Clipping Puffer Teeth

[mistahoo]

Have you ever clipped the teeth on your Fahaka?

[mnemenoi]

Not yet, fahakas are one of the species that are not problematic when it comes to overgrown teeth. We feed ours shellfish and handfuls of MTS regularly as attempting that on Suki would be far more of an undertaking in my opinion. The one species that I have kept that gave me problems was the South American/Peruvian and I have read in numerous spots that they are the most difficult in that aspect. Otherwise they are a very well behaved puffer that does terrifically in groups/schools and does decently well in mixed community tanks. I had 4 in with glo lite tetras and golden pencilfish with no issues ever.

[mistahoo]

Would pea puffers need to have their teeth clipped?

[mnemenoi]

We have not needed them clipped, though we do feed Squee a good collection of extra Assasins and MTS. I have read they do occasionally need it, but theirs are no where near the problem that SAP are.

[mistahoo]

Makes me want to stay away from that species of puffer. I wouldn't like all the extra work to keep the puffer happy.

[mnemenoi]

Yeah, they are cool though a bit more work. They usually need it done every 6-9 months. I have also read the Avocado puffer and its close relative(Auriglobus modestus and Auriglobus silus) exhibit similar heavy teeth growth. They appear to be the only freshwater species (though some Marine species do require dentistry as well) that need this done regularly.

[mistahoo]

Makes me wonder how do they survive in their natural habitat

[mnemenoi]

My guess is that they are strict molluscavores (I would guess it is 75% or more of their diet) in the wild and have evolved as their only predator. They likely chip teeth regularly on the hard shells and by their teeth continually growing are able to reach adulthood and breed. In our home tanks we lack the particular species of snail/clam/limpet they prey upon and our their diets are far easier (softer) to consume, but their teeth continually grow.

[Totenkampf]

I think "never remove from water" is a little too cautious haha but it would be cool to see a puffer puff up. Never encounter that before!

i have read on many sites that there is a chance of death every time that they puff up out of water. sometimes they are not able to expel the air from their stomach, especially young fish. expelling water is a different story and not nearly as problematic.

[Totenkampf]

Makes me want to stay away from that species of puffer. I wouldn't like all the extra work to keep the puffer happy.

it might be worth it to have a puffer that can live in groups and not kill everything else in the tank. i would have to get experienced with other types first though.

[mnemenoi]

it might be worth it to have a puffer that can live in groups and not kill everything else in the tank. i would have to get experienced with other types first though.

They are terrific in groups and prefer larger schools, they always hang out together and even sleep near the others. Generally they are well behaved, I would just avoid any shrimp or tiny nano fish in the tank. In an Amazon or general South American tank they are a very interesting addition though. I would recommend them and at their cost (I paid $3.99 each) are a great fish to try out and enjoy in larger groups and watch their social dynamics.