Are dwarf puffer fish................?

Question

poisonous

-_- i'm not going to eat them i want them as pet fish

I'M NOT GOING TO EAT THEM

Answer 1

Only if you eat them. The poison is located in a few body organs and under the skin. This is why puffer fish is eaten in Japan without everybody croaking (it's called fugu).

Answer 2

Marine pufferfish (family Tetraodontidae) are believed to accumulate tetrodotoxin (TTX) mainly in liver and ovary through the food chain by ingesting TTX-bearing organisms such as starfish, gastropods, crustacean, flatworms, ribbonworms, etc. Consequently, it is hypothesized that non-toxic pufferfish can be produced if they are cultured with TTX-free diets in netcages at sea or aquaria on land, where the invasion of TTX-bearing organisms is completely shut off. To confirm this hypothesis, more than 5000 specimens of the pufferfish (“torafugu”, Takifugu rubripes) cultured in such manners for 1–3 years were collected from several locations in Japan during 2001–2004, and toxicity of their livers and some other parts was examined according to the Japanese official mouse assay method for TTX. In addition, typical specimens were submitted to LC/MS analysis. The results showed that all the livers and other parts tested were ‘non-toxic’ in both of the mouse assay (less than 2 MU/g) and LC/MS analysis (less than 0.1 MU/g). Thus, it is undoubtedly confirmed that pufferfish are intoxicated through the food chain, and non-toxic pufferfish can be successfully produced by netcage or land culture. The livers from these fish can be used with safety as a Japanese traditional food “fugu-kimo” (puffer liver).


Dwarf puffers aren't poisonous b/c it comes from thier food & our puffs have never eaten food that contained TTX. (They test the liver b/c after you eat, your food is absorbed via your intestine & the blood then travels to your liver to be detoxed. Therefore, any toxin that is consumed will be found in the liver.)


Dwarf puffers do not contain tetradotoxin no matter what. Tetradotoxin is only in saltwater puffers. Freshwater puffers have saxitoxin. The majority of toxin in SW puffers is contained in their internal organs, while the majority of toxin in FW puffers is in their skin. And most DPs are from the wild so they would also contain the saxitoxin. However, after being out of the wild and in aquaria for awhile, the toxin dissapates.

Answer 3

They are only poisonous if certain internal organs are ingested, so just don't eat your pet fish... When keeping Puffers, you have to understand that they are extremely aggressive, and should only be kept with their own species. Also, they will only eat frozen and live food, so if you have a problem giving your fish frozen worms, Puffers aren't for you. Email me at [e-mail] with any questions about fish. Good luck!

Nosoop4u

Answer 4

do not eat any puffer fish ever...they are highly poisionous and not worth the risk.

Answer 5

No, not in a tank kept as petfish
Here is some great info on keeping them
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/McKane_Dwarf_Puffers.html
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/green_spotted_puppies.htm
http://users.tns.net/~tazzy/spotted_puffer.htm
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/puf-nigr.htm


Hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 6

not if you keep them as a pet in a fish tank....

Answer 7

I agree. Dont eat a puffer.... i wouldnt lol.

Answer 8

below is an aticle i read some time ago, I work in a pet shop. how ever i have read that farmed fugu is less dangerous.

Japanese people love puffer fish because their flesh is delicious. They eat the Tiger puffer fish (Takifugu rubripes). The Japanese name for puffer fish is “Fugu.” Eating Fugu meat can be risky: if the poisonous ovaries are not carefully removed, a Fugu meal could be a last meal. Sushi chefs who wish to prepare fugu must be licensed by the Japanese government. According to Dr. Jim Johnson, alum of Florida State University (www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/ttx/ttx.htm), the toxin in puffer fish is called tetrodotoxin or TTX : “TTX is a potent marine neurotoxin, named after the order of fish from which it is most commonly associated, the Tetraodontiformes (tetras-four and odontos-tooth), or the tetraodon pufferfish. The tetraodon puffers are equipped with four large teeth which are nearly fused, forming a beak-like structure used for cracking mollusks and other invertebrates, as well as for scraping corals and general reef grazing. The members of this order include the fahaka puffer (Tetraodon fahaka), the Congo puffer (Tetraodon miurus), and the giant mbu puffer (Tetraodon mbu). Pufferfish from the genus Fugu (F. flavidus, F. poecilonotus, and F. niphobles), Arothron (A. nigropunctatus), Chelonodon (Chelonodon spp.), and Takifugu (Takifugu rubripes) also store TTX and related analogs in their tissues.

