By Kelly Jedlicki  

The name puffer is often used interchangeably to describe puffers and porcupinefish. They are in reality two different families - the diodontidae (porcupinefish) and the tetraodontidae (puffers). The diodontidae family has two fused teeth on each jaw, There are no freshwater or brackish water porcupinefish known. The tetraodontidae family has four fused teeth on each jaw and have representatives in freshwater, brackish water as well as saltwater. Saltwater puffers can be broken down into two main subgroups - the Canthigaster puffer also known as the sharpnose and the Arothon puffer also known as the "dog face". Within the Arothon group, there are ten different types - each type having different color phases or having different variations.

When people find out I have saltwater tanks, they immediately ask about the beautiful colored fish. I'm sure that's why many people are attracted to saltwater. As usual, I never am the one to be in the majority. I was attracted to the personality of the fish rather than the color . Puffers have a unique personality. It has been written that puffers learn to recognize their owner. I can validate this assumption as many of my puffers will greet a human figure at the tank but will quickly retreat to their spot when they realize that it is not the person that feeds them. They can also be trained to follow certain objects i.e. a Krill can or a red object.and be trained to hand feed and some to be held. When I first started keeping puffers five years ago, there was and still is very little information and specimens available. My first puffer was a Arothon nigropunctus, who was also my first true marine fish. He cycled my tank, went through many trial and error and learning experiences - but he and his personality hung in there for four years. For the first few months, I had the puffer I wanted to get him another puffer companion but my only book with a compatibility chart for marine fish stated that puffers do not get along with other puffers or porcupinefish. It wasn't until several months had passed and I met someone who was successfully keeping two puffers together. From then on I have successfully kept anywhere from three to eight puffers in a tank together (tank size ranging from ten to two hundred twenty gallons). I've learned that puffers are like people - on any given day some just don't get along. The most consistent incompatibility is amongst the Arothon Mealagris group - the Golden Guinea Fowl and the Sapo or the Mexican Blue Spot.

As far as compatibility with other fish - I have successfully kept puffers with trumpetfish, boxfish, sharks, squirrels, big eyes, rabbitfish, hawkfish, groupers, damsels, tangs, triggers, gobies, large hermit crabs and filefish. I have had problems with keeping wrasses that bury in the sand. At night, puffers will often "blow the sand" looking for food and have mistaken a buried wrasse as food. The same problem has been experienced with tile fish that partially hang out of a live rock or coral.

The key to keeping a puffer happy is FOOD! I do not feed any live food to my puffers. Most will readily take krill, prawn, squid, cockles, shrimp, mussels, mysis, romaine, spinach. and broccoli. Yes puffers will eat lettuce!! If one looks in reference books for a puffer's diet, this food group is never mentioned. I observed a small puffer nibbling on romaine lettuce in a Chicago pet shop and inquired about their required diet and was informed that one should never give a puffer anything green because it would cause diarrhea. So I avoided putting herbivores in my puffer tanks until I noted a puffer chasing after and eating spirulina flakes that I was feeding a cow fish. This behavior continued day after day for several weeks without any evidence of diarrhea. I then began adding caulerpa and then other greens without any ill effect. I've noted that The Arothon inconditus and the mealagris consistently ingest greens. I recently read in article in Marine Fish Monthly that has confirmed my observations.

I'm sure many of you have heard "make him inflate" while looking at a puffer. Inflating is a puffer's response to a stressor (i.e. being chased or attacked or a sudden change in lighting). The process of inflating is the puffer's "fight or flight" response. This response causes the fish to release catecholamines (i.e.: epinephrine, norepinephrine). and hormones (i.e.: cortisol). The release of these factors causes an increase in heart rate and blood glucose as well as slows the digestive system and dilates the pupils. If the stressor continues exhaustion can occur. It is at this stage that the fish can no longer appropriately respond to the stress. As a consequence the fish becomes vunerable or suspectible to various opportunistic parasites, bacteria or viruses. The fish will also exhibit poor growth and wound healing. Inflating with air can result in air pockets which often can not be evacuated and lead to necrosis and death. This is very important to remember when transferring puffers from tank to bag, bag to tank, or tank to tank. They should never be taken out of water!!!

Puffers are susceptible to amyloodinium. In fact, amyloodinium has been found colonized in the gastrointestinal tracts of some puffers. So at the first signs of dustlike white to yellow spots, treatment needs to be started. Freshwater dips are often my first line of treatment. Copper can be used on puffers! I've successfully used copper at levels of 0.25 ppm. For severe cases, I have had success with doing a freshwater dip (three to five minutes), followed by a dose of quinine sulfate or hydrochloride (500mg per 10 gallons) and then adding copper for four weeks. Whenever I treat for amyloodinium, I always drop my salinity to 1.012 to 1.014 from 1.018 - 1.022. I owe the lives of many puffers to the advice I received from some friends at the John G. Shedd Aquarium. They advocate treating all outbreaks of amyloodinium with lower salinity and copper for at least one month to help eradicate the parasitic population. Moving the puffers out of the main tank can cause unnecessary stress and does not address the parasite that is in the main tank. Copper can safely be used with boxfish and sharks, as well as many other fish.

Hopefully these few guidelines will help hobbyists who have or are thinking about obtaining a puffer. I've done much searching, inquiring and observing and have come to the conclusion that not much is available on puffers. I've done much trial and error with keeping puffers and hope that other hobbyists and puffers can benefit from my "research".

References (Written)

Blasiola, G. (1991). The New Saltwater Aquarium Handbook. New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.

Burgess, W., Axelrod, H., and Hunziker, R. (1990). Dr. Burgess's Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes. New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications.

Fong, J. (1996), Rating the herbivores of the tropical sea. Marine Fish Monthly, 11(9), 6-8.

Mills, D. (1987). The Tetra Encyclopedia of The Marine Aquarium. New Jersey: Tetra Press.

Simon & Schuster's Guide To Freshwater And Marine Aquarium Fishes. (1976). New York: Simon & Schuster Inc.

References (Verbal)

Too many to begin to list and I'd be afraid I would leave someone's name off the list.