freshwater puffers???

[balashark21]

is there such thing as freshwater puffers?? i went to petsmart and they dont do saltwater at all but i saw a tank with a label dwarf puffer. it looked exactly the same as a porky, just about 4 cm long. it was in a tank with what the lable said was a clown goby. did petsmart acually stock saltwater fish? there was no1 in the fish department and i was in a hurry and didnt have time. how big do these get? i would like one for my nano if they are really small.

 

[balashark21]

bang guy?rye bread?? anyone?? i would really like to put one in my nano. if they are freshwater i will change my nano to fresh i just need to know how big they get.

 

[daniel411]

I believe some Petsmarts have a saltwater department, not many. A clown goby is a name of a saltwater fish, so I'd imagine that the puffer is a sw puffer. I've never heard of a freshwater puffer.

 

[cathbad]

There are true puffers in fresh, brackish and saltwater. Sometimes the brackish species may also be sold as freshwater fish.

 

[caribbean guy]

just saw some at a guys house. Strange enough they look like regular puffers.

 

[tiffster]

I have worked for Petsmart for three years (in the fish department) and so far as I know none of the stores have salt water fish. We do occasionally have brackish water fish, but most have been discontinued. We do carry a dwarf puffer that gets only and inch or so long. Pretty neat little guys. I think they do prefer brackish water but we have only one systerm that connects all the tanks, so they are acclimated to fresh. We do get the occasional fresh/ brackish goby, like a fan dancer goby. They look like SW gobies, but a lot less colorful. Supposedly Petsmart won't carry saltwater fish because some of the collection methods are deemed inhumane, (ie cyanide poisioning) so I really doubt you saw a fresh SW puffer, but anything is possible. I would call and ask somebody. There is supposed to be somebody around all the time, but well you know how that goes.

 

[balashark21]

i am now converting my nano to have a mated pair. what is brakish water???

 

[thankgod4fish]

I think brackish is sort of a mid-way water. It has some level of salt in it, usually lower than actual saltwater, I believe

 

[balashark21]

so can these thrive in freshwater?? it says on the site i am looking at them that they are freshwater. i wanna c if i can get them to breed. what do you guys recomend for a fresh aquarium? aragonite or cc?? it is a VERY small tank but these guys dont get bigger than 1 inch so i sould be safe. i have a filter and i am running carbon. i have the heater, food. hmm thats about it for the supplys. i dont really wanna bye a 15 lb bag of aragonite for sucha small aquarium. and i cant scoop sand out of my saltwatertank because i will cause an ammonia spike in my tank from lifting sand up. i will get the stuff today so what do you reccomend?

 

[fishyhubbyandwife]

hey there.........when we first started in the hobby all we had was a 10 gal fresh water tank......in it we had the usual tetra's, alge eaters, black mollies, and 2 of the cutest, most interesting little "fresh water" puffers......well then we decided to start w/ salt water tanks. with only freshly mixed slatwater and a sand bed, Mr. Impatient (Fishy HUbby) decieded to throw in our puffers and Molly........the story goes on, but all 3 of those fish lived for a long time....untill we had a fire in our appartment.
so yes there are "fresh, brackish, and salt water Puffers. any of which are cool little dudes. an execlent addition to any tank. good luck and have fun.
Peace
Fishy Wife

 

[aggie05]

There is such a thing as "freshwater" puffers. They are sold as freshwater dwarf puffers and can live in freshwater, but they are actually brackish fish. I used to have a figure eight puffer that I kept in a brackish tank. Basically a brackish tank has a SG around 1.005-1.0010 and it is good to let it fluctuate as that is what happens in nature. Also, the only real reason for needing to keep them in a brackish enviornment rather than full FW is that the changes in salinity help to kill off any parasites that might harm them. But dwarf puffers are really cool fish and don't get very big at all. I really loved mine but got rid of him to go full salt with the tank.

 

[fishman830]

i used to have them, 2

 

[spsfreak100]

I have three "green spotted puffers" in a 29 gallon aquarium. They're often found in brakish areas, where salinity is around 1.006. Can they live in full strengh saltwater? Yes, althought their lifespan will decrease. Same goes with freshwater.
Many of them are also found with a few species of freshwater plants. They're quite hardy and will eat almost anything (inlcuding other fishes fins). I would highly recommend finding a freshwater/brakish site (email me at Leathercoral85ga@NOSPAMaol.com, of course, remove the "NOSPAM") and ask the questions you have there.
By the way, is this for your 2.5 gallon nano or your 30 gallon? The puffers will not survive in a tank of 2.5 gallons. I would recommend at least 29 gallons for these fish, as they do produce a lot of waste and can be agressive.
Take Care,
Graham

 

[balashark21]

the species i am getting max out at 1 inch. i have good filtration and will do weekly waterchanges. they are indian puffers. they are brown/gold. they are a totally freshwater species from what i have read from all my scources. will that crash the 2.5? i hope not.

 

[cells]

I remember reading somewhere that puffers live in fresh water when they are young and migrate to salt water when they are big enough not to be eaten whole but most fish.

 

[spsfreak100]

Originally posted by balashark21
will that crash the 2.5? i hope not.
A 2.5 gallon is way too small for even a 1" puffer.
Graham

 

[balashark21]

then what could i put in it?

 

[cells]

Originally posted by balashark21
then what could i put in it?
set up a shrimp tank. 2 fireshrimps, not too much rocks so that they can't hide, some sea plants, 2 small snails, and maybe 4-5 little marine shrimp, Palaemonetes vulgaris.

 

[spsfreak100]

How about having some Sexy shrimp in the 2.5 gallon tank?
Graham

 

[therock0861]

Petsmart has boycotted the saltwater fish selling industry and they do not sell saltwater fish period. I used to have freshwater puffers and they were in regular fresh water.