The Tobi Chronicles

[KarenM]

I've decided to give Tobi a little more of a chance, so for those who want to keep up with how he's doing I created this blog. First of all I'd like to preface this by saying that I'll return him to the store if (1) he doesn't appear to be thriving, or (2) if he starts picking on my other fish or corals or anemone. I won't allow any of them to suffer needlessly.

OK, all that seriousness out of the way let's get to the blog:

I'd seen a Tobi before when I first set up my tank. My daughter and I just fell in love with it but was advised against getting it because my tank was brand new and I wanted corals. I was told the Tobi wasn't reef safe because they'd chew on the corals.

Fast forward to Tuesday, Sept. 12. In that same LFS I saw another Tobi. I stood and watched him maybe 5 min before an employee of the store came by. We talked a few minutes about the Tobi and we decided that the only thing in real danger in my tank MIGHT be my clam. Most like Tobi wouldn't bother my soft corals or other fish or anemone. He would eat frozen mysis, live brine, pods, etc. The little guy is just so adorable and so friendly that I decided to give him a chance, after being assured that I could return him if it didn't work out.

That evening I was really excited. I'm totally smitten with this little fish. I didn't notice him not getting along with any of my other fish. In fact, the others had swam up to him to check him out and he either ran and hid or just turned his back and ignored them. The cleaner shrimp attemped to go up to him but he quickly swam into a small cave and didn't come back out until the shrimp had left. So far so good.

That evening I feed them thawed and rinsed frozen mysis. Tobi got all excited, just like the rest, at all the mysis floating around. He seems to avoid the larger pieces but he chases and eats the tiny pieces, only to chew them up and spit them out. Meanwhile he spent the evening hunting out some live brine. He appears to be eating them and not spitting them out.

I posted about him here, to mixed reactions. Some only "good luck", some totally against my keeping him, and 2 PMs that thought it would be fine. I was feeling "iffy" at best.

Wed - Septemer 12

That morning around 4:30 am (the time I get up), I checked on Tobi. He was floating vertically, in the corner of the tank, with his eyes closed. I got a net and poked at him softly, but he just moved around like he was dead. I was disappointed, but everyone has fish that don't make it. I scooped him up in the net and headed to the bathroom for a Funeral Flush. I got about 3' away when he started making a clicking noise and puffing up! I quickly put him back in tank, round as a golf ball. I guess he was only sleeping. Now I know.

That afternoon when I got home from work he was his usual friendly self, still hunting out brine, still getting along fine with everyone. I tried frozen cubes of pureed brine with some other meaty stuff. Same thing - ran after it excitedly, chewed it up and spit it out. I thought I'd probably take him back, but I'm on call this weekend and not supposed to leave my house. I continued to watch him hunt out what I thought was live brine. He still seemed pretty content and not bothering anything, though I did see him nibble once at a huge turbo snail.

[KarenM]

Talked with some others online about Tobi, read some more articles about puffers. Something came up with my part time job so I left my full time job around 10AM and headed to the other office. On the way I stopped at another LFS for yet another opinion (can't have to many opinions, right?) and some cheap snails to see if Tobi would prefer them. An employee of this LFS has puffers and has trained them to eat frozen food. They said it was a good sign that he seemed to want to eat, but he was apparently spoiled and wanted live brine or pods.(I just started my pod tank and they're not ready yet). They didn't think Tobi would bother anything else in my tank, just my snails and possibly my large clam, and I should keep trying to find something he would eat. I bought some frozen clams on the half shell.

Tonight I fed them frozen mysis. Tobi's still getting excited, tasting them, then spitting them out. I also dropped in 2 frozen clams. He seems kind of curious, but not enough to wrestle the other fish for them. Every time he looked like he might check them out the coral beauty or basslet ran him off. Finally he got the chance to nibble at a piece of frozen clam stuck to a shell. As usual, he chewed it and spit it back out. Then he went back to hunting in the rocks for brine. I dipped a small net into the pod tank and then released them into the main tank. I'm pretty sure he caught and ate a few pods, but they're too small to tell if he spit them back out.

I dropped in a couple more frozen clams and sat down to write this. The other fish are feasting on the clams. Tobi is hunting in the rocks, staring intently at something I can't even see, and then appears to eat it. I like to watch him hunt. He stalks like a cat, then is perfectly still as if in mid air, watching his prey, before he goes in for the kill.

He's still nothing bothering anything that I've noticed, but I'm getting concerned that he's not eating. I'm going to put some more brine eggs in a cup to hatch and see if that's what he wants. Could it be that he only eats live brine and pods?

[Headless_donkey]

I bet he will eat frozen eventually. Freshly hatched brine are super nutritious. You can maintain a fish on those little guys for a long time.

BTW I almost bought a valentini today at RCA. It came out of someones tank and eats frozen like a champ. I passed though.

[KarenM]

I bet he will eat frozen eventually. Freshly hatched brine are super nutritious. You can maintain a fish on those little guys for a long time.

BTW I almost bought a valentini today at RCA. It came out of someones tank and eats frozen like a champ. I passed though.

I put a bunch in there last night, but he just stared at it like he was confused. And I think I saw him nibble on my big clam.

[KarenM]

I still haven't found anything that Tobi will eat, and I'm out of options. He has until Tuesday, the next time I have a chance to return him to the store, to start eating something. Anything. But I just can't keep him knowing he's not eating. But I don't really want to return him to the store and have him go through this same thing with someone else. If anyone out there would like him, they're welcome to him after Tuesday providing he doesn't start eating.

Geez, you'd think I would have learned by now to not buy anything without first posting to the 3 sites I frequent and and hearing everyones opinions.

I'm losing faith in our LFS's. Every one has at least one bad strike against them. Who can you trust?

[Headless_donkey]

There is only one person in the world you can truly trust. YOURSELF!

BTW I say take the fish back and get the one at RCA. It's already eating frozen.

[KarenM]

I'll end up taking him back I'm pretty sure, but I'll probably just wait until something more compatible catches my eye.

I was just at RCA Friday, that's where I got the frozen clams for my Tobi.

I just set up my pod tank, but someday, if that works out, I'd like to have a madarin. Maybe I'll just wait on that.

[Headless_donkey]

Cool,

RCA got the Tobi on Saturday.

[GKarshens]

I'll end up taking him back I'm pretty sure, but I'll probably just wait until something more compatible catches my eye.

I was just at RCA Friday, that's where I got the frozen clams for my Tobi.

I just set up my pod tank, but someday, if that works out, I'd like to have a madarin. Maybe I'll just wait on that.

Please please please don't put a mandarin in a tank smaller than 100g with no other pod eaters. I have one in my 125 that is slowly starving. If I could catch him I would get rid of him. I have 3 Wrasses and they out compete him. Even with a Pod "farm" you will not be able to sustain one. I know how hard it is to be patient and follow the recommendations of others. I made some of the same Newbie mistakes when I started. But you really need to do more research before making purchases.