Fish Collecting in Tampa Bay - Puffers

Peace River · Apr 19, 2019

This morning I had the opportunity to go fish collecting in Tampa Bay and, although we didn't catch the specific species of killifish that we had hoped, we did collect Rainwater Killifish (Lucania parva), Southern Puffer Fish (Spheoroides nephelus), and Chain Pipefish (Syngnathus louisianae) as well as a lot of Pinfish and Bay Anchovies. A major storm rolled in just as we were leaving so that made it exciting!!!

Does anyone have experience keeping or breeding Southern Puffers (or anything similar)?

drstardust · Apr 19, 2019

Cool, sounds fun!

lion king · Apr 20, 2019

What would your plans be, breeding? likely not. I wouldn't think they would be anymore difficult to care for than any other puffer, I think I did see a southern puffer listed at an online store store once, but they are not commonly kept. Not sure of their temperament, as far as I know they are like medium size, I'm thinking at least a 75g tank.

Peace River · Apr 20, 2019

lion king said:
What would your plans be, breeding? likely not. I wouldn't think they would be anymore difficult to care for than any other puffer, I think I did see a southern puffer listed at an online store store once, but they are not commonly kept. Not sure of their temperament, as far as I know they are like medium size, I'm thinking at least a 75g tank.

Thank you for the feedback. I have them in a temporary setup and plan to soon move them to a 55g. I also have other larger tanks that I can move them to when they outgrow the 55g. Currently they are only about 3/4" to 1". It is my understanding from several sources that this species can grow to about 8" although Peterson's Field Guide for Atlantic Fishes has their max size listed at 12". While my primary goal with these fish is to keep them in prime health and observe their behaviors, I am always thinking about how to breed any fish that I keep. Four of the puffers are already aggressively feeding on both live and frozen foods that I have offered. A couple more seem to be a bit shy, but that may well change soon.

lion king · Apr 20, 2019

That sounds fun, I thought they maxed out at about 8" as well, which means in captivity you may be looking at 5-6". I would be curious as to their growth rate and temperament, like fish are people too, I'm sure you'll get differences in each. A 55g sounds like a good tank to start. Keep us updated. I think I read somewhere that they would bury themselves, so maybe a sandy bottom substrate.

Peace River · Apr 20, 2019

lion king said:
That sounds fun, I thought they maxed out at about 8" as well, which means in captivity you may be looking at 5-6". I would be curious as to their growth rate and temperament, like fish are people too, I'm sure you'll get differences in each. A 55g sounds like a good tank to start. Keep us updated. I think I read somewhere that they would bury themselves, so maybe a sandy bottom substrate.

I don't currently have any substrate in the 55g at the moment. The sand bottom does make sense - the puffers were collected near a mangrove outcrop in the middle of grass flats. I had previously set that 55g up to breed Gulf Killifish (Fundulus grandis) that were also collected in Tampa Bay and now that that was successful I can shift that tank to the puffers and add the sand.

cracker · Apr 20, 2019

I don't know about the puffers But I do love local fauna tanks ! They are not as beautiful like fish from the Pacific islands but still cool in their way. If something gets too big or rowdy(as long as all fish are local )You just release into the water they came from . It's a blast collecting too ! Please give us I pic of the tank I'd love to see it.

Peace River · Apr 21, 2019

cracker said:
I don't know about the puffers But I do love local fauna tanks ! They are not as beautiful like fish from the Pacific islands but still cool in their way. If something gets too big or rowdy(as long as all fish are local )You just release into the water they came from . It's a blast collecting too ! Please give us I pic of the tank I'd love to see it.

Yes, I also really like native fish tanks - one of my favorites is @Chasmodes's Chesapeake Bay Oyster Reef Biotype Tank. Although I collect and keep several species of native fishes (including fresh, brackish, and saltwater), I don't typically set up display tanks for them. The tanks are primarily designed to be functional with a focus on breeding.

Because the puffer tank will be more for observation and learning, I may set up the 55g (that I will be moving them into) as more of a display tank. If I do that then I will post some pictures. I am not aware of any successfully breeding attempts of saltwater puffers that didn't include physical intervention, but if anyone knows differently then please let me know!

Chasmodes · Apr 22, 2019

Kewl topic, I'll be following for sure. I hope to collect a striped burrfish for my larger tank once it's set up, or perhaps a porcupine fish.

One thing to note that in many states, including mine, it's illegal to release fish that you've caught in the wild, back into the wild after being kept in captivity. If you have a local aquarium that houses local biotope tanks, it's probably best to try and find fish that outgrow tanks into a new home like that. Please check your local regulations, as it could help you avoid a hefty fine, or worse.

One exception to that is you have a permit from the state allowing you to release fish back into the wild. If you breed a sensitive species, participating in a breeding program sanctioned by your state, they may let you release them to strengthen a population. It's my understanding that these permits are not easy to get though.

Peace River · Apr 23, 2019

Update: the puffers seem to be settling into aquarium life. A few always seem to be at the front glass interacting with the surrounding environment and were eating from the beginning. A few more are still a bit more shy, but after two days they all come out and eat when food is added (the shyness/boldness didn’t seem to be size related). I am feeding a mix of frozen and live foods a couple times a day. There is an adult Rainwater Killifish (an F1 from a previous spawn who was aquarium bred & raised) who is also in the tank and is always in the middle of the intentional and active feedings. I’m not sure whether or not she had any impact on the quick transition to encourage all of the puffers to eat. Getting a fish to eat after it has been collected can sometimes be a challenge and so far that seems to be a nonissue for this group.

Peace River · Apr 27, 2019

Another quick update - the puffers are still doing fine and I have been figuring out how to move fish around to free up a 55g for them (it is a whole lot easier to free up smaller tanks!). Well, yesterday a friend, who knew that I was into fish keeping, offered me a tank and since I have a really bad habit of not saying no to free tanks I now have another 55g with a nice stand. Although the tank isn't drilled I will still be able to make it work for the puffers. The tank is now filled with a water/bleach mix to sterilize it - once that is complete I will begin the process of setting it up.