Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 Well this is a step I’ve wanted to take for a long time. All the fish stores I’d spoke to indicated as we got closer to winter they’d start getting in new groups of puffers. I got my original group of Carinotetraodon irrubesco last spring kind of end of the import season and ended up with a group of 5 males. Hank is the lone survivor after losing 2 in the move from Bend to Seattle area. To say they were violent towards each other would be an understatement. I lost my first one within days and separated the other 4 each to their own tanks. One died of disease but the other 3 did well. The move ended the other 2 Bobby and Boomauer. Leaving Hank ironically King of the Hill. @mountaintoppufferkeeperhas been super helpful along the way and noticed when at His LFS which ships online a group of puffers he let me know. I contacted them and ordered up 3 females. They arrived Wednesday. They are healthy and very shy. No pics yet - it’s almost like they know the lines of sight and stay just to the left or the right enough to ruin a picture. It’ll happen eventually. Here is a pic of what females look like The females have more pattern while the males have this all grey top and creamy white belly with a red stripe down the middle in full breeding dress. Males have the characteristic red tail and red eyes although they’re iridescent so just depends on refraction of the light. My next step Is to do 2 rounds of Paracleanse and Expel-P and treat anything else that comes up while attempting to fatten them up and get them growing with some water changes and snails/worms. I’m lucky some Val I bought was loaded with pond and ramshorns and they’re small perfect for the little ladies. At present I have 2 - 15 g tanks dedicated to the project. I’m considering adding a 20 long as the “breeding” tank and then rear any fry in that tank. Right now I have 2 sponge filters on each tank and temp is at 78. I am excited about the project. So is Hank he can see the girls next door and is cruising the glass. There’s a top on his tank so I’ve got no concerns about him jumping. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaintoppufferkeeper Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 This thread is going to be awesome. Looking forward to your success 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 We will be watching this thread closely 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 @MACtell me about your RERT puffers? They’re beautiful and love the tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 @Beardedbillygoat1975 I got these guys in October of 2020. They are awesome. Definitely a favorite in the house. The pair is the only fish in the tank, a 20 long with spongefilter against a living room wall. They are very interesting in what's going on outside the tank and always come out to greet me. I've had no problems with feeding them, they like bloodworms, vibrabites, bugbites, but they go nuts for little live earthworms. The tank has a colony of ramshorn snails and green jade shrimp culls that have all gone back to 'wild' coloration. Puffers don't bother the adults at all. Very rarely do they nip or get aggressive and its usually over a bite of food. I've seen the male display to the female only a time or two when I had them at my other place with soft water. I'm on a well now with very hard water and they adjusted just fine. Id be interested to see if you or @mountaintoppufferkeeperare able to breed them. I've thought about messing with my water to see if mine will spawn but they're doing so well and the tank basically runs itself at this point I'm letting them be. Next time I see some for sale though I'll probably pick up another batch for a project They are really outstanding little fish. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 Your food list for them is encouraging. In Seattle we have very soft water. I’m starting to research rodifers and other micro foods to feed fry. I have a vinegar eel culture x 2 so hopefully if I can get at least a micro foods plus some of the commercially available stuff I can raise the fry which are reportedly beyond tiny to start. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaintoppufferkeeper Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Ill throw a couple of pics as well 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 @mountaintoppufferkeeperdo you have some in your fishroom presently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllFishNoBrakes Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 @mountaintoppufferkeeper and I frequent the same LFS, and that LFS takes 90% of what I breed. I’m thankful they were able to provide you with the stock necessary for your project! Super dope! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaintoppufferkeeper Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 (edited) @Beardedbillygoat1975 yes i brought back 2 males and 3 females when i noticed them and sent the alert. I figured id be more useful in discussions if i had a few as well 😁 Edited November 5, 2022 by mountaintoppufferkeeper 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crabby Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 On 11/5/2022 at 4:04 PM, mountaintoppufferkeeper said: @Beardedbillygoat1975 yes i brought back 2 males and 3 females when i noticed them and sent the alert. I figured id be more useful in discussions if i had a few as well 😁 You know you’re in deep when your excuse for getting fish is to help a stranger online 😂 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 On 11/4/2022 at 11:57 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: Well this is a step I’ve wanted to take for a long time. All the fish stores I’d spoke to indicated as we got closer to winter they’d start getting in new groups of puffers. I