Free to a good home - Starry Puffer
 

'Maui' is about 7-8". Eats clams, squid, shrimp, scallops, ect.

Long story but J&L sold me this guy as a Mappa Puffer. My mistake for trusting them. The fish was small and pattern was hard to make out. Anyways, awesome fish. Very peaceful, so much personality but going to get massive. They get listed at all kinds of sizes but after speaking to some people from the US who have kept them, most likely scenario is 28-36".

Sigh... way too large for pretty much any home aquarium so not sure what will ultimately happen with this guy but hoping someone who has something in the 400-500G range may be interested.

He will outgrow my 84"x30" tank within the next two years, I think.

I've grown very attached to this 'little' guy but I know I cannot keep him long term.

On a side note, I tried to speak to J&L about this but they refuse to answer me, which is unfortunate. I honestly had no idea about Starry puffers and I feel like they had a responsibility to one, not bring these in and two, if they do, find a suitable home. Thinking back on all this, I realize that I do think the person working in the fish room knew what he was because when I asked about the 'Mappa' puffers, they said there are no Mappa's but when I pointed this guy out, they said 'Ohhhh, yeah, THAT mappa, yeah...'. Sigh...

Sorry to hear. Does the Vancouver Aquarium ever take over some people's larger pets?

ah too bad to hear.
unfortunately my tank is only marginally bigger at 80x36 or else Id take him

It's actually been a little stressful, if I am being honest. I hate to think that his life is basically uncertain once he reaches a certain size.

I am trying to find a contact at the Vancouver Aquarium but so far, no luck. I feel like they may be more interested when he is a little larger but even then, I think it's a long shot. As far as I know, they do not take fish often, if at all.

If given the room to grow, he will be stunning though.

Yeah it sucks. Your tank is probably a little better for him but really in the end, you would just end up with the same problem I will have.

Maybe one of the fish stores?

I don't know of any who have a display large enough. I figured I would start to ask now. I think this will be a long term project.

I am willing to figure out how to get this fish to a home that is out of town too, especially before he gets really large. I would cover the costs.

Also possibly the Seattle Aquarium

Fish Addicts in Langley have tons of huge tanks.. maybe give them a shout.

I will reach out tomorrow to some scuba friends. I have a few that work/quite involved with the aquarium

I have a 6 foot 150 with plans for a 350 soon. I have a lot of aquariums and been doing this 10 years if that helps

Thanks for the offer. Unfortunately a 350 is too small. I wish that would work, that is within the range I would be willing to set up for him but he needs over 500G depending on the dimensions. Probably larger.

Anyone have any contacts at the Vancouver Aquarium? I would still like to give that a good try before I commit to sending him to another home aquarium.

I do have one good option at 700G but still feel long term that it's too small.

I know the aquarium is a long shot but gotta try.

As you probably know, the Vancouver aquarium was recently sold which probably isn't for the better.

For a contact, you could try the "other" BC forum, they have a Vancouver Aquatic Hobbyist Society which I think used to meet at the Van Aq; not sure if it is still active or still meeting though.

Thanks! Well, I don't see it as good but not bad either. The alternative was the aquarium shutting down, which looked very likely not too long ago.

Luckily another member here has been able to make contact with the aquarium for me and we are waiting on an answer.

I think I will also check out that 'other' forum (think I know where you mean) and see if they have any ideas. Good advice.

Still looking for a contact at the Vancouver aquarium. I got some help from another member who was able to speak with someone there. As expected, they are not taking any animals at the moment but I am still hoping to speak directly with someone if possible.

This guy is growing fast - he eats 4+ shrimps and a few clams every day, but is still hungry after. My tank can't really keep up with this demand much longer.

I would say he is about 8-9" now, doubled in size over the past 4 months. :neutral: I think he is growing about an inch per month right now!

Hello

How many gallons is your tank? You say 400g - 500g would be suitable, and of course bigger would be better. You know much more about this species and specific specimen than do I, however live aquaria lists minimum tank size at 300g. Of course, they as a retailer have a vested interest to sell these fish to as many people as possible, but I find these ratings are typically accurate. I say this because I am setting up a 300g fowlr, within the month if not the next. It is not a tank, its more of a tub. It is 69" long, 63" wide, and 24" deep. Its an oval. This provides more swimming room than a lot of tanks because of its shape. If you can't find a home for your beloved pet, I'd be glad to take care of it. I planned on keeping a puffer anyway.

I can give you more details if needed, let me know what you think.

I agree that Live Aquaria is somewhat accurate but not this time. I guess it's a tough fish to list requirements for. In my opinion, there is no home aquarium that is actually suitable which is why I am trying to contact the Vancouver Aquarium. They should not be sold and I wish I had not accidentally mis-identified this fish when I bought him. Anyways...

The problem with something like 69" long, even at 63" wide is that potentially this fish would be more than half the length of that tub. They sometimes get listed as growing to 48" although I have spoken to some experts who said to more realistically expect 32-36" max. They also said often in home aquariums it's even as small as 30".

Then there is filtration. He is eating so much at 8/9" and I can't imagine how much he will eat at 30"!! In theory a dozen shrimp and half a dozen clams per day. I am just cautious about passing this problem off to someone else.

I potentially have a 700G tank for him to go to but I have still been holding out for the Aquarium, which I know is unlikely but would be the best home for this animal.

300G wouldn't be large enough for more than a few years I would think. My tank is 7' x 3' and I can't imagine him being in there for more than another year... if my filtration can handle him. Right now the tank is struggling to keep up.

Understood. In that case 300g won't be enough. As you touched upon, some fish don't grow as large in captivity as they do in the wild. Some fish grow according to the space they are provided, others will continue to grow beyond their given space. Seems like the latter is the case which isn't good for us or the fish. Good luck with things.

Thanks. Having kept puffers for a very long time, I would recommend you try either a Porcupine or if you prefer a larger Arothron family puffer, something like a Mappa. I thought I was buying a Mappa when I got this guy. They still reach about 18-24" but from what I have seen, usually closer to 18"

I'm sure you know this but QT puffers and watch for internal parasites. At least 50% of the puffers I have kept had internal parasites. Sometimes it was hard to see symptoms until years later but slow growth was also a bit of a give away.

Thanks. I was planning on a porcupine puffer from the start. Classic look

Thanks for all the replies and people who reached out to the Vancouver Aquarium. Looks like this guy will go to a 700G home on Friday. I wish I could have found something more suitable for his size but this has ended up being the best option.

It would be great if places like J&L stopped selling these fish.

Hi I got 150g I could take it I think

That is way too small. He is going to a 700G which I just posted above.

Fish has gone to the 700g. Thanks for all the help and suggestions!

Glad he found a larger home