how can i make my puffer puff? green spotted puffers are fresh water right? that's what the pet store said.

Question

GREEN SPOTTED PUFFER

Answer 1

Puffers are actually brackish water fish. I hope you either added aquarium or sea salt to the tank or the puffer isn't going to last long. The fish puffs up when agitated. Other fish that do well with puffers are: silver shark catfish, silver/red/ green scat as well as figure 8 puffer. I do not recommend the pea puffer because it is small and peaceful. Puffers like brine shrimp and snails. Anacharis is a good plant to keep in the tank because it likes the salt. Temp should be about 74-76 degrees and PH should be 7.2--7.6. The pet store probably didn't tell you how aggressive they are either. That is why we recommend only keeping with other Brackish fish.

Answer 2

Technically a Green spotted puffer (Tetraodon nigroviridis) should live in brackish water, which is really neither fresh nor salty.
Maybe you have him confused with the 'Green puffer' (T. fluviatilis) or even with the 'Leopard' or 'Spotted Congo puffer' (T. schoutedeni) which are both freshwater species and look very similar.
The green spotted puffer will survive in fresh water for a little while, but will eventually die.
He'll puff if he gets caught on a hook or if you attempt to eat him whole or poke him with a stick repeatedly. Pretty much anything to p*ss him off.
Be careful antagonising your fish though. A) it's cruel. B) when he puffs up he covers his body in toxic slime, this is bad for the other fish in the tank. C) You could injure your fish in the process. D) If he gets so worked up that he puffs up to fend you off, he could die after from the duress. It's just not worth it.
Freshwater and brackish 'puffers' or 'toadies' don't tend to puff up enough to be worth it anyway. Saltwater puffers are by far the most interesting when puffed. I had a green puffer for a few years, never saw him puff once. But he was still a decent character.

Answer 3

It's not good to make the puffer puff. It's also recommended not to net them, because they can puff air instead, use a cup to scoop them out keeping them in water all the time.

They start out in fresh, then they should be slowly adjusted to a brackish/marine environment. Pet store employees are for the most part ignorant, therefore you shouldn't listen to what they tell you.
Here's some info/forums to do some searches to learn about them.
http://puffernet.tripod.com/confusion.html

http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/brackish/gsp.html

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/

http://www.fishforums.com/forum/

Answer 4

Puffers only puff when they are in fear of imminent death. Not a nice thing to do to a fish and the trauma may make them sick.

Answer 5

I thought a puffer was a salt water fish......and they only puff when they are feeling intimidated. Do you want to irritate your fish just so you can see him puff? Pass the doobie bogart and maybe he'll puff.
If he's a salt water fish and he's in a fresh water tank, you won't have to worry anyway, it won't be long now.

Answer 6

I used to have a freshwater puffer. there is a difference on a box fish, and a blow fish. I am guessing that your fish is a box fish, which won't puff up. but I could be wrong. But I do think that the ones that blow up are blow fish, and they are always saltwater.

Answer 7

They are not freshwater. They actually are "brackish" water fish.

Go to a reputable source online and look up dilution for brackish fish.

Pet stores offer these little guys as freshwater, when they are NOT and they just end up dying within 6 months.

Good luck.