they can definitely move fast when they want to! but as a flight response, i doubt they can be accurate or chase anything at that speed.Fat Homer;5032146; said:
Fahaka ?s
- Thread starter MyFishEatYourFish
- Start date
Ahhhhh... okay, i misunderstood your initial statement... my fault... but yeah, as far as targeting prey and rushing them so to speak, hard to say... i'm not saying they would be slow, but i'm sure they can be still fairly quick over a short distance?
But thats just a guess from my part...
But thats just a guess from my part...
Remember, that in the wild, the "food" is not dropped in front of their nose, into a box where it has no escape. Crays, snails, etc. are extremely well camouflaged & can escape quickly (well, maybe not a snail), from a puffer's teeth. I'm sure many of you have seen how fast a cray can move backwards!
Inflation (easily found with a search): Upon encountering a hungry predator, pufferfish rapidly swallow mouthfuls of water (or air when removed from the water) that are pumped into an extremely expandable stomach. The resulting increase in size makes them harder to swallow. Not surprisingly, to achieve this drastic change in shape there has been a radical re-arrangement of the internal skeleton. The ribs and pelvic girdle have been lost (within the order Tetraodontiformes, the loss of the pelvis has occurred at least twice), while the pectoral girdle and head have undergone significant modifications that function in the pumping mechanism. Furthermore, the skin of pufferfish is highly extensible.
For the purpose of defending itself against predators, the balloonfish (Diodon holocanthus) can triple its body volume by pumping water into its stomach. Diodon holocanthus exhibits striking structural and functional specializations for inflation. The stomach of the balloonfish is highly extensible and has lost its digestive function, it is repeatedly folded upon itself and is lined with transitional epithelium. The peritoneal cavity of the balloonfish is also large and extensible. During inflation, the stomach expands into an existing peritoneal space surrounding the axial musculature and presses the folded peritoneum out into potential peritoneal spaces ventral to the head and surrounding the dorsal fin, anal fin, and caudal peduncle; only the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the head are unaffected. Balloonfish skin is also specialized for inflation. Because the collagen fibers in the dermis of unstretched skin are wavy, little force is required to extend the skin up to 40% of its rest length. At high strains, the collagen fibers are stressed directly and the skin suddenly becomes stiff. Stiff skin surrounding a ball of incompressible water provides a rigid framework for the support of the erectile spines, and the balloonfish becomes a formidable, spiny sphere. However, not all of the structural and functional features that contribute to the ability of balloonfish to inflate are evolutionary adaptations specifically for inflation. Absence of pleural ribs, absence of a pelvis, and the orthogonal arrangement of dermal collagen sheets in the skin were all present in the ancestor of pufferfishes, and thus, must be considered exaptations. Sagittal plane flexibility of the vertebral column may be an epiphenomenon of the lengthening of the body cavity for more spherical inflation. Together these structural and functional featureswhether adaptations, exaptations, or epiphenomenacombine to produce a highly effective mechanical defense.
Inflation (easily found with a search): Upon encountering a hungry predator, pufferfish rapidly swallow mouthfuls of water (or air when removed from the water) that are pumped into an extremely expandable stomach. The resulting increase in size makes them harder to swallow. Not surprisingly, to achieve this drastic change in shape there has been a radical re-arrangement of the internal skeleton. The ribs and pelvic girdle have been lost (within the order Tetraodontiformes, the loss of the pelvis has occurred at least twice), while the pectoral girdle and head have undergone significant modifications that function in the pumping mechanism. Furthermore, the skin of pufferfish is highly extensible.
For the purpose of defending itself against predators, the balloonfish (Diodon holocanthus) can triple its body volume by pumping water into its stomach. Diodon holocanthus exhibits striking structural and functional specializations for inflation. The stomach of the balloonfish is highly extensible and has lost its digestive function, it is repeatedly folded upon itself and is lined with transitional epithelium. The peritoneal cavity of the balloonfish is also large and extensible. During inflation, the stomach expands into an existing peritoneal space surrounding the axial musculature and presses the folded peritoneum out into potential peritoneal spaces ventral to the head and surrounding the dorsal fin, anal fin, and caudal peduncle; only the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the head are unaffected. Balloonfish skin is also specialized for inflation. Because the collagen fibers in the dermis of unstretched skin are wavy, little force is required to extend the skin up to 40% of its rest length. At high strains, the collagen fibers are stressed directly and the skin suddenly becomes stiff. Stiff skin surrounding a ball of incompressible water provides a rigid framework for the support of the erectile spines, and the balloonfish becomes a formidable, spiny sphere. However, not all of the structural and functional features that contribute to the ability of balloonfish to inflate are evolutionary adaptations specifically for inflation. Absence of pleural ribs, absence of a pelvis, and the orthogonal arrangement of dermal collagen sheets in the skin were all present in the ancestor of pufferfishes, and thus, must be considered exaptations. Sagittal plane flexibility of the vertebral column may be an epiphenomenon of the lengthening of the body cavity for more spherical inflation. Together these structural and functional featureswhether adaptations, exaptations, or epiphenomenacombine to produce a highly effective mechanical defense.
thanks pufferpunk! that was an interesting read.
but that does mean its possible that they forage, and only can gorge out
and crayfish tend to not swim backwards, they go on the aggressive first. ive caught a lot of crayfish, and if you go slow, like a fahaka would, they just put up their claws. and snails are everywhere! again pp, im not arguing, i just want to here some evidence, reasoning, and or proof behind what you are saying.
but that does mean its possible that they forage, and only can gorge out
and crayfish tend to not swim backwards, they go on the aggressive first. ive caught a lot of crayfish, and if you go slow, like a fahaka would, they just put up their claws. and snails are everywhere! again pp, im not arguing, i just want to here some evidence, reasoning, and or proof behind what you are saying.
i kept my 8in fahaka with fishes bigger then him, they do fine together, there were a couple smaller fish that whould pick on um for fun, but they do all good together
Was this after feeding? Because he looks a lil fat...MyFishEatYourFish;5033388; said:here's a current picture of my fahaka and his tank
If I recall another reason they aren't fed all the time is because they don't have a bone structure like most fish, and can easily die from over feeding.
I understand that you want to know why you shouldn't feed everyday, and all of this information, and I can't give that too you because I am new to keeping Fahaka's as well. I have only had mine since February- but everyone I have spoken with on forums, pet stores, puffer keepers etc seem to all feed every 2-3 days.
I think about it as being better safe than sorry... if you feed everyday, you can easily over feed them and they can die, where if you skip a day or 2 between meals, he won't die from being over fed, and it's not going to kill him to not eat for a day or 2.
I think about it as being better safe than sorry... if you feed everyday, you can easily over feed them and they can die, where if you skip a day or 2 between meals, he won't die from being over fed, and it's not going to kill him to not eat for a day or 2.
