Animal Stories - People Talking About Puffer Fish



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Latest Animal Stories on Puffer Fish (264)

Experienced Fish Owner - 2011-09-04
I am a very experienced Fish owner, Not so much with puffers though.
Can someone please tell me where to get the GSP? Please don't tell me Wal-mart because I am not buying a sick puffer.
Thanks :)

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Adam - 2011-09-09
I just got one at Petland, I have gotten fish from them before with good results. I have also gone to Pet Smart...of the ones I got from there, say 10 10 15 over time...only one made it past the 2 week return cycle. I think they have them there too. You might have better luck than I did.
Anonymous - 2011-10-03
I bought my awsome little guy from a pet land he is a happy little healthy guy, just watch them for about a week in the store, and see how they act you will be able to tell if they are worth it! Providing they're not sick they are so worth it! :)
Olivia - 2011-10-03
To be honest I just to my gsp a few days ago but I have bought others from there before and never had a problem. Couple pleco but no sick ones or anything. And my gsp seems to be doing just fine happy and healthy :)
jodi - 2011-10-18
i have bought two GSP from walmart and have yet to have any problems
Alex Burleson - 2011-10-18
Green Spotted Puffers, can be purchased from many online retailers. Large chain pet stores such as PetSmart, and Petco are also known to carry these fish. They are not difficult fish to acquire, so you should not have a difficult time finding one.

Chicken Patti - 2011-10-06
I have had my GSP for 5+ years.She's such a fun fish. Her name is Lucy. She gets excited every time I go by her tank and I swear she wags her tail like my dog. I feed her snails ,frozen brine shrimp, and her favorite of all time is when I hand feed her crickets. I hold them by the back legs and she eats the head , then eats half the body and the last part she sucks up like it's a piece of spaghetti.Plus, get to spend quality time with her.

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Alex Burleson - 2011-10-06
Puffers are enjoyable fish to have in your home! I know I had two, and I found them to be very cute!

Fahaka Puffer Rule! - 2011-10-05
My Fahaka is still growing he is only 6 inches right now, but he is in the middle of a growth spurt. He grows an inch about every month! He gets fed shrimp, snails, worms, crabs, crabs, and more crabs. I swear every time I feed him a crab he grows the next day. Hes got a comfy 200 gallon ready for him in a couple months. I would have never known he needed all this stuff if I didn't stumble on freshwaterpufferfish.org lots of great info on puffers!

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Charlie Roche - 2011-10-05
Amazing

sheila - 2011-09-07
I have 2 avocado puffers thier teeth are over grown. I have snails in the tank but they won't eat them. How do I clip thier teeth?

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Tammy - 2011-09-10
I have 5 light green spotted puffers that I bought at walmart in Sheboygans north side store and I am lucky to have a girl there that knew alot about them. They have been very healthy and she told me what to feed them as well how to keep the tank. When I was buying them she went out of her way to give me a lot of information about them. I am so thankful to her. I do feed them bloodworms, have snails in the tank, buy baby snails three times a week so they keep there teeth worn down, I also get ghost shrimp twice a week for them and I feed them a shrimp twice a week. I did get a live plant in the tank and they do eat it because they need the green. I have a 29 gallon right now with other plants and rocks so they can hide. I did add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt and they like the temp. at 75 to 82 degrees. In about a month I will be moving them to a bigger tank. Also get a bottom feeder. It cleans up what they leave behind. I just don't like cleaning up the bottom feeders poop but if it works, I will do it. Good luck and enjoy your puffers.

vanessa - 2011-09-08
OMG I just bought two puffer fish today from Walmart and a 1 gallon tank the lady said they would be fine and gave me flake food to feed them!!!! I will be going back to them tomorrow to complain :/

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Brian - 2010-01-01
I have 3 spotted puffers in a tank. I have one that won't eat, or can not eat. It stays near the surface with it's mouth open. I feed them dried shrimp and bloodworms. This is the second fish that has acted this way. My first one died after trying everything. The fish are relitively young, and I have only had these for about 4 weeks. I need to know what to do.

