Animal Stories - People Talking About Puffer Fish



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Latest Animal Stories on Puffer Fish (265)

alize becerril - 2011-11-11
I have a 20 Gallon tank with two guppies and a very big apple snail. Would a GSP be good in that? Also would it eat my snail or guppies?

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Alex Burleson - 2011-11-12
A Green Spotted Puffer, would most likely attack your snail. Additionally, it could attack your guppies as well. Those are not ideal tank mates for a puffer. While Puffers are exciting fish to have, they can be quite aggressive.
sharon - 2011-11-15
THEY WILL LOVE THEM, MAKE A GOOD SNAcK FOR THEM.
Mel - 2012-01-11
I will say this, I work at Walmart in the Pets department. We are currently selling GSP and they don't do to well with us, for one they are in a very small tank (prolly 10gal) there is like 7 of them in there, plus there is about 10 African Ciclids in there as well. I feel bad for them and I find it cruel to keep them in that sort of condition. Their fins are all bitten off and they are so stressed out that all they do is hang out at the bottom of the tank with this very sad expression on their faces. I really wish there was something I could do. If I was allowed to have fishes where I live i would buy em all out and put them all in they're own private 20gal aquarium. I don't know what to do for the poor guys.
Alex Burleson - 2012-01-11
A Green Spotted Puffer would most likely severely harass, or damage your snail. Additionally, as they are calculating fish, they could potentially harm your guppies. To create a beautiful environment in your twenty gallon, consider choosing a few fish from each of the following species. Please note, that you are not limited to these species of fish:

Cardinal Tetra
Boseman's Rainbowfish
Mollies
Yo-Yo Loach
Cherry Barb
Jay - 2012-01-26
And the GSP will end up dying as it is a salt water fish.

Melissa - 2012-01-24
This comment is for all the people that are concerned about the green spotted puffers changing color. I am not an expert, so this is me sharing my experience with them. I have 3 GSPs...Larry, Mo and Curly. I have had them for over a year and they were very little when I got them. They are now big and plump, look very healthy and have beautiful fins. I do not believe that every time they change color, that they are stressed. Every night when I shut their light off, they will calm down, go down to the bottom, and each one finds a place to 'sleep'. They get very pale, lose most of their spots and rest on the bottom of the tank in the sand. If you walk by, or turn on a light in the room, they will wake up and instantly regain their spots and color within seconds. I think they change color sometimes when they are calm. Just my opinion...

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Charlie Roche - 2012-01-24
It is more than your opinion. It is your observation and a good one and i thank you for it.

maria - 2007-08-13
I have two amazon puffer fish in a 90 litre tank. at the moment they are young and about max. 5cm long. i feed them on bloodworm and their teeth are growing, but when i try to feed them snails they are scared of them, or loose the small ones, and i find the snail dead and uneaten later. i think this is only because they are still babies. They get along well, although sometimes they fin nip or fight over their food. this is only very rarely and most of the time they are good friends. they rest together at night at the bottom of the tank. i worked with them for a while at a pet shop, the fish are wild as they cannot be bred in captivity and come from South American rivers such as the Napo River where they are naturally found under floating plants in little schools.

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javin - 2011-02-21
Live in salt or freshwater:please please PLEASE REPLY?
Anonymous - 2011-03-10
I just got a pufferfish today so I'm not that sure how to take care of it so anyone have any pointers?:)
Kate - 2012-01-10
Freshwater. Also, please only buy fish AFTER you've researched them. You'll get stuck with a lot of things you never wanted if you don't understand them. :)

jon - 2011-12-21
I'm a first timer, how hard are these fish to take care of and maintain in an aqurium with 1 or 2 other friendly fish?

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Charlie Roche - 2011-12-21
Puffers are not known for their gentle temperments. They are agressive and will usually do some damage to other fish in the tank. They also release a toxin if frightened by another fish. They aren't for a novice so I would wait and gain some experience before trying this guy out.
Alex Burleson - 2012-01-09
Puffers can be quite aggressive. They're not very difficult to care for, however they can be aggressive towards other fish in the aquarium, and they will vehemently attack snails, and other invertebrates in the aquarium such as shrimp. I would not recommend keeping them with basic community fish.

steven - 2010-06-12
It is very cute. but manage to keep one in a tank. It is as described, fierce towards it owns kind, and chasing each other. Anyway, for feeding, it eats on its own food. They seldom go on top to get food, eat food on the bottom. They mostly prefer live food, baby shrimp, and snails. Gosh!, it was to clean up the snails in my tank at the first place... but all the snails were gone within a week after I got a puffer.

I might think of some other food for this tiny thing.

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E. Lewis - 2011-12-03
Awesome, thank you

john - 2011-11-18
Hi,

I was wondering if it would be possible to keep 3 of these, 1 senegal bichir, and a pair of firemouth cichlids together in a 20 gallon tank? At this moment the 20 gallon is not set up and I only have the bichir.

