The Puffer League - A Repository of Puffer Knowledge

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Calling all puffer owners in the form of crazy fish keepers, hobbyists and lunatics who love our animals!!! I want to create a space for us to post about our puffers and create a thread of ever eternal puffer knowledge. We’ve had the puffer signal go off a few times on the forum and I just think it would be good to have a thread to go with our signal! 

Here is Princess Peach the Congo Spotted Puffer. I’ve had her for about 2 weeks getting her from a fellow hobbyist and GSAS member. I’ve learned she likes flow but just enough. She will investigate all of her domain. She likes plants forming natural caves. She likes tank mates but perhaps less rambunctious ones. She likes blood worms, just enough vibrabites and snails but not too big ok? This weekend after noting her issues with the flow created by a powerhead and an Eheim 2217 I pulled both and switched out for an Oase Biomaster 250 running my corner mattenfilter through this. We also made more room for her to get her ample bosom around the decor.

This is now the 3rd species I’ve kept of freshwater puffer and each experience has been rewarding, challenging and enriching. I think that’s really what many of us seek in our hobby. 

[Jennifer V]

I love this idea! And Princess is stunning! I started in the hobby 2.5 years ago and my first and only fish are pea puffers. (I didn't know what I was getting into when I let my wife pick puffers for our first fish.) I currently have three, all named after cheeses -- Jack, Muenster and Pecorino (Rino for short). 🐡 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I have 3 pea puffers in our 11 g bowl aquarium, same thing wife chose them. She loves to watch them eat their spaghetti ie blood worms. 

[Jennifer V]

On 10/24/2023 at 5:28 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

I have 3 pea puffers in our 11 g bowl aquarium, same thing wife chose them. She loves to watch them eat their spaghetti ie blood worms. 

They are so funny that way! Mine have recently started refusing bloodworms. They're picky little murder beans. I have mine in a heavily planted 10 g. Oddly enough, we accidentally introduced neo shrimp to the tank and they couldn't care less about them. They eat the shrimplettes but leave the adults alone. Thinking about trying to add some Amano Shrimp for algae control so hopefully they'll ignore those as well. It's so interesting to learn about their different personalities. I'd love to see your setup! This isn't the best pic, but this is mine. I'm not sure if I love the floating PSO. It seems to be spreading algae across the tank more than anything, but I think the peas like the cover. They're more active since I added it. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Jennifer V

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

One thing I’ve noticed with pea puffers is their propensity like their larger brethren to get recurring parasitic infections. I’m about to do my 3rd round of anti parasite/helminth treatment. Any advice from the hive/puffer mind to make this my last? 

[Lennie]

On 11/11/2023 at 11:28 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

One thing I’ve noticed with pea puffers is their propensity like their larger brethren to get recurring parasitic infections. I’m about to do my 3rd round of anti parasite/helminth treatment. Any advice from the hive/puffer mind to make this my last? 

@Odd Duck may help I believe

On 10/24/2023 at 6:51 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

Princess Peach is adorable for sure!

[Odd Duck]

On 11/11/2023 at 2:28 AM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

One thing I’ve noticed with pea puffers is their propensity like their larger brethren to get recurring parasitic infections. I’m about to do my 3rd round of anti parasite/helminth treatment. Any advice from the hive/puffer mind to make this my last? 

Short of testing the food you’re feeding, meat eaters, especially live food eaters, are going to always be at risk for parasites.  If you’re raising your own live foods, the risk  drops fairly significantly, but unless you’re doing some testing for intermediate stages inside the live food, there’s always going to be some risk for re-exposure.  This is exactly why I raise so many of my own live foods now (or at least I try, sometimes more successfully than others).

Are you doing weekly Levamisole for at least 4 weeks and every other week for Praziquantal while peas are in quarantine?  If you suspect intestinal parasites, I would repeat the same deworming regimen as in quarantine unless you’re specifically seeing Camallanus.  If you see Camallanus, then just the weekly Levamisole x 4 weeks.  Always be ware there’s is risk of significant +/- total snail/shrimp die off with every dose of Levamisole and Praziquantal.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

The local importer/seller did the first rounds of Levamisole and Prazi over 4 weeks, it then got repeated when I got them home. They’d been in with the same 3 otocinclus and no other inhabitants except plants were introduced. 
 

Yep, back to Levamisole and Prazi. Not worried about snails or shrimp as they’ve killed everything that resembles a snail or shrimp. 

