Tropicalfishkeeper.com

Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 27

Tetraodon Sabahensis

If you come across a puffer in a local fish shop that looks like it could be either a Tetraodon Nigroviridis or a Tetraodon Fluviatilis but at the same time neither, then you could have stumbled across a Tetraodon Sabahensis.

In the fish shop:
Usually they are labelled as Giant Spotted Puffer or Indian Giant Puffer when being sold; they are generally pretty big at around the 6” mark. Smaller specimens have yet to be confirmed seen in local fish shops.

General Description:
The body shape is very similar to that of the T. Fluviatilis, however the body markings do not match either that of a T. Fluviatilis or a T. Nigroviridis. This fish has labyrinth markings fairly similar what you would see on a Tetraodon Mbu, there is generally a vivid yellowy green flashing of colour on the top of the head, the eyes are quite far set apart but, the tail has black speckles and generally the belly is quite dark in colouration.

Initial Problems:
These fish can arrive in quite a sorry state with bite marks, chunks out of tails, cloudy eyes etc…. but the biggest problem is that these fish seem to suffer from is internal parasites which needs to be dealt with as soon as possible,

If after a feeding the belly is thin and sunken the next day, then it’s a good bet that there is a parasite problem which needs to be treated. Until treatment takes place, feed daily to keep up the puffers strength.

After the parasites have been eradicated, this puffers belly will stay rounded for a few days after a feeding.

You may also see a few lumps on the puffers back and sides that are black in colour, I have no idea what they are but they seem to disappear on their own. If you see any cysts on the skin which grows then the head falls off, maintain excellent water quality and treat with a little Melafix and Pimafix and the skin should heal up nicely.

Tank Setup:

Size/Layout:
A tank around the 40 gallon mark makes a good home for a single specimen. Tank length is important as it is a very active puffer so look for something in the region of 4ft (48 inches) in length. This puffer swims at all levels of the tank and is most active in the upper regions so ensure that the upper areas of the tank are clear of décor and plants to allow for free swimming.

Water Parameters:
There is very little information about water parameters for this species. When these fish are sold in local fish shops they are generally in a very low end brackish environment (1.004). Initially I kept the specimen in 1.004 for a month and then began to raise the salinity until it reached 1.010 at which it remained for a while. I saw no difference in activity or behaviour at the higher salinity so reduced the salinity back down to 1.004 at which it has remained for several months with no problems.

This specimen seems very adaptable to salinity and may do equally well in high end brackish as it does in low end brackish. I have not attempted to keep him in pure freshwater so have no data on this but as he does so well with a minimal amount of marine salt I see no reason to try it at the moment.

The Ph of the tank is around 8, my tap water is on the hard side and it seems to suit this species.

Substrate:
I have used an Aragonite sand substrate but this puffer doesn’t seem to be too fussy, it doesn’t bury so gravel, crushed coral or aquarium sand should work just as well.

Decor/ Plants:
Large pieces of rockwork to provide caves/retreats, fake mangrove roots and fake plants have all been tried. Too many large fake plants that dominate the tank seems to reduce activity but provided the décor provides an interesting aquascape it should be fine with or without plants.

Personality:
This puffer has a big personality, it may be quite withdrawn while it initially settles in to its new home but as it becomes more used to you, its personality and interaction with its owner grows. Make sure the fish is in a room that gets plenty of use. It has a tendency to nip at things to see what they are, especially when tank maintenance is happening having a nip at gravel syphons and potentially your hand so take care as this puffer has a formidable set of teeth hiding in that mouth. It can get very over excited at feeding times literally coming out of the water in anticipation for food splashing water everywhere.

When the room is not used it may be quite inactive and just rest on the bottom, do not worry too much about this, they come alive when it spots someone.

The Black Belly:
Since I have had this particular specimen, it has always had a black belly, this can usually be a sign of stress in puffers but in this case the colour of the belly seems to be dependent on lighting levels. In very low light the belly becomes white, the current tank light is only a small 15w tube but this still seems to be too much to maintain a permanent white belly.

When resting this species can turn completely black, resembling a lump of charcoal, it can be quite worrying the first time you see this but it is nothing to worry about as it wakes up its returns to its normal striking patterns.

