animals—which pufferfish are—typically
contain toxic substances within or on their
tissues that will poison an animal that tries
to eat them. Some poisonous marine animals,
such as cowfishes and sea cucumbers, are
capable of exuding toxins into the water
when severely stressed or harassed, thereby
affecting other organisms sharing the same
water, but such is not the case with your
puffer. Indeed, the dogface puffers Arothron
spp., along with many other puffers, contain
a very potent toxin called tetrodotoxin in
their tissues. However, the only way your kids
could be exposed to this toxin is if they try to
eat their new pet.
Even though puffers aren’t venomous, I
would caution your children to keep their
hands out of the puffer’s tank—and never
allow them to hand-feed it. Puffers may not
have a deadly bite, but they do have powerful
teeth that can inflict a painful wound, and
they will bite the hand that feeds them.
Marine Fish
Longevity
Hi. I’m 14 years old, and I’m
setting up my first saltwater
aquarium. I’ve been keeping freshwater
tanks since I was 10. My question is about
how long saltwater fish can live in an
aquarium. The fish I’ve been seeing for sale
are really expensive compared to freshwater
fish, and I have to pay for any fish I get out
of my babysitting money. I hope they live a
long time!
Jade Stelzer
Champaign, Illinois
Q
Mark Smith
The orangespotted shrimp goby Amblyeleotris guttata.
The length of time a saltwater
fish will survive in captivity
depends on several factors. One
factor is the age of the fish when
it was captured (assuming the fish was wild-caught and not tank-raised). Obviously, a fish
that has been around for several years or is
nearing the end of its natural lifespan when
captured won’t live as long in the aquarium
as a young specimen will. It also stands
to reason that your fish will have a longer
lifespan if you choose healthy specimens to
begin with.
Another factor is the particular species
of fish you’re dealing with. Some, such as
the neon goby Elacatinus oceanops, are
naturally shorter-lived than others, typically
living only a year or two in captivity. The
water quality and nutrition you provide
for the fish in your care will make a big
difference in how long they live as well.
A
John O’Malley
Black-spotted dogface puffer Arothron nigropunctatus; though they are powerful biters that can
deliver a painful wound to the unwary aquarist, dogface puffers are not venomous.
Choosing the right tankmates for your
fish will also affect their longevity. For
example, a peaceful, retiring fish kept with
rambunctious and aggressive tankmates
usually won’t live as long due to constant
stress or outright physical bullying. Of
course, keeping a small fish with a larger
predatory species will significantly shorten
the lifespan of the smaller fish—sometimes
to just a few minutes!
That being said, many marine fish can
live a surprisingly long time in captivity.
To give you a sense of just how long, I have
a percula clownfish Amphiprion percula
and a yellowtail blue damsel Chrysiptera
parasema that have been around since you
were about three years old, and they’re
still going strong. While you can’t expect
every fish you buy to live for 11 years, you
can certainly make the most out of a fish’s
lifespan—not to mention your babysitting
money—by giving it the right care and
protecting it from undue stress, aggression,
or predation.
Tropical Fish Hobbyist www.tfhmagazine.com
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