Anyone that spends some time around here knows you take great care of Hewbie and that you recently upgraded his home to a 120 gallon 48x24x24. If he gets bigger, we know you'll upgrade his home again! :)
Yes you are right most do/can but not all. Hewbie is about 12 inches and tripled in size since when I got him two and a half years ago. But as they get older their growth naturally slows down and a marine biologist friend estimated Hewbie to be around 2-3 years old when I got him making him most likely around 5 years old now he is an adult and was an adult when I got him. And is on track size wise. Although he is a slender but puffy little guy. At least he will always be my little guy.
Thank you I agree 100%!!! I would say keeping fish in this hobby isn’t an exact science. And knowing my own fish I know he’s happy and when he isn’t. Also seeing depressed puffers at the fish store makes me sad. And I know that Hewbie is 100% happy, healthy, and thriving. When puffers are bored/depressed or sick they will lay at the bottom of the tank and literally sulk all the time. And this isn’t just when they are sleeping this is all the time. Not to mention color is a great indication of mood and so is activity and fins wagging. He literally wags at me when he sees me it’s ADORABLE!
Agreed! This is a well loved fish, owned by a helicopter mom (sorry @AydenLincoln, I mean this nicely
), who's well known here on R2R and beyond. Hewbie is internet famous . Hewbie is no where near 18", and does just fine in his 120. If a time should come that he outgrows this tank, I have no doubt that Ayden will get him a larger tank 
Not sure what marine biologist can estimate an age of a porcupine pufferfish by just looking at them. It would require otolith ring counting to get a good estimate.Yes you are right most do/can but not all. Hewbie is about 12 inches and tripled in size since when I got him two and a half years ago. But as they get older their growth naturally slows down and a marine biologist friend estimated Hewbie to be around 2-3 years old when I got him making him most likely around 5 years old now he is an adult and was an adult when I got him. And is on track size wise. Although he is a slender but puffy little guy. At least he will always be my little guy.
Not trying to attack them or anything. The odd behavior in the video and the build thread containing them puffing is just a bit concerning as all. Please don't fault someone for worrying about the health of a fish.Agreed! This is a well loved fish, owned by a helicopter mom (sorry @AydenLincoln, I mean this nicely
Friend, you may be right about the fish you see when you dive. I'm just saying that many here at R2R are acutely aware of this particular fish, how he's being kept, and the lengths that his mom goes to provide him a good home. I can absolutely appreciate your concern, and I don't claim to be a puffer fish expert myself, but I can tell you for certain that this fish wants for absolutely nothing, I promise you
Again, I am quite certain that when Hewbie outgrows his 120, his owner will upgrade him to a larger tank.Not at all, and I'm not trying to be confrontational at all myself
I'm familiar enough to have read through her entire build thread and this thread to come to the conclusion that certain behaviors of the fish is concerning. I apologize I did not come to the same conclusion as you. Love isn't the only thing needed to keep a fish healthy.Friend, you may be right about the fish you see when you dive. I'm just saying that many here at R2R are acutely aware of this particular fish, how he's being kept, and the lengths that his mom goes to provide him a good home. I can absolutely appreciate your concern, and I don't claim to be a puffer fish expert myself, but I can tell you for certain that this fish wants for absolutely nothing, I promise you
Not at all, and I'm not trying to be confrontational at all myself
I'm just saying that if you're not familiar with this particular fish and his owner, then you don't know Hewbie
And as the owner of Hewbie I explained why he was acting the way he was acting in this video! He rarely puffs up and when he does he deflates as soon as he sees me. Almost to say, “Not to worry Mom! I’m okay!” That and puffers sometimes do it as a way stretch/it doesn’t always mean they are stressed. In this instance he wasn’t puffing up fully he was throwing a mini fit though lol. The reason he was mad at me in this video was because I had my hands in his way and was stirring up the sand also possibly because he got sand in his mouth/gills. Although I don’t believe that this was that behavior. He was throwing a fit because he was hungry since I left his food sitting out so he got really mad at me considering that’s when he always gets fed. He calmed down in a matter of seconds after