Has anyone EVER seen their puffer actually puff up???

jugger

jugger

Member
Like topic says????
i know it is hard and stress out the puffer when it puffs up and they can release toxins in the water but iv never heard of one actually doing it...
have you seen it happen??
 
grouperhead

grouperhead

Active Member
I saw a striped dogface do it at the lfs once, it was really cool. But, as you said, it is quite stressful on them.....Bo
 
polarpooch

polarpooch

Active Member
My porky puffed up about halfway when I first got him, and didn't realize I shouldn't use a net...lesson learned that day!
Several years ago, I was diving in Jamaica--the divemaster would grab puffers and make them puff up--then hand them to the respective divers. I was fascinated, and only later realized how bad that must have been for the puffer! I actually have a pic of me holding that puffed porky underwater. Would post it, but I don't have a scanner.
 
splash1914

splash1914

Member
I use to catch southern puffers in my sien net years ago and they would puff up when they came out of the water... once I put them back in they would deflate..... I kept some in my aquarium and they would bury themselves in the sand with only their eyes showing.... do most puffers do this?
 
snakes'n'fish

snakes'n'fish

Member
I have seen a large porky puffed up once, I was cool to see. But he puffed because a large leopard shark was harassing him.(This was at the omaha zoo aquarium) He was about as big as a volley ball, and with the spines sticking out I can see that it would be a very effective defense.
Splash1914 , That puffer you are talking about, do you have a latin name for them or maybe a common name ? I have never seen a salt water puffer bury them selves , but i have seen congo puffers(light brackish)Do that. VERY COOL :cool:!! Where they aggressive or rather passive ? and how big? I think they would be a cool addition to an aggressive tank.
Sorry for all the questions , but the discription caught my interest. :)
 
j21kickster

j21kickster

Active Member
Sometimes when i am cleaning algae at the tanks at work they puff up- ant they are just like a baseball- but i dont think it is too stressful b/c within 30seconds they deflate and i wll feed about 10 minutes later and they act like nothing ever happened
 
norm r

norm r

Member
My dogface does about once a month. It's never a situation of aggression, he'll just do it out of the blue - seems to like it. It's pretty cool to see, looks like a big dirty softball w/ tiny fins. I've tried to get a pic but it's very unpredictable.
 
joez

joez

Member
Puffer's are so interesting....my continually sticks himself to my powerhead....he just sits there. He can get off anytime but every now and then swims up and sticks himself there....
 
selarman

selarman

Member
my dogface puffer does it about once every 2 weeks that I see. I don't know why she does it.. I will just look over and she will look like a softball for a few seconds.!!!:D
 
balistidae

balistidae

Member
when i got my dogface he puffed up in the net and popped out and stayed puffed and floating in the bag the whole way home
 
carsgirlsnfish

carsgirlsnfish

Member
we saw my porcupine do it three days in a row and he hasn't done it since. dog face did it once a long time ago. does anyone want these things?
 
I

irenicus

Guest
Never seen mine. I've seen him freaked too. Guess he's too mellow to puff out... or too lazy.
 
splash1914

splash1914

Member
Snakesnfish, I caught them in the grassflats in the indian river lagoon so I guess it makes them brakish..... (probably a mile from the inlet) They were not aggressive at all towards other fish....but they were aggressive eaters... I dont have any pics of them in my tank (this was like 7-10 years ago)....
Heres a pic I found off the internet... all you would see is there the blue/green of their eyes.. everything else was buried....
 
joez

joez

Member
That's pretty cool splash. It's eyes make nice contrast.
I wouldn't mind seeing mine puffed...I just worry that it causes stress. It seems that the more I read on it, however, the more this just appears to be an educated guess by someone studying their tank.
Opinions?
 
splash1914

splash1914

Member
grouperhead, my buddies and I use to fish for tarpon and snapper.... theres a power plant off hutchinson island that had big old tarpon rolling all over the place.... good times.... one of these days I am moving back.... orlando has too many people..
 
ccartag

ccartag

New Member
i had a dogface with some triggers and it seem to puff at everything that thay did got rid of them about two years ago but when i had em i never had a toxicity problem with it was kinda funny as it would wiggle and puffup to about the size of a softball.....
 
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