Sexing Hairy Puffers (tetraodon Baileyi)

[Jelly]

Timmy.

Have you got yours yet? If so how have got them setup?

 

[timmystood]

Timmy.

Have you got yours yet? If so how have got them setup?

I've had them about 2 weeks now. Running at the same salt level as the system I took them off where I work which is the livebearer system running at 1.003. They are in a 3 foot well-planted tank turning over 680lph. Decor is plants and bogwood. Temperature is 24 degrees.

Not noticed any 'flirting' behaviour but in all honesty i've not really been here to observe them. I have notice a little aggression from one. One of the pair is quite skinny and not feeding well, the other is very very fat, feeding great and is the more aggressive of the two. To be honest, although my suppliers don't usually let me down, i'm not 100% i've actually got a pair, i'm more inclined to say they are both Males, but time will tell. They are getting feed 3 times a week of various frozen foods such as brineshrimp, mysis, krill, bloodworm etc.

How are yours doing? Any spawnings yet?

 

[Jelly]

None yet. After speaking to the store I will be upping my PH from the current 7.3-4 to near 8. I can imagine if they live in fast flowing rapids the PH is probably on the higher side. I may try 1.003 as well.

The only aggresion I get is for one or two seconds after they feed when going back into their cave. They puff a little but it disapears very quickly.

From what I have heard its a good sign they haven't killed each other. are they sharing a cave or living separatly.

 

[Jelly]

I have noticed my male has stuck himself to the back of the cave and has not eaten any shrimp for three days now. He usually can't resist them.

You never know!!

I had better get a fry tank ready.

 

[DarkEntity]

Hairy Puffers are freshwater, not brackish

 

[timmystood]

Hairy Puffers are freshwater, not brackish

Agreed but i'm more comfortable running them at very low salt levels.

 

[Jelly]

Hairy Puffers are freshwater, not brackish

I agree.

I think it is probably just a higher PH they need. The reason I am considering it is that they were kept in brackish in the store and had spawned so I might give it a go. I will be first just raising the PH. It may have been the salt that did that in the store that encouraged them.

 

[DarkEntity]

Hairy Puffers are freshwater, not brackish

Agreed but i'm more comfortable running them at very low salt levels.

Its a freshwater Puffer therefore should be kept in freshwater. You don't just decide to stick the fish in Brackish because it suits you. If you need to raise the PH for what ever reason then do it but don't put a fish in the wrong water conditions on purpose. Yes its low brackish but still not what the fish ideally should have.

 

[Fella]

Hairy Puffers are freshwater, not brackish

Agreed but i'm more comfortable running them at very low salt levels.

Its a freshwater Puffer therefore should be kept in freshwater.

Tetradon biocellatus similarly is a freshwater fish, but a long term study on M. baileyi hasn't been done (they've hardly been in the trade 5 minutes!), so who can say if it would or wouldn't be better?

You don't just decide to stick the fish in Brackish because it suits you. If you need to raise the PH for what ever reason then do it but don't put a fish in the wrong water conditions on purpose. Yes its low brackish but still not what the fish ideally should have.

If this fish is presumed to have spawned in the store, and now in the tank, then you would have to assume the conditions are not causing the puffer harm. Puffers evolved from sea creatures, meaning that they have tolerance for salty water beyond a lot of those creatures which didn't.

I doubt very much that 1.003 would cause long term damage to it. I would argue that in the longterm if a puffer can eist in brackish water, perhaps that is more beneficial? brackish water lowers the toxicity of Nitrite and Nitrate, and would also ward off against parasites and infection.

1.003 isn't going to harm these fish.

 

[DarkEntity]

I understand that "its possibly been helping them spawn", but at the end of the day my point stands, you dont add a fish to water that suits you, rather than what up to this point has been and proven to suit the fish. Im talking about all the books, site forums etc that have this as a freshwater fish.

If after a study on a similar scale to RTR's on other Puffers it turns out to be better in Brackish fine, but until then you have to go with what everyone currently knows.

 

[Fella]

I understand that "its possibly been helping them spawn", but at the end of the day my point stands, you dont add a fish to water that suits you, rather than what up to this point has been and proven to suit the fish. Im talking about all the books, site forums etc that have this as a freshwater fish.

If after a study on a similar scale to RTR's on other Puffers it turns out to be better in Brackish fine, but until then you have to go with what everyone currently knows.

1.003 won't hurt these fish, and they're breeding. It really won't bother them. It's worth keeping an open mind on fish that haven't been in the trade long.

 

[Jelly]

I will only be trying the low end brackish as a short term test after I have tried just raising the PH. As far as anyone knows they are freshwater fish.

 

[timmystood]

1.003 won't hurt these fish, and they're breeding.

Thank you Fella. That's what I meant when I stated 'i'm more comfortable' it's been proven that they are happy in low-end brackish because they are breeding. Thanks Fella.

 

[Jelly]

I now have eggs. spawned this weekend. I have separated a number of them into a second tank. I need to get some Vinagar worms or brineshrimp going.

 

[iSnail]

I now have eggs. spawned this weekend. I have separated a number of them into a second tank. I need to get some Vinagar worms or brineshrimp going.

Wow.... This is exciting

Any update? Any pictures???