[Pokey]

I was wondering whether always feeding snails raises the probability of recurring worms in any fish that likes to eat them? I’ve read that snails often carry parasites and I’m equating that to the same idea of outdoor cats having higher chance of getting worms from eating live prey.

Would there be any way to treat snails for any parasites they may have and then raise all clean snails from then on for puffers and other fish that enjoy them for dinner?

[Odd Duck]

On 11/12/2023 at 11:47 AM, Pokey said:

I was wondering whether always feeding snails raises the probability of recurring worms in any fish that likes to eat them? I’ve read that snails often carry parasites and I’m equating that to the same idea of outdoor cats having higher chance of getting worms from eating live prey.

Would there be any way to treat snails for any parasites they may have and then raise all clean snails from then on for puffers and other fish that enjoy them for dinner?

I don’t know of any treatment for parasites that doesn’t also risk killing snails.  Theoretically, if you are keeping only snails and no fish with them, you would potentially break the life cycle of any parasites that need the definitive host (fish).  If you have raised snails for multiple generations with no fish, then you are probably as close to parasite free as possible.  I would have to do some serious digging into fish and snail internal parasites in order to determine if it’s possible to get snails to be fully parasite free.  And the same for whiteworms, Grindal worms, and blackworms.  Blackworms are especially concerning for me since they are from an aquatic environment and the others aren’t so they would be less likely to carry fish parasites.  One of these days I will, but not tonight.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Blackworms are disgusting when they come in. I found all sorts of critters in that potent brew they were sent in - leaches, at least 2 other helminths. I think I’ll buy some live food cultures at our upcoming auction. 

[Odd Duck]

On 11/12/2023 at 10:21 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

Blackworms are disgusting when they come in. I found all sorts of critters in that potent brew they were sent in - leaches, at least 2 other helminths. I think I’ll buy some live food cultures at our upcoming auction. 

Yep. I spent HOURS picking leaches and Planaria from the blackworms I got a few weeks ago. HOURS!!!

If I can keep them going in culture I’ll feel better about feeding them to my fish. So far I haven’t seen any more in the culture.  🤞🏻

[govsfabshop]

This is Cheeto my brackish Ceylon puffer, He started life as a tiny little guy in my father in laws fishroom, he was living happily in a 75 gallon with some pretty rare fish, then this spring decided to go on a killing spree, i ended up adopting him along with a 55gal tank before he got flushed (Have never seen a man so mad over fish!) So far i havent tried putting anything else in the tank with him, he seems to enjoy just doing his thing, loves bubbles, and really enjoys chasing fingers along the glass! The pics really dont do him justice he's almost a neon green color with those big bright blue eyes!

His diet consists of clams, mussels, raw in shell shrimp, the occasional silverside, blood worms and ramshorns snails from my other tanks, the night i brought him home i had quickly converted a 10 gal quarantine tank to brackish just to get him moved while i setup his 55, there had been a ton of snails in the tank prior and i had thought i got most of em out, he immediately got in there and started finding everyone i had missed and for hours i just kept hearing crunching of shells, went in to check a few hours later and he was so bloated i was worried if he would make it through the night!! Not a singe snail in that tank after that!

 

T

Edited November 16, 2023 by govsfabshop
add pics

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

What a gorgeous animal?!?! Well done with the save. Yep they’re all psychopaths in their own way you just hope it’s not as acute as your FIL’s situation. I think you’re doing the right thing with a wet pet/species only setup. 

[govsfabshop]

Out of curiosity, is anyone feeding live shrimp? If so what kinds? I saw a blurb of something somewhere about its good to give them a hunt every now and then, while cheeto has generally 5 different types of food on rotation could be interesting to see him chase something down. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I have neocaridina and Malawa shrimp as well as some big Amanos. My Congo spotted puffer has occasional interest but is much happier with snails and freeze dried krill. 
 

Speaking of feeding has anyone used meal worms or some of the species that are fed to bearded dragons? I ask because they’re easy to get at pet shops. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Just a little update on my puffer keeping. 
 

I unfortunately lost my trio of Pea Puffers. I never effectively got them dewormed and decided to pull them out of their 11 g bowl for a 15 g QT hospital tank but they quickly died one daily for 3 days. It was a bummer. 
 

On the positive side of things my Tetraodon schoutedeni - Congo Spotted Puffer aka Princess Peach is thriving. She has carved out her territory and is very happy. Especially after a water change and a good bloodworm/Vibra bite feed. 

Hope all the puffer keepers are well. Have fun!