mountaintoppufferkeeper

Im a bit specialized for some stuff but my top 3 are 1. live worms and pest snails cultured here a. 4 tier Earthworm ranch: european nightcrawlers from baby to adult and " compost worms" a thin shorter species. They get fed about a pound of organic greens mix a week. when harvested they get rinsed and then soaked in garlic guard and vitachem. Which i think is a fairly reasonable nutrient rich meal for . b. whiteworms and grindals are both on scotch brite pads and get around 6 pieces of the fancy kibble the dogs eat per culture per week Those three get me from pretty tiny to big not smelly easy button live foods for puffer fry and anything else in the room. 2 and 3 : i feed my limia vittata- ramshorn-pond-mystery-trumpet snail- scud 40 breeder culture tank : 2. repashy community, 3. extreme flake mix. 2 and 3 alao get fed directly to cichlids and anything not a puffer So really everyone gets the nutrition of repashy community, and the extreme crave flake at least indirectly.

thanks @Beardedbillygoat1975 that's a bummer about the red eyes. sorry to hear that. So far the redeyes are doing well up here. I am hoping to get a group of Carinotetraodon salivator in the future; I ask every retailer I talk to to get them in but they haven't been around for a while now. fingers crossed those and the T.duboisi show up this year.

Thanks for the alert @Lennie. @Keegan484 would go with the species I am drawn to as my first puffer. The cost to buy is much less than the lifetime cost to feed. My general rule is any tanks with puffers are puffer tanks. The rest of the roomates are up to the puffers and all can be moved if the puffers allow it. A few puffer species I keep in groups. All of which have been in a 75 or smaller. Spotted congos displaying No idea why but this is the same puffer in both 30 seconds later This is one in my group. This is a 43 breeder dividable custom "puffer tank" they are pretty interactive and no too big. I am of course partial to Pao palustris as @Procrypsis suggests they are a great puffer. Photos for reference. They are a bit variable on tankmates ive had success with variatus platies once they get sorted out and they stay away from the pointy end. Primarily snails, worms, and shrimp for their diet as adults. Worms bbs daphnia for my fry as they grow. Adult male adult female F1 young adults male above female below I had a fahaka in a 75 until about 6" these photos are that tank. I had variarus platies for cleanup and made the mistake of adding 6 small kribs to it. The 2" or so growing kribs forced the fahaka to the corner and had to be removed. For me the fahaka was pretty skittish with movements and lights outside the tank. After I saw a massive fahaka in a shop in boulder Id say still doable in a 75 with a bunch of water changes. That one was basically the size of a regulation football. Bigger is probably better These red tail red eye puffers (Carinotetraodon irrubesco) are fun and seem to like plants. Worms (earth and whjte) bbs, frozen brine adults, and occasional krill. (Not big on snail eating here) Male in what I believe are dominant display colors. My group is 2 males 3 females in a 40 breeder. They seem to be possible in a group for me. Female below And if you werent too worried i bet hairys could be done. For me they are fine in a group and more interactive as a group. These 3 have been a colony aince 2018 and remain in a 75 as a group today

I assume there are variables based on the how the silicone used was applied and cured, how the tank is designed, level and equal pressures on the seams, and how it is supported. Id go for the new tank for me. I just upgraded to 2 50 gallon acrylic tanksto 60 breeder glass. So much room for activities in there 🙂

Id say ever species is a challenge in some way. The regani were the more interesting looking midsized species and called the gentle pike occasionally. I thought their keeping was pretty standard for me: a group in a species tank with some schooling species and let them decide who stays and needs to move out. Then relocate those who were not pike approved to new tanks. They were easy feeders for me. I fed pellets, flake, and frozen and they didnt bother anyone else unless they got too close to fry. The conspecific aggression when they pair off was probably the hardest part. I bought 2 wild caught pairs that were happily in a 50 gallon for about 1.5 years...until they werent.😁 One day the colored up formed a dominant pair and the other pair had to be moved to another tank due to clear non stop "eviction" by the dominant pair. It wasnt too long after that when the female vanished around Christmas and wouldnt even show for feeding. I went into the fishroom on new years day and she was back with a cloud of fry. The male was likely bringing her food to a cave they spawned in. it was around 300 fry who i raised and traded out from a spawn so there could be a few F1 regani out there still

@Theplatymaster agreed Ill vote spotted congo to take the left side The newly acquired spotted congo colony A puffer that can work with more than just other puffers and looks like it is smiling in this frame is a tough one to beat. ....BUT...... The definate adds Pao palustris mekong puffers and Pao baileyi would be playing in the south east asia puffer conference for me and among the top seeds to make it to the finals from the mountaintop division. Pao cf palustris mekong river puffers The adult male amazonas magazine star Day 1 F1 fry from his efforts 1" F1 fry from his efforts Hairy puffers my first and still running puffer colony which really started me on the puffer colony setups. Who doesnt like seeing a bearded puffer happy to see them. Mine are much more active as a trio than seperated. I have split one from the pair before and "he" (in this next photo) became a bump on a log vs an interactive surface swimmer and food beggar. Returned to normal when put back into the colony. and the final add for the cichlid bracket crenicichla regani rio tapajos (dwarf pike) Male above female below fry everywhere. These were the first on my breeders award program submission for the Colorado Aquarium Society. The colors are awesome,They are fearless parents, they teach fry to be pike, and they generally tolerate other fish in the tank unless they get too close to the fry. The behaviors of these are interesting as well; I observed snapping their jaws and gaping their mouths in displays I assessed were to deter percieved threats to the fry. They changed in coloration pattern and hue that I believe wad to communicate to each other and thier fry based on instantaneous behavior changes of the other adult and fry when that shift occured.

