Moving Puffer

sandi

sandi

Member
Good morning everyone! I have just bought a new house and have three tanks for move. Things are going to get tense in the near future. No actually I am not really worried about the move - it will be a lot of work but I am sure we can do it without incident and our LFS has a guy that helps with this and we are hiring him. The thing I am worried about the most is my porc. puffer. He has been in his tank for 5 years now - since he was a baby. I feel like this is really going to stress him - I am really afraid to move him. What if he blows up while I am moving him. I know you shouldn't net them in case they do blow up. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding moving him. He is 5 years old and about 6 or 7 inches.
 
reefforbrains

reefforbrains

Active Member
Just have him swim into your hands and then pick from the tank and put into a bucket you have ready. Be quick but no need to rush
Should bother him at all. People grossly overestimate thier sensitivity. Its nothing short of urban legend about puffers dieing when exposed to air. One person writes some doom and gloom then 1200 others regurgitate it as fact. They can puff without any harm, you can odds are pick him right from the tank without him ever puffing or more than likley he wont even care.
I would recommend against a net removal.
Option 2- Grab a large drinking cup, or blender base, (I used the blender) Well I just scooped him out and then into the bucket. I got sick of doing it and used the by hand method several times with him and never any issue
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
I would not use your hands to move him. This would entail taking him out of the water, even for a few seconds, which can be deadly. This is not an urban legend. If the puffer blows up and sucks in air, it can be very harmful, and possibly fatal. I know that this is not an urban legend because I have witnessed it.
I would just get a large container/cup that you can submerge in the tank. Catch the puffer in the container, pick him up in the container, and dump him into a bucket or rubbermaid container.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Originally Posted by renogaw
uhoh, the urban legend vs the not urban legend to ensue...
***)
Let me clarify myself. A puffer fish blowing up will not harm it and will certainly not kill it. This is its natural defense mechanism to deter predators. However, a puffer fish was not meant to blow up out of the water. If an air bubble gets stuck inside and you cannot get it out, it will throw off the equilibrium of the fish and eventually kill it.
 
reefforbrains

reefforbrains

Active Member
I will concede to agree it is certainly not to be considered GOOD for the puffer, but I just do not put any credit to it killing them. Perhaps if left to puff hard as a rock sitting on the countertop then I could see it being a possibility. Otherwise I just dont see it.
I WILL agree that it is perhaps poor advice I gave to anyone unfamiliar with moving around livestock as they could indeed take unessessary risks thinking it wouldnt hurt the animal, but I have a hard time believing it is any danger to the specimen when done with reasonable care. Not to show too much stubbourness but just have done it too many times with absolutley no ill effects. Either way your correct perhaps poor advice when so many other options to choose first.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Reef, I agree with your last post. For someone who has done it before and knows how to do it swiftly and quickly, it may not and probably will not result in a causality. For someone who has never done it before and is nervous and stressed about it as it is, I would be afraid the outcome would be bad for the puffer.
 
sandi

sandi

Member
Thanks guys for the info. Basically you are saying to keep him in water at all times. I thinks I can do this. He is very friendly and social - I think he will be fairly easy to catch. I will try to catch him in a pitcher and then transfer him to a bucket.
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
What do you wash your hands with before you put them in the water?
Also, what do you use to clean things that hold water or goes into the water, like a feeding stick or a tub that holds your RO water, without contaminating or getting harmful bacteria in it?
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
Originally Posted by PrevWon
What do you wash your hands with before you put them in the water?
Also, what do you use to clean things that hold water or goes into the water, like a feeding stick or a tub that holds your RO water, without contaminating or getting harmful bacteria in it?
I don't wash my hands before putting them in the tank. Instead, I run really hot water (as hot as I can literally stand) and wash it over my hands a few turns. I also use a "scrubbie" that hasn't been used for anything else to scrub my hands under the water.
As far as cleaning equipment, again, use really hot water and a clean washcloth (one that hasn't been used for anything else) and wipe the equipment down.
I've never used it before, but the LFS sells "safe" glass wipes that you can use to clean the outside of your tank so no harmful vapors from sprays or chemicals can get sucked into the tank.
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
Awesome, thanks! I'm guessing you do the same thing with a blender to make food? Use a blender that has not been used for anything but blending food for your fish?
 
dina12

dina12

Member
I have moved my Porc. Puffer a few times - he is a big guy too.....
He is really simple to catch since he eats from my hand - just hold his food - when he comes to get it - put him into a plastic container. I use a one that is shallow - but big enough for him. Have a 5 gallon bucket ready to go....place the container in the bucket and let him swim out on his own. This saves the whole transfer into the new bucket. Mine has never puffed being moved.
Good luck
 
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