I got my hands out and he never puffed up. This behavior was only happening because my hands were in his way and because I hadn’t fed him. He has never acted this way and only rarely puffs up. 99% of the time he is a happy and eager pufferfish spitting water at me and coming up to the surface for little pets and scratches. But a puffer is gonna puff and huff as a puffer sees fit and that’s okay. As long as it’s not a regular thing. And I know anyone who has ever owned a puffer can attest to them having their own personalities and behaviors towards seeing their owners and watching their owners do certain things.I'm familiar enough to have read through her entire build thread and this thread to come to the conclusion that certain behaviors of the fish is concerning. I apologize I did not come to the same conclusion as you. Love isn't the only thing needed to keep a fish healthy.Friend, you may be right about the fish you see when you dive. I'm just saying that many here at R2R are acutely aware of this particular fish, how he's being kept, and the lengths that his mom goes to provide him a good home. I can absolutely appreciate your concern, and I don't claim to be a puffer fish expert myself, but I can tell you for certain that this fish wants for absolutely nothing, I promise you
Not at all, and I'm not trying to be confrontational at all myself
I'm just saying that if you're not familiar with this particular fish and his owner, then you don't know Hewbie
Actually they can! However, like any fish it isn’t an exact date of birth. It’s roughly how old they are in years. And they are either juveniles, subadults, or adults based on size.Not sure what marine biologist can estimate an age of a porcupine pufferfish by just looking at them. It would require otolith ring counting to get a good estimate.Yes you are right most do/can but not all. Hewbie is about 12 inches and tripled in size since when I got him two and a half years ago. But as they get older their growth naturally slows down and a marine biologist friend estimated Hewbie to be around 2-3 years old when I got him making him most likely around 5 years old now he is an adult and was an adult when I got him. And is on track size wise. Although he is a slender but puffy little guy. At least he will always be my little guy.
I fish and dive often and see this species all the time. Pushing close to 20" is not uncommon at all. Fishkeeping may not be a science, but some stuff is obvious like how big fish need big tanks.
The thing is being in captivity can stunt fish growth or spur it on based on various factors such as the amount they are fed. Size alone is not a sole indicator of age, especially in captive animals.
No I’m comparing his age to when I got him. Which is how I know roughly how old he is now. He’s around 4-5 years old now becuase I got him around 2 years old/when he was 4-5 inches and that was 2 and a half years ago. And he’s on track growth wise and is around 12 inches. He is more than happy and growing still.
In captivity, size mostly has to do with how often and how much they are being fed at least for porcupine puffers that is. And I have upgraded his tank once and I will absolutely do it again if/when it comes to that. I would also like to mention as they get older their growth slows down significantly.
You also can’t compare how you see a “large” wild porcupine puffer to what you see in a captive due to many factors. Porcupine puffers in captivity usually don’t reach 20+ inches.
It’s okay you are right. I am! I worry about him, I have a camera on him, a fish fist aid kit filled with meds, and an Apex. He has his own stickers among other things. Pretty soon he may have his own merch. Point being is most know how well loved and cared for this fish is. And he knows it too!Agreed! This is a well loved fish, owned by a helicopter mom (sorry @AydenLincoln, I mean this nicely
He still REFUSES to crack open or even eat the cockles unless I give it to him on the half shell. He throws a fit!
You'd need to do a dissection study where you measure a large population of this species and count the otolith rings to try to correlate age and size for a specific species. This would make a research paper about this easy to find. Otherwise, the age that they spit out is just hearsay.No I’m comparing his age to when I got him. Which is how I know roughly how old he is now. He’s around 4-5 years old now becuase I got him around 2 years old/when he was 4-5 inches and that was 2 and a half years ago. And he’s on track growth wise and is around 12 inches. He is more than happy and growing still.
And were you positive they were diodon holocanthus and not diodon hystrix? Commonly confused and more common in public aquariums. They also grow quadruple the size.
Of course I do. But I realize not everyone does.
