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

[clownfish1452]

One More

 

[joez]

heh....porcupine puffers are so cute

 

[river rat]

my pork puffed up in my lions mouth just at the right time. It was quite a sight and even funner getting him out. they were both fine , but after that the puffer stayed away from the lions mouth.

 

[joez]

lol...my puffer just puffed up tonight for the first time (that I've seen). I look over and there is a spiked softball in my tank! I grabbed the digi cam and tried afew shots but they were all blurry...pretty cool though.
After seeing him do it, I no longer think it stresses them out if they puff themselves up like that...he seemed just as happy as always!

 

[ophiura]

Well, I disagree. They have no reason to puff up unless they feel stressed. It is a defensive thing, but we can't always figure out quite what they think is a threat. So I would never recommend just going and chasing the puffer around until it puffs up, which people often want to do. In itself, the puffing is not a stress, it is the stress that must be inflicted before it feels threatened enough to take this evasive action.
I don't think they just do it because they like it! We just don't think like fish, or may have missed the nip from another fish, etc...

 

[joez]

I didn't mean that all the time it doesnt' stress them out....I'm saying in instances like this. Of course if you chase it, the puffer will stress from that.
He had nothing to fear in this tank as he is most domniant and always happy. Just did it "just because"....heh. Kinda like when he sticks himself to the powerhead....

 

[saltwaterscotty]

i have a spiny box puffer and he puffs up rarely, but it has never been where i can see that he's been harrassed....one time it looked like he had to struggle to "deflate"....kinda worried me, but all is well....they are such cool fish

 

[joez]

That's what I was saying earlier...we've all heard it was bad for them, but why would it be? It's something they were naturally designed to do, and unless them puffing up was induced by stress, I don't see a reason it could be bad for them.

 

[bobo]

yeah my star and stripe would puff up every once in a while, never because there was any apparent signs of stress. he does it once every couple of weeks or so. after feeding him i sit and watch him flap his fins begging for more food all day long until finally he gives up to do his own thing. then out of the blue he would just puff up for 2 or 3 seconds, as if yawning or something. his usually big eyes would get so small and he'd unpuff right away as if nothing happened. i never seen him puff because he was chased or harrased.