I also would ask @Preston John. I am a newbie with the spotted congos. I generally run shallow sand with live plants in all the puffer tanks and occasionally. The group dividers removed in the custom "43 breeder" puffer tank. Pool filter sand, subwassertang, java moss, anubias in a coop planter. The wide shot. Little fiesty between themselves occasionally. This was a result of some food being in that fsr corner and someone deciding to not share. This is the normal speed. I personally like live plants and a black background for their comfort and my observation/photo taking I havent tried others with them as this group is a breeding project to learn about the egg scatterer puffers for me. For puffer tanks I have had the most success with variatus platies they arr pretty quick and generally will pick at the food on the substrate in my tanks. I have not tried any of these with a spotted congo but ..... I also have kept and bred african butterfly cichlids Anomalochromis thomasi a dwarf cichlid very hardy and peaceful for me. They are about 3" max total length remain down low and near plants, spawn on flat surfaces. Might work fairly well with plants and a spotted congo. Thats adult size. Breeding coloration is darker lines and more impressive blue and red striping Bolivian rams (Mikrogeophagus altispinosus) Still a bit fiestly with fry but they did turn some sand for me. Maybe kribs. They have been a bit too cichlid for puffers here. ive had kribs , that i intended to turn the sand and eat puffet leftovers as a suplement to their normal food, force a 6" fahaka to a corner of a 75 gallon. These are Pelvicachromis subocellaus moanda. Much more impressive in spawning coloration. Photos do not capture how impressive they color up; when breeding that pink becomes deep purple with a ring of shiny gold and the body goes dark charcoal grey. Pelvicachromis kribensis "Taeniatus Moliwe"

Thanks @Colu. @skottiesgerl nice set ups. I havent kept either species but they look more like the green spotted Dichotomyctere nigroviridis than the ceylon puffer Dichotomyctere fluviatilis to me.My guess is based on spots on the dorsal surface particularly between the eyes. I feed lots of snails and treat with the med trio for wild puffers. @Zenzo has a great care video on the 2nd channel.

@TheSwissAquarist I have not but i do like all the Pao puffers. I do prefer the groups personally and enjoy seeing everyones experiences with that dynamic. @CJs Aquatics this is going to be a great thread. Thanks for sharing the Dragon colony experiences. I am curious to see how they change color and pattern vs my mekongs and hairys.

I do like the ability to quickly modify when appropriate. I even adjusted it temporarily this evening to limit the puffer drama with two of the four spotted congos. The right most spotted congo decided the middle spotted congo should be aggressively attacked constantly ..... So we added the 2nd of three optional dividers to the tank. Right two sections are currently 9.5"x 23.75" x 11" with black acrylic dividers inserted and supported through the top and at the back bottom. Left half is a pair of spotted congos in 19" x 23.75" x 11". 1/4" holes in four rows along the bottom of each divider and 1/4" along the edges to allow for water flow. Total tank is 38" x 23.75" x 12" around a 43 gallon that i call a "puffer breeder" tank.

@Preston John Thank you kindly. Yes the last photo is both bending sligtly toward camera and after some snails....They got a little hangry during the photo shoot so we took a meal break 😁

@Preston John I think im ready to consult the expert on all 4 spotted congos 1 my guess is female 2 my guess is male 1 and 2 together 3 not sure 4 not sure Any help is most appreciated

1.What was the first fish you ever kept in some sort of an aquarium? Combo not sure what was first of the group but my dad and I had a pretty massive glass tank with a red oscar, silver arrowanna, and longnose gar. Maintenece was a lot of work as you can imagine 2. What tank are you most proud of and why? Currently id go with the "43 puffer breeder tank" because I designed it and it has options that seem to work well for me. Photos work well and it divides to visually seperated sections 3. How did you get here, specifically to these forums? Im pretty sure it was a youtube livestream suggestion by Cory 4. What is something you think you do to make the hobby easier for yourself that others can use? I document everything successes and failures so I can reference. I try and post those here and in articles for others to build upon as they choose. 5. What is something you specifically wish for guidance with in the hobby? Its probably on the formum if its guidance related. For me the quarentine process and med trio have been awesome for me. I wish I knee how to get some rarer stuff from the congo puffer wise. 6. What fish do you miss most? The 4 hairys i messed up with and lost to a bacterial bloom from too much seasoned driftwood added to a 40 in november. They were perfect and ready to spawn. Im back to the colony of 3 now and should get fry there but those 4 were great peraonalities. 7. How often do you change water? Is this the same for all of your tanks? Based off water quality. Every 7 to 21 days 8. What is better, one big tank or a rack of 20Gs, why? Both 😁. If i had to pick a big tank with dividers like above. Options are the preference for me always 9. When was the last time you spent 30 minutes staring at a tank? This morning repeating tonight for the next puffer meal distribution 10. What is your favorite food to feed your tanks? Prepared is probably krill flake. Shelled foods to puffers is always enjoyable though.