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Shelby - 2010-09-15
Maybe his teeth have overgrown to the point that he cannot eat and the teeth need to be trimmed. I feed my puffers snails to keep their teeth trimmed so that this does not happen but it is fairly common.
Experienced Fish Owner - 2011-09-04
Either his teeth are too big or you can also try this: Brine Shrimp flakes.
Puffers usually like those. If none of that fails, It may be sick.

Alissa Mack - 2010-06-14
I just bought a spotted green puffer from Walmart and regret that I didn't do any research on these little guys. I put one in my 16 gal tank which is filled with primarily goldfish. This morning upon reading more info about these guys and that they can be fin nippers I went and looked in my tank to find that all of my gold fish have damage to their fins. I took out the puffer and put him in a 1 gal. tank that I had lying around after calling Walmart and them telling me they will not except a return unless its dead. Will he survive in a small tank with no filtration but frequent water changes? I really believe I'm going to kill him. Any suggestions anybody has would be great.

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pufferlvr - 2010-06-15
Wal Mart should stop selling these fish...but you need to have it in at least a 10 gallon tank with a filtration system and salt otherwise it will die. If you see it beginning to turn dark colored it is dying.
joann - 2010-11-18
Exactly right walmart shouldn't sell these, I bought 1 & did research,they're neat little fish, it's in w/ my cichlid & doing great in brackish water. Tried explaining to walmart what they need, they don't listen, every time I go grocery shopping I feel so bad 4 the other gsp's, they're riddled w/ ick & look horrible, @ least I saved one!
Experienced Fish Owner - 2011-09-04
First of all, Wal-mart really should stop selling these fish. They don't have 1 clue about these fish. Now, 1 gallon is way too small, they need at least a 10 gallon. Even that's a little small. If you really love your puffer I suggest getting a 15-20 gallon tank. They love Brine shrimp, So you should get some of that as well.

dawn - 2010-12-03
I have a question. I have a green spotted puffer. I was misinformed and didn't do a lot research before I got them. I had gotten a small tank and it clouded up real fast and for a week I fought ammonia and ph levels. Til I went and bought a bigger tank. Here's where my question is... my 1st puffer sometimes lies on the bottom of the tank curled up in a ball. Only for a brief moment. When it's in the ball I can see that he's still moving fins and breathing. Is it normal or is he sick? After his brief lie down he gets back up and swims around again. In the new tank all the levels are where they're supposed to be. Otherwise he is quite active.

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desiree noel camacho - 2010-12-08
If your green spotted puffer fish is on the bottom of the tank that means it's dead.
murry - 2010-12-17
Hi I just bought a spotted fresh water puffer yesterday and seem to have a similar problem. He's real active for a while then he sits in the vegetation. It's almost like he rests and then gets more energy. Is this normal?
Steven - 2010-12-20
It's not uncommon for puffers to literally "curl up" and sleep.
Here's a picture of my little guy taking a nap:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=25321

Three things are really important to help with puffer waste levels if you already have a decent size tank (At least 30 gallons, unless you don't mind also stunting the growth):
1) Properly cycled tank
2) Aragonite (Simply amazing stuff and it will help keep Ph levels close to 8.)
3) Proper feeding. Puffers are pigs of the sea and will eat and eat far more than they should. Make sure to use the proper snails as Malaysian Trumpet Snails are too hard, especially for younger puffers. Freeze dried bloodworms are a common meal, but lack nutrients found in other foods. The more variety you offer, the better off the puffer will be.

That's the bare basics, but I hope it helps.
Experienced Fish Owner - 2011-09-04
Even though I am not a puffer owner (yet), I know something's wrong when
I see it, or hear it. Now, it could be taking a quick rest, but from what I know
it could be a little sick. I would go to the store where you got this puffer and ask them. If you got it from wal-mart I suggest you go to a more professional store, not a grocery, clothes, everything store.

Meg - 2011-02-09
I found a fresh water pufferfish at WalMart, it's tail has been almost completely eaten. Would it grow back if properly cared for?

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Experienced Fish Owner - 2011-09-04
I've had fish that have had the same tail bitten problem, they are not lizards,
they do not grow back. Make sure to look carefully at the fish you want to buy, for any cloudy eyes, weird swimming or anything else. It could be a disease.

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