What Puffer to Buy?

[SWilson]

On 9/3/2021 at 6:56 PM, Myznada08 said:

Are the walls of the tank painted by chance?? My figure 8 was glass surfing really bad at first, but after I painted the back (and sides) of the tank black he calmed right down. Idk if seeing out all around him was stressing him out. It limits me because I can only see him from the front glass, but he's so much more relaxed now that it was worth it. I also reduced the brightness of the light......

Thank you! The walls are not painted - I did have black paper covering the back and part of the sides for a long time, because unfortunately it would be quite difficult (but not impossible) to paint at least the back of the aquarium now without draining and moving it.  I have a thread (which I sadly haven't updated a while) journaling this tank, implementing some other really good advice I got on this forum to try and address the glass surfing.  I think paper is probably not the same as paint, but the paper didn't seem to help.  I'm hesitant (probably selfish) to permanently block the sides because it's really the only way I can check on my plecos in there.  I have also tried adding lots of tannins to the water, which also didn't seem to help, but I really liked the look of it!  I just haven't kept it up in a while, but plan to start doing that again.  I also have floating plants across the top of the water which also helps provide some shade.  Adding a bunch of endlers as sort of dither fish seemed to help for a while, because the puffers got busy chasing and eating baby endlers.  But now they're back to surfing and I have too many baby endlers!  

Seeing a video where Dean expressed his views on glass surfing (he doesn't necessarily always interpret it as stereotypy like I do) was enlightening, and helped give me a different perspective.  

Maybe you're right and it is time to get out the paint...

[Odd Duck]

On 9/5/2021 at 10:30 PM, SWilson said:

Thank you! The walls are not painted - I did have black paper covering the back and part of the sides for a long time, because unfortunately it would be quite difficult (but not impossible) to paint at least the back of the aquarium now without draining and moving it.  I have a thread (which I sadly haven't updated a while) journaling this tank, implementing some other really good advice I got on this forum to try and address the glass surfing.  I think paper is probably not the same as paint, but the paper didn't seem to help.  I'm hesitant (probably selfish) to permanently block the sides because it's really the only way I can check on my plecos in there.  I have also tried adding lots of tannins to the water, which also didn't seem to help, but I really liked the look of it!  I just haven't kept it up in a while, but plan to start doing that again.  I also have floating plants across the top of the water which also helps provide some shade.  Adding a bunch of endlers as sort of dither fish seemed to help for a while, because the puffers got busy chasing and eating baby endlers.  But now they're back to surfing and I have too many baby endlers!  

Seeing a video where Dean expressed his views on glass surfing (he doesn't necessarily always interpret it as stereotypy like I do) was enlightening, and helped give me a different perspective.  

Maybe you're right and it is time to get out the paint...

You can also use opaque, black window film.  It can be applied to the back even if it’s already set up as long as you can reach the back of the tank.  It can also be applied to the ends and lifted and stuck back down so you could check on your plecos.  I get mine from Amazon for about $10.00 a roll.  Oh, look, it’s even cheaper right now.  It adheres by static cling, but placement is easier with a bit of water in a spray bottle.  It comes with good instructions on how to do it but it doesn’t have to be perfectly placed, either, since you’ll need to trim it at the end.  I use a single edge razor blade to trim it.

Cut your piece at least 0.5-1” bigger in each direction than the area you need to cover.  My taller tanks have a couple inches of sand, so I just lined up the plastic sheet with the top edge of the glass since you can’t see the bottom edge of the plastic sheet with substrate in the way.  It does come wider for anybody that has an extra tall tank.

For average tanks that are already set up,line it up with the edge that will be hardest to reach (probably your bottom edge), center it side to side and peel away the lining.  Spray the tank and plastic with plain water and press it down starting in the center and working outward.  Use an old credit card as a squeegee to work bubbles out while everything is damp.  Don’t press to hard unless you’re steadying the cling film with the other hand or it can slide.  Once it’s all stuck down and the bubbles are pushed out, run your fresh razor blade right along the edge of the glass to trim.  It’s soft enough that it’s pretty easy to trim.  When you’re ready to trim the edges of the side pieces, just lift up the edge of the back piece, trim the sides, then press the back piece into place again.

It’s very easy to lift a piece and peek under it if you need.  I lift the back side of Bad Pea Daddy’s tank to look for him almost daily.  Pea puffers are experts at hide and seek.

 

[KentFishFanUK]

On 9/6/2021 at 6:24 AM, Odd Duck said:

You can also use opaque, black window film.  It can be applied to the back even if it’s already set up as long as you can reach the back of the tank.  It can also be applied to the ends and lifted and stuck back down so you could check on your plecos.  I get mine from Amazon for about $10.00 a roll.  Oh, look, it’s even cheaper right now.  It adheres by static cling, but placement is easier with a bit of water in a spray bottle.  It comes with good instructions on how to do it but it doesn’t have to be perfectly placed, either, since you’ll need to trim it at the end.  I use a single edge razor blade to trim it.

Cut your piece at least 0.5-1” bigger in each direction than the area you need to cover.  My taller tanks have a couple inches of sand, so I just lined up the plastic sheet with the top edge of the glass since you can’t see the bottom edge of the plastic sheet with substrate in the way.  It does come wider for anybody that has an extra tall tank.

For average tanks that are already set up,line it up with the edge that will be hardest to reach (probably your bottom edge), center it side to side and peel away the lining.  Spray the tank and plastic with plain water and press it down starting in the center and working outward.  Use an old credit card as a squeegee to work bubbles out while everything is damp.  Don’t press to hard unless you’re steadying the cling film with the other hand or it can slide.  Once it’s all stuck down and the bubbles are pushed out, run your fresh razor blade right along the edge of the glass to trim.  It’s soft enough that it’s pretty easy to trim.  When you’re ready to trim the edges of the side pieces, just lift up the edge of the back piece, trim the sides, then press the back piece into place again.