got my original group of Carinotetraodon irrubesco last spring kind of end of the import season and ended up with a group of 5 males. Hank is the lone survivor after losing 2 in the move from Bend to Seattle area. To say they were violent towards each other would be an understatement. I lost my first one within days and separated the other 4 each to their own tanks. One died of disease but the other 3 did well. The move ended the other 2 Bobby and Boomauer. Leaving Hank ironically King of the Hill. @mountaintoppufferkeeperhas been super helpful along the way and noticed when at His LFS which ships online a group of puffers he let me know. I contacted them and ordered up 3 females. They arrived Wednesday. They are healthy and very shy. No pics yet - it’s almost like they know the lines of sight and stay just to the left or the right enough to ruin a picture. It’ll happen eventually. Here is a pic of what females look like The females have more pattern while the males have this all grey top and creamy white belly with a red stripe down the middle in full breeding dress. Males have the characteristic red tail and red eyes although they’re iridescent so just depends on refraction of the light. My next step Is to do 2 rounds of Paracleanse and Expel-P and treat anything else that comes up while attempting to fatten them up and get them growing with some water changes and snails/worms. I’m lucky some Val I bought was loaded with pond and ramshorns and they’re small perfect for the little ladies. At present I have 2 - 15 g tanks dedicated to the project. I’m considering adding a 20 long as the “breeding” tank and then rear any fry in that tank. Right now I have 2 sponge filters on each tank and temp is at 78. I am excited about the project. So is Hank he can see the girls next door and is cruising the glass. There’s a top on his tank so I’ve got no concerns about him jumping. Can't wait to see how this turns out!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 11, 2022 Author Share Posted November 11, 2022 My little girls are getting much more comfy. look at those nice round bellies! Next up is a week of Paracleanse, a week off, then Expel-P, a week off, Paracleanse, a week off and Expel-P. Should hopefully deworm them nicely. I can always stop after the first 2 rounds and wait. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 The only thing that disappoints me about all this is the lack of musical accompaniment on your last video. You’ve done so well before. Now there are expectations. Standards to apply, if you will. Time to step up! 😉 😂 🤣 😘 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 11, 2022 Author Share Posted November 11, 2022 Sometimes the mobile app does not give me an option to post video other times it does. But yes I will do better. 😜 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Great thread! I know it’s not a competition but I wonder who will have fry the soonest? 🤔 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 11, 2022 Author Share Posted November 11, 2022 My $$ is on @mountaintoppufferkeeper. Then I can copy his method. Win win. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaintoppufferkeeper Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 And my $$ is on @Beardedbillygoat1975. Then I can copy his method. 😁 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 21, 2022 Author Share Posted November 21, 2022 This weeks update- the girls are starting to look fat and sassy. They’ve put on some serious size which is awesome to see. They are super spunky! as for their beau he’s his usual self. 2 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted November 21, 2022 Share Posted November 21, 2022 Any small thoughts about red tail puffer fry??😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted November 21, 2022 Share Posted November 21, 2022 @Beardedbillygoat1975, cracking me up with your musical accompaniments! Fishies looking good, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 21, 2022 Author Share Posted November 21, 2022 @TheSwissAquaristI will start heating up my green water tank ever so slowly to make sure I don’t kill that off and get that ready for the fry - they’ll get a German Breeding Ring of their own. I want to get some further infusoria going as well before I even consider working towards fry. At this point it’s about growing them out and getting them ready to breed. @Odd DuckYeah half the fun now is finding tunes that will make you and the other Nerms laugh or at least smirk! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted December 3, 2022 Author Share Posted December 3, 2022 Puffers. My male Hank remains fairly fat and sassy. The females have been enjoying regular feedings of tubifex, blood worms and snails. I continue to work on my cultures with a hope that I can get a worm and a scud culture going. The females coloring makes their mouths look gigantic! 👄!! And Mr Hank Hopefully I can get them nice and plump before intros. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 Got some good video of the girls today and a photo so thought I’d share. I am really not sure how mature they need to be in order to breed let alone introduced to a fully mature male. I’d want them I think at least 2/3 his size and they’re not there yet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 On 12/4/2022 at 10:38 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: Got some good video of the girls today and a photo so thought I’d share. I am really not sure how mature they need to be in order to breed let alone introduced to a fully mature male. I’d want them I think at least 2/3 his size and they’re not there yet. Looking good! I can't wait for the day where we see lots of little puffer babes...😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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