Ira Posted October 30, 2002 Report Share Posted October 30, 2002 It looks like I'll be getting 2 brazilian puffers. From what information I can find they're pretty much strictly freshwater and don't much like to eat flakes and normal fishfood. The like snails, live food, frozen, etc. Not particularly nippy. Their tankmates will be 3 silver sharks, 3 stuftifino rainbows, a common pleco and a hand full of stray tetras. The rainbows and sharks won't be there for long, though, they're going to be up for auction at the next UHAS meeting. Anyone know anything important that I should know, or concerns? Oh, they'll be going into a 200L tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 8, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 Well, despite the total lack of any replies on the two boards I posted that question on. I just picked up my puffers today. They're quite cute looking little guys...But I guess I can forgive them for that. Most fish seem to have pretty much fixed eyes, but these guys definitely look around all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted November 8, 2002 Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 8) dark glasses to disguise the envy. Nice one Ira. Please keep us posted re their progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted November 8, 2002 Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 Hi Ira, What's the tech name for them. I had a few hundred in my shop many years ago but they were slightly brackish if I remember right. Had them in with Monos and Scats. Real nice fish, but had an appitete that kept some keeping up to. Their eyes ARE fascinating, and I think this is one reason they sold so quickly. Can't remember what species they were though, but they loved big brine shrimp and most live foods. Scats and Monos are not a fish you hear much about these days. Mind you, I don't get out a lot to view the shops. Seen any on your travels ? Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 8, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 Looks like the species is "Colomesus asellus" Here's a good adult(I assume) pic. I'm kinda concerned about them apparently not eating flakes or pellets since my white worm culture croaked. As long as they'll eat frozen food, that should be ok, though. Hmmm, Don't think I've ever seen a scat or Mono. Not really sure what they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted November 8, 2002 Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 the shop here in tga has just got 6 in and they $28.00ea how much have u seen them for? and they keeping them with pencilfishs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuviceps Posted November 8, 2002 Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 This isn't the species that gets over a foot long is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 8, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 Nope, only gets up to about 5 inches. I think 5-6" is a nice size of fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted November 8, 2002 Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 Cute little guy you got there Ira, and a choice pic. Hi Dennis, are you meaning Puffers, or the Monos and Scats. Last time I saw a Mono was in Hollywood I think, about ten or twelve years back he he. (might be wrong) The names I have (which are probably out of date knowing my books) are Monodactylus argenteus and M. sebae for the Mono, and Scatophagus argus for the Scat... both nice fish, but can't imagine them being with pencils as they (pencils) like soft acid water, preferrably tannin stained (yellowing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 8, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 Wish I could take credit for that pic. Credit goes to some unknown internet photographer...Man, I need a new digital camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted November 8, 2002 Report Share Posted November 8, 2002 Just be aware that Colomesus asellus can be confused with Colomesus psittacus, the former grows to about 6 inches, the later 10-12 inches. What I have seen labelled as Brazilian freshwater puffers match the picture I have of C. psittacus. The info I have for C. psittacus is: 23-26C, 10dGH, pH 7, freshwater. Feed live food of any kind (snails, mosquito larva, earthworms); shellfish and crab meat. Reference: Baensch Aquarium Atlas vol 2, 1st Paperback edition. I've only had experience with the dwarf indian puffers, adult size of 1 inch, but they are pretty picky eaters, live anything the right size seems ok, they only pick at frozen bloodworms - leaving quite alot uneaten. They are surviving nicely on a diet of white worms, small earth worms, daphnia, adult brinshrimp, mosquito larvae and aquarium snails - I'll often 'rescue' the little snails from my other tanks for the puffers, they even polished off pea sized apple snails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted November 9, 2002 Report Share Posted November 9, 2002 puffer the ones he talk about how much have ppl seen them for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 9, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2002 Rob, judging from the few picks of the psitaccus, you'd have to be an absolute idiot to confuse the two. They look nothing alike to me, the psitaccus pics I've seen the fish looks like it swallowed a beach ball and only has a few very pale stripes. My guys look almost exactly like the pics of asellus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted November 9, 2002 Report Share Posted November 9, 2002 Monos and Scats are available, when I was at Wet Pets in PN a few weeks back they had a brackish tank set up with some puffers, scats and also some monos if I remeber correctly. They have also had monos there in fresh water in the not so distant past (like last year some time). Not sure what puffers these ones were but I've have seen a few around that look similar. They have green and yellow spots amoungst other colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 9, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2002 I think we've thought up names for them. They're going to be H and R. They pigged out on some frozen bloodworms, enough to get swelled bellies, that's a relief because they didn't really seem to eat anything yesterday when I gave them brine shrimp and daphnia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 9, 2002 Report Share Posted November 9, 2002 H and R are not names, they are letters What do they stand for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 9, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2002 It's something way before my time, I think. Comes from H R Puff n stuff. Wifey came up with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted November 9, 2002 Report Share Posted November 9, 2002 ------->tongue in cheek---------> nice pics Ira 8) Is the puffer the middle one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 9, 2002 Report Share Posted November 9, 2002 No, that's Ira with his wife on the right :lol: I know Puff N Stuff very well as we had it on video when my daughter was little and she loved it. If I remember rightly, the young boy was called Jack, Puff N Stuff was a dragon and the mayor, and the witch was Witchypoo. The boy annoyed me as he was one of those English people who can't pwonounce their R's. Can't remember his real name but the witch was played by Billy Whitelaw. I think he was a well known child star and played Oliver in the musical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted November 10, 2002 Report Share Posted November 10, 2002 Ira, you'd have to be an absolute idiot not to realise that the picture of psittacus swollen and pale was of a puffed dead specimen (hence the size and the pallour). Hmmm... there's got to be a reason these things are called puffers, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted November 14, 2002 Report Share Posted November 14, 2002 I saw a puffer at a local shop last week... they called it a "dragon" puffer... have no idea what that is... could not find any info on it... they were selling it for $57... it was about 3 inches... only eats live worms apparently... I didn't dare to get it coz i was afraid it would be aggressive as most of the info i got for puffers on the net said that they were pretty agro... nipped tails... and i didn't want to risk it nipping my arowana... it had red eyes in my memory... body was plain with not much markings... just light greyish in colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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