“Other marine organisms have been found to store TTX, including the Australian blue-ringed octopus (Hapaloclaena maculosa uses TTX as a toxin for capturing prey), parrotfish, triggerfish, goby, angelfish, cod, boxfish (Ostracion spp.), tobies, porcupine fish, molas or ocean sunfish, globefish, seastars, starfish (Astropecten scoparius), xanthid crabs (Eriphia spp.), a horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda), two Philippine crabs (Zosimus aeneus and Atergatis floridus), a number of marine snails, flatworms, sea squirts, ribbonworms and arrowworms (which both use TTX as a venom for prey), molluscs (Nassarius spp. and the Japanese trumpet shell "Boshubora"), and marine algae (Jania spp.). Terrestrial organisms include the Harlequin frogs (Atelopus spp.), Costa Rican frog (Atelopus chiriquiensis), three species of California newt (Taricha spp.), and members of the Salamandridae (Salamanders). The number of species continues to grow.

“A single milligram or less of TTX—an amount that can be placed on the head of a pin—is enough to kill an adult. The first symptom of intoxication is a slight numbness of the lips and tongue, appearing between 20 minutes to three hours after eating poisonous pufferfish. The next symptom is increasing paraesthesia in the face and extremities, which may be followed by sensations of lightness or floating. Headache, epigastric pain, nausea, diarrhea, and/or vomiting may occur. Occasionally, some reeling or difficulty in walking may occur. The second stage of the intoxication is increasing paralysis. Many victims are unable to move; even sitting may be difficult. There is increasing respiratory distress. Speech is affected, and the victim usually exhibits dyspnea, cyanosis, and hypotension. Paralysis increases and convulsions, mental impairment, and cardiac arrhythmia may occur. The victim, although completely paralyzed, may be conscious and in some cases completely lucid until shortly before death. Death usually occurs within 4 to 6 hours, with a known range of about 20 minutes to 8 hours.”

For years TTX has been used in research to block sodium channels to study nerve function. More recently, scientists love Fugu for a different reason. They are excited about the fact that Fugu have very economical DNA. Most organisms, including humans, have a lot of junk DNA sequences between the functional sequences (genes) that code for proteins.

The Fugu genome is only 1/10th the size of the human genome, yet it contains approximately the same number of genes. That means the Fugu genome can be sequenced in 1/10th the time for 1/10th the cost (about 12 million dollars). You may ask, why do we need to sequence so many genomes? So that we can better identify and characterize human genes. In fact, researchers have discovered nearly 1000 human genes by comparing Fugu and human genomes. It is also interesting to see how genes have changed during evolution.

The Fugu is a good example of the reason scientists want to study “model” organisms. By studying Fugu we can learn something about humans. For example, there are certain DNA sequences that are present in both the fish and human genomes (conserved sites). Over time, all DNA mutates, yet these sequences have been conserved over eons of time. This suggests that these sequences and the genes that contain them are so important to life that any individual that had a mutation in one of these sites dies. Scientists also find that mutations on these sites are often involved in disease. Thus, comparing non-mammalian and mammalian genomes could advance understanding the genetic basis of many human diseases.

The study and comparisons of different genomes is helping resolve the tree of life. If yeasts, viruses, bacteria and other prokaryots are included, more than 80 genomes have been sequenced so far. Genes turn out to serve as “molecular clocks” that tell time by acquiring changes over evolutionary time. Since mutations occur at a fairly uniform rate, the more mutations (sequence changes) that are seen in non-conserved DNA, the older those genes are. For example, if a sequence in zebrafish that is also found in Fugu is different at one site, they split from a common parent more recently than say a mouse that might have 6 sites different. Thus, two fields of research—biomedicine and evolutionary biology —have a common interest in Fugu.

The puffer the scientists have been studying grows up to 70 cm in length and is a marine fish. It was chosen for study because of its compact genome, but it can’t be used for mutation studies or developmental studies because they are not bred in captivity and because of their size and lifestyle they are not likely to be bred.

This is where the aquarium hobbyist may come in. Fugu has several relatives that may be breedable in the laboratory if the technique were worked out. One is the spotted green pufferfish (Tetradon nigroviridis) that only grows to about 17 cm and lives in freshwater. Scientists have found that their genome is also a compact one. Other candidates can be found in a recent issue of Aquarium Fish Magazine. The smallest, at 2.5 inches, is the figure 8 puffer (T. biocellatus), but they are so aggressive, even against their own species, that they must be kept alone. A better bet may be T. schoutedeni; at 5 inches, it is a little more tolerant. If you want to try a marine puffer, the dwarf (green) puffer (Carinotetraodon travancoricus) only grows to 1 inch. This fish has reportedly been bred in captivity, but there is no description of the breeding. If you want to try breeding pufferfish, and you succeed, you may do something for science.

Answer 9

Only as food, otherwise nope. But they do have nasty little dispositions despite their cute little faces.

Answer 10

Only if you eat it.