good! Try some snails if you have them.

 

[Deadeye]

Looking good! Try some snails if you have them.

Thanks!
I did put a small pond snail in there, I can’t find it now, so maybe they ate it at this point? On a side note, is there any way to speed up how fast they breed and grow?
I ordered scuds too, I’ll try those when they come, I heard they go crazy for them.

 

[twentyleagues]

Thanks!
I did put a small pond snail in there, I can’t find it now, so maybe they ate it at this point? On a side note, is there any way to speed up how fast they breed and grow?
I ordered scuds too, I’ll try those when they come, I heard they go crazy for them.

Snails? Lots of food and clean water.

 

[Deadeye]

Snails? Lots of food and clean water.

Yes snails. Thanks again!

 

[PYRU]

They're going to be stressed in a group of only 3. They're a true shoaling species that settle down more in a group of 6+. You'll get less panicky & more natural behavior if you add more. I always thought it would be cool to have a big planted tank with a huge shoal of them buzzing around

 

[Deadeye]

I put amphipods and bloodworms in today. Scuds disappeared, I don’t know if they ate any, they hide really well.
Huey and Louie pigged out and are fat as ever, Dewey was interested but did not go for much.
Huey’s glass surfing has calmed a lot and Louie does not do it much either. Dewey is still a nervous wreck though. He has gotten a bit better.
So far no signs of poor health, once prazi is over they should be able to go to the display tank quickly.

 

[Cich Mind]

Hello Deadeye ,
Those are some cute little buggers. I love the names too lol. I don't know much about the care for puffers, but I've heard nothing but good things about them. They seem to be very attentive to their keepers. Sounds like they are very fun fish to keep. Have fun with them.

 

[Deadeye]

Hello Deadeye ,
Those are some cute little buggers. I love the names too lol. I don't know much about the care for puffers, but I've heard nothing but good things about them. They seem to be very attentive to their keepers. Sounds like they are very fun fish to keep. Have fun with them.

Thank you! This is my third attempt with them, in the past I had no idea what I was doing, I wound up giving up on puffers. Once my 36 opened up though I figured I’d give it one more shot and devote a tank to them rather than try to put them where they shouldn’t belong.
As for attentiveness, these guys aren’t as much so, they care more about their reflections than me. Dwarves are better at the whole interactive thing. SAPs are cuter though lol.

 

[Deadeye]

All 3 ate today! I had to get Dewey’s attention first, but when I did, he gobbled them up!

Interesting note on color: all previous ones I’ve had were vibrant yellow and black, these ones are good with faint stripes. I would guess it is stress based, but my previous ones were in far higher stress scenarios than these guys and always vibrant. I suspect that it is based on catch location. I’m thinking that the vibrant ones are from clear waters where they are easy to see, and therefore have bright poison warning colors to ward off predators. These gold ones are probably from the murky waters where they are safest displaying the same color of the mud to avoid predation.
Or I’m crazy... but we already knew that.