I'm Going To Sell My Dps

[pica_nuttalli]

i decided to quickly give the DP tank a clean this afternoon; since its a small but rather gunky tank, i just used a naked .25" vinyl line to siphon out the biggest chunks.

i hadn't been doing it two minutes when an overly curious fish went FOOMP. next thing i know there's a terrified puffer trying to burrow her way through the side of my bucket i'm just lucky that she didn't puff up during the experience. that could easily have made this story less humorous

--EDIT--

ok, less funny story.

for no good reason, i randomly decided to see how the more aggressive DP fared in the SAP tank.

bad move.

the instant my SAP saw that teeny fish, he pounced. i thought he bit off an entire pectoral at first, but it looks like only a chunk is missing. i'm hoping that's the case and it isn't a gouge in the DP's side that i just haven't been able to see yet. thank goodness it wasn't one of the eyes.

i'm quarantining the DP in a 1g jar and i'm going to add some betta fix. i know that there's at least some fin left, so it should grow back without any problems. ditto if its a gouge, although then the question becomes how deep does it go.

i'm also putting them up for sale on Aquabid immediately. the only way i could house them in my current situation was if they could live with the SAP in the 20g. (i can't believe i was more worried about the SAP getting hurt.) since that obviously can't happen now, there's no way that i can keep them in the long term.

if anybody in the Continental US wishes to purchase one, feel free to PM me. i'm starting to get a little strapped for cash, so you'll be responsible for the exact shipping cost plus $4 for supplies.

 

[nmonks]

It's amazing how variable South American puffers can be. I've heard similar stories to yours, and yet mine gets bullied by glassfish! Of course he might turn psycho any minute, but for the last year he's been quiet as pie.

Funnily enough, I bought a pair (or at least a m + f) red-tail, red-eye puffers last week, and thought about putting them in the community tank along with the SAP and most of my other junk. Sounds like probably not a good idea... They're in a tank of their own at the moment with some very naughty Otocinclus that decided to graze on goby mucous.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[pica_nuttalli]

well, i've been observing the victim this afternoon and overall he seems none the worse for wear. he must have dodged the majority of the bite at the last second. he's swimming around quite well in his jar and munched a couple of bloodworms. no visible flesh wounds either.

i really think that it was the huge difference in size; the SAP is easily 2" long now and the DP maybe 3/4".

this really makes me sad b/c i've been thinking of trying to keep a shoal of the SAPs in my next big tank (75-100g). i'd hate to buy 7-8 new SAPs just to have my old guy try to munch all of them.

 

[nmonks]

To be honest, this doesn't sound like a "puffer" thing but a territorial fish thing. You'd have gotten the EXACT same thing with plecs or cichlids. So perhaps you need to manage things as if you were keeping cichlids? With the school of SAPs, get lots, let them settle in the new tank first, and then introduce the older guy later on, so he doesn't have a territory to protect. Something like that, anyway.

Cheers,

Neale

i really think that it was the huge difference in size; the SAP is easily 2" long now and the DP maybe 3/4". this really makes me sad b/c i've been thinking of trying to keep a shoal of the SAPs in my next big tank (75-100g). i'd hate to buy 7-8 new SAPs just to have my old guy try to munch all of them.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

that's what i was thinking of doing, if i still go through with the idea.

as a side note... how many SAPs would you think necessary to stimulate shoaling behavior?

 

[nmonks]

No idea. I'd go for 6, as with tiger barbs and whatnot. Mind you, I think the other factor will be water current. When I saw them on the Blue Planet DVD, they were pulling these puffers out of big rivers, not overgrown streams. They also look more streamlined and swim more quickly. So the perfect SAP tank would, I guess, be one with a couple of extra powerheads to really churn the water.

Thinking on my SAP's behaviour, it's a lot like those Arius shark catfish... lots of swimming in one corner or against the glass looking for a way downstream.

Cheers,

Neale

as a side note... how many SAPs would you think necessary to stimulate shoaling behavior?

 

[Rocker]

that's what i was thinking of doing, if i still go through with the idea.

as a side note... how many SAPs would you think necessary to stimulate shoaling behavior?

I think the amount of space would also play a major factor in shoaling.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

3" fish, 75 gallon tank... i'm going to be very depressed if thats still "not enough space"

--EDIT--
while i'm here checking my paucity of replies ( ), i'll go on ahead and mention that two of the DPs have since been claimed by other members of the forum. yay for good homes!