Callatya Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 These are being sold as FW puffers, but I'm not convinced. They seem to have similar problems in FW as the bumblebee gobies, clouding up and losing their appetite etc. A few minutes after I took this photo, the shop guys moved them all to a marine tank, which I'm guessing did them no favours. Any details you have would be appreciated. As best as I can figure, they might be native to north QLD/NT? Sorry about the quality, I was trying to be discreet with a phone camera, and the tank was above my head :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I reckon it's a Brazilian Freshwater Puffer, Colomesus asellus... http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/puf-asel.htm http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Colomesus_asellus.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colomesus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 go rescue a couple calla... you know you want to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 now, how did I know the freshwater puffer thread would be abbey's? :dontknow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted June 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 I think you might have it there! Wow! a genuine real life speccy puffer! not just another toadfish :( http://pufferlist.com/puffer/freshpuff.php?puffid=4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 now, how did I know the freshwater puffer thread would be abbey's? Cause they are all she ever talks about, oh, with the exception of crabs and yabbies :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 aquatic crabs, you mean... LMAO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 how do you trim a puffers teeth? :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted June 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Stuffed if I know, maybe sidecutters? I have vague memories of people using nail clippers, but you'd think that would shatter the whole thing. Perhaps a dremel at this size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 scary prospect, yet for some reason fascinating... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 why do you need to trim a puffers teeth? file them down maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Feed them snails or other shelled food and you usually don't need to - otherwise very sharp cuticle scissors will do, nail clippers, etc... be very careful handling them though - just google 'trim puffer teeth' for a wealth of info on it... Cheers, Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 they are all she ever talks about, oh, with the exception of crabs and yabbies at least it's not guppies :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 thanks Stuart... puffers seem like interesting little critters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 ahh i hate googling things lol... i did some research though. there is something that makes fish sleep for a little bit so you can trim their teeth hehe. interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 But u love ur guppies lilli!! Im assuming these are the same puffers that we supply Abbey? The they actually puff up when u handle them, the little 4cm ones are soooo cute and puff when u net them lol I think they loose condition because they dont get fed properly, but they are basically in one day and out the next at work so we dont feed them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 They also need handling so they're always in water - if they puff air, they're usually done for... something hard for some LFS staff to grasp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Is that right? how come, cant they de puff themselves? Im sure one guy at work said the little ones were puffing as they were being transfered from the bag into the holding tanks. We use the drop and plop method at work so they fish would of puffed in air. Mabey its just the bigger ones that are done for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Taken from 10 Things to Know About Puffers: Dwarf Puffers: The Ninth Thing Dwarf puffers puff. It seems obvious, but there is a rule for all puffers: never let them puff air. If a dwarf puffer inflates itself with air, then its outlook is bleak. Because of the pressure of the water around it, the valves in the puffers' inflation system are usually sealed shut, so once it is full of air, it is usually doomed. When moving dwarf puffers, use a net to catch them and hold them under water, and then use a drinking glass or mug to catch it. Make sure it is under water at all times. Make sure to have a heavy book handy. Even though inhaling air is deadly to them, they silly things love to jump out of tight spaces. Full article at: http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breedi...rf_Puffers.html A couple of other pages: Of course we are all familiar with the puffer fish's unique ability to puff. Pufferfish puff up when they get scared. It is very interesting to watch but the behavior should never be encouraged because it puts a tremendous amount of stress on the fish's body... pufferfish can puff up to 2 or 3 times their normal size! Fish keepers who keep puffer fish are encouraged not to take them out of water when transferring them because puffing up with air instead of water can be especially dangerous for them. Puffers do puff! When a puffer inflates, it fills itself with so much water that it stretches out its’ skin and its’ spines become erect. A puffer’s skin is very stretchy and it and the stomach are made in layers of folds, like an accordion, which lends them to being stretched. The water that is taken in then fills its’ stomach and the puffer will enlarge until several times its’ normal size, which makes it a more problematic prey to kill. The Spiny Puffer (Diodon holocanthus) becomes so enlarged that its’ stomach volume increases by one hundred-fold and its’ body becomes a large, rigid, round ball, marked by its’ spines sticking out all over! However, having a puffer inflate should be avoided at all costs because the puffer may accidentally swallow air. If the fish swallows air, it can then have buoyancy problems and since these fish are so sensitive, this stressor may cause it to stop eating. Also sometimes, the deflation process is difficult. If your puffer does inflate, you should understand that this display is a last ditch-type of defense mechanism for it, and it is severely stressful to the fish, not to mention its’ owner! It reduces the life span of the puffer and can cause circulation problems because the high internal pressure caused from the water may impair normal blood flow and the drastic change in stomach size may lead to digestive difficulties. Stressing out a fish, may lower its’ immune system, which can then lead to disease. You should work at identifying and preventing any stressors, which cause this behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Thankyou for the info!!! I will be sure to make everyone aware at work that we need to be more careful with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebetta Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 When i was fishing off some rocks in the sea at adelaide on a holiday those toad fish where swimming around our lines. Funny looking fella's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 Used to catch toadfish by the hundreds in Queensland... my uncle told us to cull them because they were a noxious fish, but I didn't see them on the noxious list last time I looked... ugly croaking little things, they were... lotsa teeth, blew up like a balloon - THEY could expel the air though... pelicans and seagulls wouldn't touch 'em... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebetta Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 what did u catch them in?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 ... in? I only ever caught them on a line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted July 24, 2007 Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 Yep, on a line, straight off the beach, or slightly inland in brackish tidal rivers... the worst part was, unlike the picky, finicky fish you're *after* whilst fishing, like whiting, bream and flathead, the toadfish would take pretty much ANY bait, including the fake rubbery fudge stuff that was 'guaranteed' to catch fish at the time (20 years ago, now... lol) - worms, shrimp, yabbies, pippies, hardiheads, liver, beef heart, cheese, bread - you name it, put it on a hook, toadfish would take it - hook and all, half the time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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