Marine Tank -- Porcupine Puffers (Diodon Holocanthus)

The ultimate mix of cuteness plus unique-ness ( at least to me...), the fish I always wanted to keep in a marine tank. Took the chance to grab whatever I could lay my hands on once my marine lfs had stock.. scooped up 5 pieces of babies no more than 2cm.. Darlin' was also bought over by their super cuteness at this size.

Cycled a new tank for a week, with water and sand plus a hammer coral from my seasoned tank and once water conditions were fine we picked them up and brought them home... They each had their own unique personality that we could identify with them together with their nipped fins/ body markings-- the one with perfect fins chasing everyone else was "BULLY" and had to be confined solitarily...sadly the rest succumbed to infections from the bites and "BULLY" was left alone... My water was not as good as I thought it was and the tank couldn't cope with the bioload of bacteria from their slime and a dead body I determined... The lack of liverocks for filtration and thin layer of live sand from my less than 1-yr old "reef-tank" was not enough.. Lessoned learned the sad way...

The one bad thing about my fishkeeping ways is impulsiveness for stuff/fish less often seen and the buy-first-consider-later bad habit I still often regret doing.... Trying to rehabilitate myself by putting their pictures on my desktop to remind me of the cruelty I have done to them helped though...

Even so, they remain a very "prized" pet for me in the future. I hope to have a special tank with enough rocks and caves for them to steer clear from each other and keep them to palm size. For now, shall just focus on one marine tank and make sure it doesn't come crashing (in the integrity and stability of the system that is).

Diodon holocanthus

Common Name: Porcupine Puffer
Other Common Names: porcupinefish; Long-spine porcupinefish
Family: Diodontidae
Distribution: Worldwide; Tropical Oceans
Water Parameters: Temp: 23-26C (74-80F); pH 7.9-8.4
Personality/Temperament: Agressive; Hunts and searches for food
Max. Size: 19 inches (50cm)
Estimated Lifespan: ~15 years
Sexual Dimorphism: Unable to discern difference between genders using external features
Diet: Live and frozen foods (not fish), freeze-dried krill, frozen shrimp, squid, clams and other molluscs and crustaceans. Feeding and Diet article
Care: Not suitable for reef tanks - will nip at corals and other invertebrates. Keep in a well-established tank, preferrably with live rock. Larger tanks are better, for territory and water quality reasons.
Breeding: Unknown
Minimum Tank Size: 120 US Gallons (450 liters)
Links to Other Resources: D. holocanthus profile on Fishbase

FISHING...@Sungei Serangoon

Been quite awhile since i fished on a regular basis... Went alot during NS times on days off with a army/fishing buddy Jason. Most of my knowledge on fishing equipment and tactics were learnt from the numerous trips out for almost 3 yrs...each trip would last a minimum of 3hours stretching up to 8 hours and more if overnight. Though all done inshore (fishing from land) and no monsters were encountered, I had a fair share of fun using light tackle (rod, line and reel for fishes less than 15 pounds), enjoying the peace of the night, the scenery or just the randomness of the catch at the end of the line !

I have a personal preference for random "wild-fishing" rather than go to a commercial pond. The variety of fish and expectation is so much different. When you pay to fish, you have a certain expectation do "make it worth the money", whereas when out at a beach or river, catching a variety of fish at random sizes is just more enjoyable, coupled with the nice relaxing view.

First up, fishing at Sungei Serangoon-- a natural river just minutes walk from my previous home at Sengkang. Not many such rivers exist nowadays and was i more than glad to go even twice a day since it was so near... Only once did I fish it after dark and left not soon after due to the mosquitoes aplenty and the risk of not being able to spot the wild cobra or sea snake (yes they are found loitering around and even some non-venomous ones are hanging from the trees above ! ) A brackish (where saltwater meets freshwater) river no more than 50metres wide has quite a variety to offer !

....a view from the nearest overhead bridge

..the very common whiting

..another common brackish water fish -- spotted scat

..puffers !

...black eel

...big catfishes >40cm



....stay tuned for more pictures from my other fishing trips.