Need Fahaka info!

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studd muffin;4013760; said:
when you try to net them do they puff up? and thank's for the info emartin!
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One of my two (bought two (had a bad experience with them in the past. I ordered a GREEN (!!!!) wildcaught Tetraodon miuris Congo Puffer and the damn thing died during transport... Which pissed me off because of not only how rare that color is, but for what I paid ($20) I could've easily ordered 2-4 and just sold the extras off eventually...)) fahakas puffer up when I netted them out of the bag to acclimate them to the higher pH. I would've ran and got a camera since it just looked soooo funny seeing a baby fahaka puffed up like a golfball, but he puffed up with air let alone being out of the water so I added them to the bucket with fresh warm dechlorinated tap water and he deflated immediately. I am not sure if that is the one I have now or if that is the one I sold to my LFS.

But I've netted them tons of times since then for identification (when I had the two, one of them kept squeezing through the eggcrate divider to the other side giving the other a hard time) and relocation and never puffed up again.

They really only puff up when threatened or stress or in mortal danger.

I did see a video a while back of either a fahaka or a congo puffer puffing up after the live feeder crab grabbed and pinched the puffer's skin. I am not sure what happened next as the cameraman stopped filming and I assume ran over to help the puffer out by removing the crab...

Though sometimes they apparently puff up for no apparent reason! Here's a cool video of a porcupinefish (technically they AREN'T puffers but a very close cousin and obviously a member of the same group of animals) puffing up in a public display aquarium for no apparent reason:
[yt]<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rAGWO5i2C5M&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rAGWO5i2C5M&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>[/yt]

I must point out though that you should not attempt to force your puffer to puff up... It can be very stressful on them (the crap about them dying after puffing or after 3 puffs is a load of crap, but it still is very stressful for them). Hopefully you'll see it puff up at least once...

I do here porcupinefish do puff up more regularly (as that video above shows) but I have no personal experience with them and they are also full marine fish anyway...

~Ed
 
emartin;4013783; said:
One of my two (bought two (had a bad experience with them in the past. I ordered a GREEN (!!!!) wildcaught Tetraodon miuris Congo Puffer and the damn thing died during transport... Which pissed me off because of not only how rare that color is, but for what I paid ($20) I could've easily ordered 2-4 and just sold the extras off eventually...)) fahakas puffer up when I netted them out of the bag to acclimate them to the higher pH. I would've ran and got a camera since it just looked soooo funny seeing a baby fahaka puffed up like a golfball, but he puffed up with air let alone being out of the water so I added them to the bucket with fresh warm dechlorinated tap water and he deflated immediately. I am not sure if that is the one I have now or if that is the one I sold to my LFS.

But I've netted them tons of times since then for identification (when I had the two, one of them kept squeezing through the eggcrate divider to the other side giving the other a hard time) and relocation and never puffed up again.

They really only puff up when threatened or stress or in mortal danger.

I did see a video a while back of either a fahaka or a congo puffer puffing up after the live feeder crab grabbed and pinched the puffer's skin. I am not sure what happened next as the cameraman stopped filming and I assume ran over to help the puffer out by removing the crab...

Though sometimes they apparently puff up for no apparent reason! Here's a cool video of a porcupinefish (technically they AREN'T puffers but a very close cousin and obviously a member of the same group of animals) puffing up in a public display aquarium for no apparent reason:
[yt]<object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rAGWO5i2C5M&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rAGWO5i2C5M&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="505"></embed></object>[/yt]

I must point out though that you should not attempt to force your puffer to puff up... It can be very stressful on them (the crap about them dying after puffing or after 3 puffs is a load of crap, but it still is very stressful for them). Hopefully you'll see it puff up at least once...

I do here porcupinefish do puff up more regularly (as that video above shows) but I have no personal experience with them and they are also full marine fish anyway...

~Ed
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i dont plan on making my puffer puff up just for the heck of it:). i know all the puffer lovers hate to see them puff up most of the times.
 
