figure 88 puffer fish

Question
hi. i was wondering how do i tell if my figure 8 puffer is pregnant. about how long are they pregnant for? and do they lay eggs or give live birth? if i can get an answe, that would be great.

  thanks,
     skylar

Answer
Hi Skylar;

Puffers are egg laying fish so if you have a female with eggs inside her you also need a male for her to spawn with. The eggs will be fertilized as she lays them. The tough part is that you can't tell the difference between male and female figure eight puffers just by looking at them. Breeding habits are really not very well known either. Very few or perhaps none have actually bred in captivity. The ones we buy in the stores are caught from the wild. It is known that the eggs are laid on a flat surface such as leaves and the male guards them. If you ever have yours breed, I'm sure the fish keeping community would love to hear of your experience.

Here is a great page about general care of your figure 8 puffer that may help you get there;

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/

Good luck!

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins