sorry, more puffer ID questions

[chris_1127]

predicatbly the t. schoutendenis that i thought id found yesterday, weren't. However another shop nearby has just taken on 250 red-eye puffers, imported as lortetis. However out of the 250 I have seen at least two with a definite red line between the caudal fin and body, and a pronounced red colouration on the belly. Are these possibly irrubescos, or most likely just lortetis with a bit of extra colour? how much red should show on the caudal fin of an irrubesco? 99% of the fish did not have the red line on the tail or the belly, just the odd few. Thanks again for any pointers

oh by the way i did read that red eyes can be nasty buggers, so theyll be going in a species 20g thats just cycled

 

[SirMinion]

You're right on them being 'nasty buggers'

If you're lucky, you could keep one gender opposite pair in that 20, and if you're really lucky, they might even breed!

It's certainly possible that is a mixed batch as they both come from the same geographical location.

The only external difference between c. irrubesco and c. lortei is that c. irrubesco has a red tail whereas c. lortei has a black or dark green tail with white edging (male) or a patterned tale (female)

Remember that with both species of redeye, the males and female look totally different. Is it possible that the few with different colours are simply a different gender to the rest?

Males have a planer, less intricate pattern than females.

there's a third species from the same area which does have a reddish stripe down its flank, this is tetraodon erythroaenia maybe they're these?

 

[chris_1127]

Thanks again for the pointers. Am going to go along today take another look and see if i can tell what they have. The tails on the suspect fish weren't completely red, it was just a line perhaps 1/16" thick on the body-end of the caudal fin, and a red patch on the belly too.
Itd seem a shame to use up a whole 20g just on one or possibly 2 red-eyes, how risky do you think one on its own would be in a 15g with 3 dwarf puffers, 4 fw bumblebee gobies and 4 oto's?

 

[chris_1127]

OK they were definitely Lorteti's after cross referencing pics with a couple of books in the shop, and using the info above - thx again - the male lortetis have the red bellies and line at the front of the caudial fin, and the dark tail with white fringe. So I'm now the proud owner of a male and female lorteti puffer! They are going on their own in the 20g for now as i dont want to move the oto's from the established 15g and am worried that the red-eyes might nip them, or fight with the dp's if i added them. I know its v high risk but any ideas what i could chance in the 20g with them?

 

[SirMinion]

They would certainly kill the dwarf puffers, and I'm pretty sure they'd eat the ottos too.

You should be able to get a bristlenose in there without mishap, but not much else to be honest. Lorteti Puffers aren't big on sharing their space.

 

[chris_1127]

update - theyre both in their new home now, he's slightly bigger at about nearly an inch inc tail and definitely the dominant one, shes a bit more shy but still quite lively. Ive been adding snails to the tank as it cycled, however within half an hour of entering the tank the male picked off at least 10 small snails from a piece of jattai wood!!! He was prowling up and down hunting for more for about an hour! By this morning there were no snails that i could see left on there! Although neither exactly look starved, they dont exactly look fat, so im guessing that they need feeding up a bit. I threw in a few bloodworms this morning and they went nuts for them!! Not like the dwarf puffers that ignore them and pick them off the floor - these two were chasing them round the tank in the current from the filter and wolfing them down! They arrived with a box of 250 others so maybe food was a bit scarce on the journey?

 

[SirMinion]

update - theyre both in their new home now, he's slightly bigger at about nearly an inch inc tail and definitely the dominant one, shes a bit more shy but still quite lively. Ive been adding snails to the tank as it cycled, however within half an hour of entering the tank the male picked off at least 10 small snails from a piece of jattai wood!!! He was prowling up and down hunting for more for about an hour! By this morning there were no snails that i could see left on there! Although neither exactly look starved, they dont exactly look fat, so im guessing that they need feeding up a bit. I threw in a few bloodworms this morning and they went nuts for them!! Not like the dwarf puffers that ignore them and pick them off the floor - these two were chasing them round the tank in the current from the filter and wolfing them down! They arrived with a box of 250 others so maybe food was a bit scarce on the journey?

Yay for you!
I'm jealous. We have a tank that's been cycled and ready for a pair of these for months now (huge snail colony keeps it cycled) but we've never seen any for sale.

As for them being hungry, many fish are not fed from the time they are caught to the time thay arrive at the LFS which can in some cases be as long as three weeks. This is why plecs so often have sunken bellies when they arrive, and why you should always have confirmation from the LFS that the fish are feeding before you buy them.

Good luck!

 

[chris_1127]

...they have another 248 in the shop I got them from, and they do mail order if you wanted any? I get all my fish there and have no hesitation recommending them? let me know if you want their contact details

 

[SirMinion]

Yes please, I don't even know what continent you're on!