Okay just a few things that were missed out... Puffers are also known to puff randomly as though they are stretching... i've seen both my palembangs doing it at separate times and when i caught them doing it they deflated right away and looked at me as if nothing was wrong... but for the most part, puffers normally only puff when feeling threatened...

As for the color of the puffer, another contributing factor is the color of substrate you use in your tank, basically the darker the substrate, the darker the puffer, the lighter the substrate, the lighter the puffer... since lets not forget these guys are quite good at camouflage...

Either way, i'm sure your puffers going to enjoy the 300G :)
 
Fahakas are known to "rearrange" their planted tanks, if plants are where they don't want them to be. Best to keep plastic/silk ones, than $$$ plants get destroyed. I have to keep replacing my plastic ones, because many of the bitten off pieces are floating loose.

Never net a puffer, because if they puff with air, they may not be able to expel it & could possible die.
 
Pufferpunk;4014365;4014365 said:
Fahakas are known to "rearrange" their planted tanks, if plants are where they don't want them to be. Best to keep plastic/silk ones, than $$$ plants get destroyed. I have to keep replacing my plastic ones, because many of the bitten off pieces are floating loose.

Never net a puffer, because if they puff with air, they may not be able to expel it & could possible die.
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I should add "...unless it is absolutely necessary. Especially since if they puff in the net they can get stuck in there and die that way."

The only reasons I netted mine (I don't want to make it seem like it's safe and okay, especially since Pufferpunk has more experience with puffers than I do) was to separate them and for identification when I had two of them. Now that I have one, I have no need to and only plan on netting them out when I upgrade his tank to a larger one until he is finally big enough to use the 120g I have in my house. Plus the net I used to net them when younger was a Brine Shrimp Net which stay EXTREMELY wet...they are almost like cloth nets they hold moisture so well so the puffer may not even realize immediately it is out of water.

So yeah... Only net if you have to. Netting obviously adds stress to all fish except and why add that stress if it isn't necessary? And if you do net, use a net that is WAY larger than the fish itself is. You don't want to have to dismantle and destroy a good fish net because a puffer got stuck in it...do you?
 
every thing has been covered for you man I can't wait to get me another one I've had several over the yrs. I seem to get them up to about 12in. and then some freak accident happens and I end up losing them (always my fault tho usually because I wasn't home I used to travel alot) but now I'm grounded here with my kids and will be raised another nice fahaka AS SOON AS I CAN FIND ONE
 
fwlion;4014429;4014429 said:
every thing has been covered for you man I can't wait to get me another one I've had several over the yrs. I seem to get them up to about 12in. and then some freak accident happens and I end up losing them (always my fault tho usually because I wasn't home I used to travel alot) but now I'm grounded here with my kids and will be raised another nice fahaka AS SOON AS I CAN FIND ONE
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If you don't mind shipping I know THREE businesses that have them. They may even be able to ship ground to tennesee (two are in Pennsylvania).

Where I got mine. Great guy to deal with. He has 4-5" NTT Datnioides in stock too for a decent price ($55):
Mark Denaro of www.AnubiasDesign.com

for $17/ea

ThatFishPlace in Lancaster, PA:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/20018/product.web

Aquabid guy in NJ. He seems to import and stock puffers and other 'oddball' fish often. I never dealt with him directly.:
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fw&1269807974

Liveaquaria.com:
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+836+980&pcatid=980
 
Pufferpunk;4014365; said:
Fahakas are known to "rearrange" their planted tanks, if plants are where they don't want them to be. Best to keep plastic/silk ones, than $$$ plants get destroyed. I have to keep replacing my plastic ones, because many of the bitten off pieces are floating loose.

Never net a puffer, because if they puff with air, they may not be able to expel it & could possible die.
Click to expand...

so if i cant net them do you think i should put a plastic container in the tank and just try to lead him/her into it?
 
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