It’s very easy to lift a piece and peek under it if you need.  I lift the back side of Bad Pea Daddy’s tank to look for him almost daily.  Pea puffers are experts at hide and seek.

 

Is this another thing I will need to do when I set up my pea puffer colony? Sounds easy enough!

[Odd Duck]

On 9/6/2021 at 12:31 AM, KentFishFanUK said:

Is this another thing I will need to do when I set up my pea puffer colony? Sounds easy enough!

I have the window film on because it a) blocks the sight of cords and such behind the tanks, b) blocks the sun coming from the window behind that particular tank to help control algae growth, and c) to help the fish be more comfortable and feel a bit less exposed.

None of which is required for puffers to be happy since you’ll want a very heavily planted tank anyway.  If you don’t have a window behind the tank and don’t have cats that want in that window to see outside and then take it in turns to stare at the fish, you may not need the window film.  😆 

[riverbox]

On 8/18/2021 at 3:15 AM, mountaintoppufferkeeper said:

@Myznada08 the short version is I havent seen that issue in my personal puffers but im sure it exists as a risk in some puffer species. I agree that feeding a variety is vital to long term health of puffers and all fish in my care. 

Longer version: 

I could not find any acedemic research on the pufferfish lockjaw subject but did find some internet posts from keepers. Those claims seemed to focus on saltwater puffers, especially  the Porcupine puffer - Diodon holocanthus,  in the home aquarium who ate only freeze dried krill developing what the keeper personally identified as lockjaw. I do think feeding only one food is to be avoided at all costs for heath concerns and risk of loosing that food source when most needed either by supply issues or the fish quit eating it. 

I only keep freshwater puffers particularly of the pao genus but I would assume the krill reports that is some sort of a nutrient issue either deficency or over abundance if puffers eat any one food exclusively. I primarily use the frozen foods as a direct vitamin delivery method and the live snails etc as an in direct delivery method for the nutrition that those snails or the occasional fish or shrimp have from the vegetables, flake, repashy, pellets, etc they eat. Krill is an ingredient in many foods to me its essentially the black soldier fly larvae of the sea. 

Every food is rich in something and lacking in something else. If all I ate was carrots, or steak, or any one thing really id develop something horrible due to the lack of or buildup of a nutrient eventually. If I were one of the people allergic to it I am sure the issue would be worse when it appeared externally. 

My assumption, since there is only the occasional report, is that the seemingly rare puffer and krill issue could be either a puffer genus is unable to process a portion of the nutrients within krill fully, krill lacks a vitsl nutrient to processes of that puffer genus, or an individual puffer is allergic to krill or some ingredient in whatever krill / krill mix being fed.

The possibility that something in krill or whatever krill mix is involved is not able be processed by the kidneys or liver of the puffer and displaying as lockjaw especially in saltwater species is interesting.  Do you have any theory on what the mechanisim is that could be causing it?

I havent personally seen lock jaw in a fish from krill and have used it with 11 puffers since 2018 across Pao baileyi, Pao palustris, and Tetraodon lineatus. I also have fed it at a similar rate to dwarf pikes, both crenicichla regani and crenicichla orinoco, and meat eater plecos since 2019 with no issues noted yet. With the rotational feedings and the availablity of fish and snails I would guess at most I feed 20% frozen krill /shrimp with vitachem and similar supplements to the puffers.

For all my fish I try to keep them eating as many different things as possible to minimize the risk of health issues from a deficency or worse an over accumulation of some substance from their food in their body. I have not tried the oyster shell with repashy method but i did obtain some extra for that purpose eventually. I use it as a box filter weight and water buffer.

I also may just cook some clams one night, save the shells and boil them clean for future use. In that case I would bet it would be easy to pour repashy onto or into clamshells as a meat substitute. Depending on size of the shell used and how i repashy it that would probably be able to work as grazing rock for puffers, a direct clam meat replacement in the shell, grazing for plecos shrimp etc on the exterior shell, etc and to help buffer water to some degree as thr shell dissolves over time. 

I'm definetely interested in the baileyi. I'm planning a custom  60" by 24" by 18" aquarium for a colony of lurker puffers after reading your experience. Baileyi should be one of the more active ones right? I'm thinking a colony of 5-6 of whatever is more active between palembangensis and baileyi as these are the most attainable for me right now although I'm not sure if miurus could be communal. Does gender ratio matter in your experience? Also how many Baileyi can I add to my tank?

Edited September 22, 2021 by riverbox

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

On 9/22/2021 at 12:52 AM, riverbox said:

I'm definetely interested in the baileyi. I'm planning a custom  60" by 24" by 18" aquarium for a colony of lurker puffers after reading your experience. Baileyi should be one of the more active ones right? I'm thinking a colony of 5-6 of whatever is more active between palembangensis and baileyi as these are the most attainable for me right now although I'm not sure if miurus could be communal. Does gender ratio matter in your experience?

The hairy puffers have been the most active in a group set up for me but I realize that could be blind luck on my part. I go into puffer colonys knowing they will make the colony what they want it to be no matter what I plan for. My hairy puffer group it was 3 in a 40 breeder (36x18x16) and they are now in a 50 acrylic (15x36x20). They key for my set ups in the glass tanks was to have precut lighting diffuser,  egg crate stuff from any home improvement store, that serves as a divider if ever needed but never has been needed with hairys.

I set up clear lines between hardware for the divider to guve myself an easy quick way to divide and keep each puffer from the rest. My other observations from my groups is to have 1 sight line breaks and more caves than puffers to provide everyone a spot to defend when needed.