Tankmates:
I have not attempted keeping any tankmates with my particular specimen however; other specimens have been kept with both T. Nigroviridis and T. Fluviatilis in the same tank at higher salinities. With the speed at which it dispatches whitebait anything too small would undoubtedly become a snack.

Feeding:
This puffer loves to eat and will beg constantly for food but resist the urge to give into the begging.

I have found that small foods are often ignored by this puffer so bloodworm, Krill, Mysis Shrimp and finely chopped foods are best avoided unless you fancy cleaning up a lot of uneaten food.

Large meaty foods like whole Mussels, Shrimp/Prawns, Cockle in shell and Whitebait are all taken with relish; it is not a fussy eater so if it’s large and meaty give it a go. Its favourite food is undoubtedly Cockles in their shells and once it has eaten all the cockles it will then systematically crush the cockles shells up into tiny pieces. This is great for their teeth, however if you keep one in an upstairs bedroom don’t feed cockles late in the day or you will spend the rest of the night thinking someone’s breaking in as it crushes cockle shells up into the night.

Conclusion:
There is still some debate at whether these particular puffers are just a regional variant of a T. Fluviatilis or T. Nigroviridis and they have yet to scientifically confirmed as adult Tetraodon Sabahensis, there is a small description of this species in Ebert’s Aqualog and a picture of what is believed to be juvenile specimens but regardless of what they are, they are very interesting and rewarding puffers to keep.

Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 19

He/she is looking far healthier than when you originally got the fish...musta taken some feeding up to get it nice and plump like that Smile

Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 27

These pics are quite old now, currently he/she is still the same size. I was concerned about a re-occurrence of IP's, however the belly doesnt become sunken so I think I was over-reacting.

Currently I am taking the SG back down to fresh, not a long way from 1.004 but I want to see if there is any difference and then monitor closely for about a month or two and see if there is any change in behaviour/activity. I doubt the belly will go whit. When i walked in the room this morning about 7.40am, sun was just coming up and the very low light in the room showed him at his finest like these pics, soon goes back to the black state.

Also he's developed another one of these mystery lumps now on his underside, so i will se how that develops, and whether it will go all on its own like they have before.

Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 27

Over the past several weeks I have decided to take the Sabahensis from brackish (granted only low end of 1.004) to freshwater. He has currently been in freshwater for around 2 weeks and so far I have not noticed anything untoward in terms of health. Activity, behaviour and feeding remain the same. If anything starts to look amiss i'll start raising the SG again.

Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Wirral, Merseyside

I don't think you'll see much of a problem with such a small drop, but have you introduced it gradually?

Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 27

Salinity was dropped. 001 a week so it went down slow. It's not the particualr salinity i'm boithered about it's more of does a component that makes up marine salt keep the fish healthy in aquaria. Much like the Figure 8 puffers which are generally fresh in the wild but do better health wise in a low end brackish environment in aquaria.

Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Wirral, Merseyside

Thats a good question, although I doubt that there are any specific balance of trace minerals that are essential in salt water. With an SG so low to begin with the concentrations of these trace substances would be... well... trace. I think the best thing you can do is just watch. If you see any signs of ill health or lethargy that are not easily explained by common causes then you could perhaps put it down to lack of salt / trace substances. Seriously doubt that you will see this though.

You did well dropping the SG slowly though Very Happy

Puffers truly cant take sudden changes in their environment. Also: nice fish! My fiancée would be jealous!

Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Posts: 27

There is also the theory that water hardness is more important than actual salinity, my water is quite hard which I think helps him but as no one is absolutely sure whether this fish is fresh or brackish. I could never be sure what is better for him anyway but I thought i would try it just for curiosity sake.

Thanks for the compliment. He's a tough little sod, was in a sorry state when i got him riddled with IP's a big chunk out of his tail and weird lumps. A year on and he's still doing well.

Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 20 Location: Wirral, Merseyside

Ive heard that about the water hardness too (check out the Tools Wink

). With SG levels in the low to moderate its really difficult to say whether a fish needs the salt or not. Clearly some species do and yet some species dont. Its a bit weird really whether a fish has developed a reliance on a salt water environment or whether they developed a resistance to it.

Either way youve got a great puffer Very Happy