PLS HELP !

[dulce]

Hi,

i have just been to an lfs i have never been to before, i have an empty tank i was going to buy a group of cories for but while in there i saw a 'peru puffer' he is so thin you can se every bone in his body, i keep humpbacks and i know i had not done neccesary research but had to bring him home, the other from the same batch was fat and healthy. I asked if he had been eating and they claimed he had but i can honestly not believe he has been, so he is now in the tank, i originally bought it for a breeding pair of angels so i am pretty sure its big enough for just him thought its very tall. I have been trying to get him to eat, he chases the shrimp but does not seem strong enough to catch them, he just had a nibble of cockle i have been dangling in front of him for 20 mins. Is he brackish does anyone know, please help i love my humpbacks and could not bear to let him die. any suggestions, should i put some stresscoat in ??
any advice please??

 

[hellohefalump]

could you describe him? What does he look like? How big is he? Then we'd be able to identify him first before putting salt in his water, treating him etc.

 

[dulce]

HOORAY, he just ate some cockle ! only a nibble but wanted to get some food into him ! here is a pic, its not great as its off my phone !My Webpage

 

[hellohefalump]

I'm not sure what he is the pics too small for my crappy eyes... but he looks like either a dragon puffer, a congo puffer or a suvattii... maybe google image each of these and see what looks like yours?
That's what I did when trying to identify my suvattii. I reckon he's freshwater but I could be wrong *not an expert* pufferpunk would know...

 

[dulce]

i have dragons so i know he is not one of them, he is so thin and distorted its hard to see pattern or anything, he has a yellow with some faded black markings which i imagine would come out once he is a bit better he has red eyes his face is pointier than a dragon ..his tail is quite long too, they didnt have a latin name for him

 

[hellohefalump]

try a search for 'Tetraodon suvattii' I reckon he's that.

 

[hellohefalump]

If he's a suvattii, try feeding live river shrimp. Suvattii's take a while to start taking dead food. At the moment the priority is to get him feeding again, and he's far more likely to take live food.

my suvattii used to only take live river shrimp and live jumbo bloodworm.

 

[dulce]

he has eaten a whole cockle now, he is not that perky, perched in the plants but his colouring is brighter and he is a bit stripey now.. poor thing hope he makes it ! he is trying to get the shrimp but does not seem to be quick enough, i think he is just a bit weak.

 

[Pufferpunk]

That looks like a Fahaka puffer to me. Grows large--rapidly. It will need a minimum of 120g in the next 2 years. No tankmates! Many come in w/internal parasites. Try to find some Discomed for treatment.

 

[dulce]

OMG you kidding ! i do have tank big enough but its my community !! is martha a fahaka ?? i saw an mbu and fell in love with it today and was discussing getting a big puffer and getting rid of my community ! help cant believe that ! has anyone heard of them being called peru ?? , they didnt say they grew big or anything.. *in shock* i have dragons but should i be looking to rehome with someone more experienced ?? i am still not 100% sure she/he will be ok, laying in the plants fairly lethargic ?? is he out of danger cause of eating ??

 

[SirMinion]

That looks like a Fahaka puffer to me.  Grows large--rapidly.  It will need a minimum of 120g in the next 2 years.  No tankmates!  Many come in w/internal parasites.  Try to find some Discomed for treatment.

I agree, it looks a lot like Cookie did when we got him, half starved and very thin.

And yes, Martha is also a Fahaka.

Fahaka puffer tetraodon lineatus
as PufferPunk said rapidly grows to 15 to 18 inches - ours went from two inches to 13 inches in eight months and in most cases cannot be kept with any other fish once it reaches four inches.

They are faddy eaters often refusing all but one kind of food for a while before moving onto something else, ors eat:

• cockle
• mussel
• whole cooked prawn
• cooked winkles
• live jumbo bloodworm (as a treat)
• live freshwater river shrimp
• live mealworms & mealworm pupea
• live large pond or ramshorn snalls
• cooked crabs legs & claws

They require spotless water and like some water movement.
A sand substrate is essential because they like to bury in the sand to sleep.

Fahaka puffers do spend a lot of their time laying around doing nothing, so if he's started eating it may be nothing to worry about.

 

[dulce]

ok, i need to change to sand, realistically should i be looking to rehome on here? i know you should not buy fish without research and feel terrible but he/she is so desperately thin and when i asked them about it they were not at all bothered!He was in a tank with another who was fat and followed yr finger along the tank whilst mine just layed looking up with the most adorable eyes. The tank has a current from the filter through a hole and its funny you say that as he is sitting in a plant in front of the current !

Not really sure what to do now !

 

[pica_nuttalli]

well, don't get a mbu if you can't manage a fahaka. adult mbu need a minimum 1000 gallons when adult due to their immense size.

as for your "Peru" puffer... rehoming him may not be a viable option either, since (as you've just found out) most people simply are not prepared to provide a 6x2x2 aquarium for a single fish. if you can bring yourself to get rid of your community, i'd say keep him. Fahaka can be delightful and beautiful fish; Martha's a great example of that.

but if you can't make space for him... start looking around for new options. i suggest you start by making angry phone calls to the LFS where you bought him. i personally consider it completely unacceptable to sell 2ft long predatorial wild-caught fish to the unwitting.

 

[SirMinion]

The various names for the Fahaka are:

• tetraodon lineatus (the correct taxanomic nomenclature)
• tetraodon fahaka (invalid synonym)
• nile puffer
• coral butterfly
• lineated puffer
• lined puffer

They shouldn't be called a peru puffer, wrong continent! fahakas are African!

Does he look like this?

Just feed him twice a day, keep his water clean & remove uneaten food promptly then upgrade his tank as soon as possible.

Good luck!

 

[dulce]

he does but has more yellow and black colouring ! will stick with him for now and have a think about it ! think i will call the lfs, they have another one there.. maybe ask for the latin name, he is only 21/2 to 3 inches long bless him! ok now i know why people say dont get fish you know nothing about cause you feel bad for them, oh well fingers crossed he pulls through once i have come out of shock !! the filter is very good and water always crystal clear so i will get some sand tomorrow ! he is gorgeous though !