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Charlie Roche - 2011-11-18
Animal World recommends at least a 20 gallon for the pair of firemouth cichlids so I think your stretching it by adding the third fish in just the 20 gallon.
Charlie Roche - 2011-11-21
Got it now. 20 gallons would just be too small for 3 puffers plus the other fish. Also the puffers are carnivores and that doesn't help with the other fish. Puffers teeth actually require maintenance and that can be a pain. One other thing, if the puffer is attacked for any reason, they puff themselves up but at the same time, they also can release a toxin which can poison the attacking fish. I would go a little slower and get used to the 20 gallon and the fish you have and then after you learn more - maybe you will be able to get a larger tank. Have to do a lot of reading and learning first. You don't want to go through the cost of a tank and the work of setting it up and the cost of the fish to not have them be healthy.
john - 2011-11-21
Sorry if got a little confused about '3 of these'. What I meant was three amazon puffers but you are 100% right about streching it. It's just that a 20 gallon is the biggest tank my mom will let me have so my options are limited.

Allyson - 2011-11-06
My fish keeps going in the filter and he just lets the water pull him is he sleeping? Please comment.

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Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2011-11-06
Does he ever swim or eat? If he never swims, he may have died, otherwise keep an eye on him. It is not good for him to continually be pulled up into the filter - this could kill him eventually.
coree - 2011-11-06
I don't know? But I have an idea try moving the filter somewhere else in the tank if he goes in there he must like that spot if not the filter was in his favorite tank area so try it.

Anonymous - 2011-10-03
I just got my adorable little gsp and I also have two other tanks. I feed all my fish twice a day 6 a.m. And 6 p.m. Now I'm wondering should I get him on the same schedule or can I feed him a bit more?? Your comments would be appreciated..

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Olivia nelson - 2011-10-05
I believe a 25 gallon. I also have a few other fish in the tank which I now realise crowd my poor gsp. I think he is still happy though. I feed the other fish twice a day with flakes and give my gsp mayb 2 mini frozen bloodworms a day. Am I doing him more harm than good by that?? And also I haven't tested my heater yet I have had him also a week how often would you recomend me testing the water. I know unsound un-educated on this it's just my first gsp. I wanna do it right :)
jordan king - 2011-10-04
First of all, how big is the tank in which the gsp is held. They should only be fed once every 2 days (frozen food). They won't eat all the food! They're really messy eaters. Make sure you're not adding to the ammonia and nitrates in the water as the amount of food going in can change that!
Alex Burleson - 2011-10-04
Feeding schedules are good things to keep, however they are not essential in feeding your fish. A puffer will eat when you feed him/her given it's hungry. Feeding them twice per day, is appropriate. What are you considering/have been feeding the puffer?
Elaina Russell - 2011-10-18
I feed my 2 GSPs in the am when I get up and in the eve. at dinner time. Usually a cube of frozen Carnivore I buy at the pet store. During the day sometimes I feed them about 10-15 small snails. This is a treat for them and it also keeps their teeth from getting too long! Fish Dentistry is very expensive! Good luck!
Fran - 2011-10-30
Feeding your fish once per day is plenty. Twice is too much....

Jen - 2011-09-29
HELP!!! I am taking care of my sons biosphere 30 gal while he is at college. He comes home in intervals to do scheduled water changes so I don't have much experience other than feeding his cichlids and the adorable GSP. His 2nd old Puffer keeps jumping into the back of the biosphere where the pump and filters are. So far he has been unscathed however, I came home today to find him wedged by the pump and heater. After turning off the pump ,I was able to net him and get him back in the tank. To my horror ,it looks like he has a hernia by his side fin. It is not an open wound but I fear he might have suffered from excessive suction. I was pleased to find him actively swimming in normal control. He is eating normally. He just has that odd puffed out shape by his right side fin. Will it recede or is the little doomed? I am planning to get to the aquarium store in the morning to try to jury- rig a net across the back in hopes that it will prevent him from jumping into the back of the bio-sphere. Thanks in advance for whoever can offer info

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Charlie Roche - 2011-09-30
I don't know of anything you can do but unless severely injured, I would think the swealling would just go down. If a similar thing happened to a human ther would be swelling and then probably a black/blue mark but it would go back tonormal. So on a fish - I would think just need to wait and unless severely injured it would just go back to normal.
Elaina Russell - 2011-10-18
You need to cover the access where he is able to jump into. asap! Next time may not be so lucky!

jason - 2011-10-08
i have about 60 cichlids from 1-6 inches in a 250 gal. tank with LOTS of lace rock...a perfect paradise for any fish. here's my question though...my girlfriend wanted one of these green spotted puffers and well we ended up with six, lol and that's where the laughing stopped. I was told these fish were aggressive and would do fine with my cichlids. They both like salt and are mean... but when we put them in the tank they immediatley started getting picked on AND THE SMALLEST ONE GOT EATEN BY MY BIGGEST CICHLID.....and 5 min. later MY CICHLID DIED!!!!!! are these fish poisinous? Called 10 different pet stores and no one knows. Can you help?

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Charlie Roche - 2011-10-08
Scroll up the article to Description. You will read that the GSP can emit a toxin from it's skin in defence reaqction to agression. I am sorry ---
Elaina Russell - 2011-10-18
Yes! they are poisones! Explaining why your Cichlid died. I keep my 2 puffers in a 30 gal. tank JUST the 2 of them share. Any thing else that moves in there is the crustaceans I give them to eat. Which they do very quickly!

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Animal Stories - People Talking About Puffer Fish

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