A light evening but the pair of spotted congo puffers enjoyed their dinner and posed for some pictures

How interactive are they with you ? They are a pretty enjoyable and aware puffer for me at this point.

Absoultely not well versed on them and agree with everyone above. I am Im a big fan of clowns as well. Id put them n anytank you have for them. if i did my cm conversion right my clown tank was a 45 cm x 66 cm x38 cm 90 liter tank / 18"x26"x15" 24 gallon tank I ran it around 68⁰ with duckweed and frogbit floating. This tank started with 18 adults and grew to more than that on its own. Mine ate nearly everything and produced fry that grew with the adults in the tank. I do not currently keep them ad I am a bit focused on the breeding of my puffers and needed puffer foods currently but a top species for me.

Id second those bolivian rams. I had a couple pairs before and they are a highly underrated species. So cool when they breed and guard those fry.

Which authors, blogs, or journals do you enjoy reading related to the hobby or related to aquatic species in general? I will read anything if it covers what I'm looking for but I often find myself going to the video resources initially and then follow up on tracking down in depth information in the written form from there. Often that includes searching the digital backissues of Amazonas magazine online then a search in scholar.google.com if I am looking for anything written on a particular species. Amazonas magazine both digital and print is the only magazine i subscribe to currently. The coop newsletter articles and the club talks on the youtube channel member side are my first stop on the youtube side. I often look up articles and books from the presenters I most enjoy. The club talks are pretty in depth starting points on their own. I really enjoy Oliver Lucanus and below water. He was one of my favorite member talks to date and tends to cover photos and videos of species of interest to me very well.

Looking forward to seeing those spawn for you.

@Beardedbillygoat1975Id give it a shot. The limited info out there indicates the females of this species breed around 2/3rds the size of the males; Females at +/- 1.4" total length vs male at +/- 2.4" total length.Particularly if you notice a female reducing her food consumption and plumping up. That is likely an indication of ready for spawning in the next day or two in this species. My group is 2 males 3 females and have been together in their 40 breeder since arrival in November? ish. Lots of room makes for no fighting here ....so far. I noticed this clear pattern variation between my two males. Subdominant male is just grey where the dominant male is darker grey brown with that dorsal crest and striping Subdominant male normal coloration He is more single toned as compared to the below dominant male. Dominant male coloration +/- 2 " TL Below right of photo is a female +/- 1.4" TL Id guess is a 10 gallon or larger would work for spawning but the smaller the better for egg collection. Then the real fun begins 🙂 The indicators I am looking for are the red keel belly stripe and that crest on the male and the female going off food and plumping up.

Day 24 - Expel-p dose 2 plus 2 days To my eye this puffer is now looking better than arrival day. Body shape is a little more smooth and filled out and the bottom fin is growing back a bit. Ive been using vitachem and garlic guard as a soak on gut loaded ramshorns and pond snails regularly. This is to hopefully get a little more vitamins and garlic benefits into the puffer.

@Odd Duck thank you kindly 😁.Had I not been here on the forum I wouldnt have even realized I might have a worthy contribution to the magazine. Id say we all can claim a portion of this one. The advice here and tips and tricks we all share make raising fish possible. Thats why the first people I showed that to are you and the rest of the forum fishfam.

The magazine frame arrived up here.... So I framed the amazonas article. Final placement to be determined.

That needlpoint mesh and foam top for the doscus is a cool method. I may need to use that one here. Im getting too old for the catch them the morning of travel intensity 😁.

Full disclaimer if they are eating and seem healthy i do the med trio and move on. Because of that this was a good opportunity with some decent comparisons between this puffer an the other pair. I am learning what works best for me as I go using the references on the website for @Preston John as my guide. In addition I am using my general understanding of how each med is working in my tanks and behavioral observations of the puffers. I plan on doing one treatment of expel-p a week for 4 cycles total then move to fenbendazole for 4 cycles as needed after that. levamisole seems to be really helping but id expect some worms are a given due to the foods involved. Seems to be feeling better after round 1 of expel-p though. Maybe a little too good :). A little bit aggressive in the QT ward tonight not really living the peaceful journey puffer life tonight. The right side is the puffer of this thread looking way better thsn day 1. The left puffer came same time and is just as fiesty. Considering the lack of a flinch left seems aware of the lighting diffuser abilities and no long tests it.