Red-green Dwarf Puffer...

[Ami]

Hi

One of my reference books briefly refers to the Red-Green Dwarf Puffer, max size 2cm, shoaling species, completely peacful and compatible in a community tank as long as no boisterous tank mates, from South America.

Sorry but I can't remember the latin name (i'm at work).

Anyone heard of this because the only dwarf puffers I've heard of are from Asia and are not completely peaceful?

Just curious really!

Ami

 

[pica_nuttalli]

sounds mostly like gibberish to me. the only south american puffers that i've heard of are both in the colomesus genus and are definately not red at all. nor are they shoaling and both quickly exceed 2 cm in length.

what's the supposed scientific name of your mystery puffer?

 

[Fella]

Yeah, I'm doubting that this is a species commonly found in aquaria. Sounds like a few crossed wires on the line.

 

[Rocker]

sounds mostly like gibberish to me. the only south american puffers that i've heard of are both in the colomesus genus and are definately not red at all. nor are they shoaling and both quickly exceed 2 cm in length.

what's the supposed scientific name of your mystery puffer?

Just a small point for info but south american puffers do school together in the wild.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

sounds mostly like gibberish to me. the only south american puffers that i've heard of are both in the colomesus genus and are definately not red at all. nor are they shoaling and both quickly exceed 2 cm in length.

what's the supposed scientific name of your mystery puffer?

Just a small point for info but south american puffers do school together in the wild.

in the wild. one of our favorite things to say around here about puffers is that "every puffer is an individual". thus i hesitate to claim a puffer as both "shoaling" and "territorial". since most people that i've heard from have had good luck with individual SAPs, i think that avoiding the "shoaling" claim is the safer of the two pieces of advice.

anyways, since we've still yet to hear a scientific name, i vote we just lay low.

 

[Rocker]

I agree we do not know what puffer we are talking about in the original post but I have it on good authority that South american puffers are indeed a shoaling species.

 

[Ami]

Sorry - complete forgot about this thread!
)

They're Monotretus Travanconicus . Book says:

"Red-Green Dwarf Puffer, Around 3/4"(2cm), 72-79F (22-26C), A tiny shoaling species; slightly acid to slightly alkaline water, softish water; no salt"

And that's it because they just come under the 'examples of other puffer species' section.

Any ideas?

Ami

PS - I just fell down the stairs in my rush to get this book and now have a very large bruise growing on my bum!
)

 

[Ami]

I guess that the lack of replies means that no-one has heard of it?

Pity, becuase I quite like the idea of a shoal of tiny puffers in a planted tank

Ami

 

[Fella]

I guess that the lack of replies means that no-one has heard of it?

Pity, becuase I quite like the idea of a shoal of tiny puffers in a planted tank

Ami

Well, assuming no ones heard of it means you'll struggle to find it in shops. A quick look on google image search just shows Carinotetraodon travancorius which is effectively what you coul be looking for. I have a trio of puffers in a planted tank, all dwarf ones

 

[pica_nuttalli]

yeah, i found it. it's listed in the back of Ebert's Aqualog as an old synonym of Carinotetraodon travancorius. since we all know what that is and how they aren't (typically) red&green, from S. America, or particularly sociable when adults... i'd not really use that book as a oddball authority although it did get the tiny part right!

 

[Ami]

Well, assuming no ones heard of it means you'll struggle to find it in shops. A quick look on google image search just shows Carinotetraodon travancorius which is effectively what you coul be looking for. I have a trio of puffers in a planted tank, all dwarf ones

Hi again Fella

Everything I tried on M. Travanconicus was not in English - except some exporters in Bombay!

I also tried C.travancorius and found this on Badmans:
Cute ickle puffers - aw, aint they sweet?

But they're fin nippers and definitely not suitable to a community tank. So cute though what a pity. <sigh>

Hi Pica - it was an Aquarium Encyclopedia thingie. When I'm feeling steady enough to go downstairs, I'll let you know what exactly so you can avoid it!


Although, I did find them here. But again not S. America.

Aquatics World

 

[Fella]

Well, assuming no ones heard of it means you'll struggle to find it in shops. A quick look on google image search just shows Carinotetraodon travancorius which is effectively what you coul be looking for. I have a trio of puffers in a planted tank, all dwarf ones

Hi again Fella

Everything I tried on M. Travanconicus was not in English - except some exporters in Bombay!

I also tried C.travancorius and found this on Badmans:
Cute ickle puffers - aw, aint they sweet?

But they're fin nippers and definitely not suitable to a community tank. So cute though what a pity. <sigh>

Hi Pica - it was an Aquarium Encyclopedia thingie. When I'm feeling steady enough to go downstairs, I'll let you know what exactly so you can avoid it!


Although, I did find them here. But again not S. America.

Aquatics World

Yeah, you'll be hard pushed to find any puffers for a community tank. Colomesus asellus the South American Puffer is considered the most suitable for a community, but as all puffers vary highly in temperament, most experienced owners would recommend you don't try it, and with good reason. I kept mine with Ottos, and a south american bumblebee catfish before he contracted whitespot.

They're also reasonably well known for getting on suitably with their own kind, so maybe a species tank for them might be appropriate?

HTH

 

[Ami]

Yeah, you'll be hard pushed to find any puffers for a community tank. Colomesus asellus the South American Puffer is considered the most suitable for a community, but as all puffers vary highly in temperament, most experienced owners would recommend you don't try it, and with good reason. I kept mine with Ottos, and a south american bumblebee catfish before he contracted whitespot.

They're also reasonably well known for getting on suitably with their own kind, so maybe a species tank for them might be appropriate?

HTH

Thats soooo disappointing.

The congo puffer was something I considered for my community tank, which in a couple of months will move from a 109l to a 460l aquarium (once I manage to find one that meets the dimensions I want), as I wanted some interesting larger fish instead of just my little fellas, but I don't want him to eat my neons!

A species tank would mean either putting my plans for a marine on hold (after the huge FW is up and running) or moving house I'm afraid. Pity.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

veto on the congo puffer!! congo puffers are devoted piscavores and ambush predators. in nature and in our aquariums, they bury themselves in the sand and leap out to munch on anything that swims past their nose. not just your neons but your whole tank would be vulnerable to these fish!

really, if you can't devote an aquarium to keeping a puffer on its own, then you can't own a puffer. even members of reportedly peaceful species can display terrible vicious streaks and can overnight kill all of their tankmates. when mixing puffers into community settings, you just never know when things might start to go wrong and you'll need to remove the puffer permanently to his own tank.

 

[Dangerousdan]

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