My First Hand accounts as a Mom to a thornback cowfish

[worried puffer mom]

Originally Posted by LisaC144

And putting it in the same tank or a different one? Good luck with him!!
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I LUV my Scooter, ergo, separate tank. Everyone and everything says they are not compatible with others except for mated pairs, so in the interest of having Scooter live forever, he will not suffer for my curiosity.

However, if as they mature, there are differences that may indicate gender differences, then I may try same tank with divider to see what's up. At this time, there is no information about gender differentiation, breeding, etc. So, at this point going with 2 (#2 has not come home yet), and when another tank is set up (which will be the last - REALLY!) then a 3rd. Divider when not supervised or bare bottom, easily catcheable tank, under suprvision only, if I attempt to house 2 together.

At this time, Scooter is not 'acting' or 'doing' or 'nuking' what the literature, LFS's and people who claim expertise say should be going on. Therefore, a second THORNBACK to see if Scooter is the norm or if he is a freak. If he is a freak, at least he is my freak

[LisaC144]

I do not own a saltwater tank. I am strictly a freshwater hobbyist at this time. However, your knack for writing your experiences about Scotter and sharing all your stories makes me feel like I am right there witnessing it all too. Thank you for sharing Scooters life with us. I enjoy every one of your posts and look forward to hearing more stories about Scooter and your soon to be Scooter2.

[worried puffer mom]

Originally Posted by Pasfur

This is a great thread. Please keep it coming. We need more documentation like this to really advance the hobby and care of special species. First hand accounts are extremely valuable. In fact, after you have this little guy for a few months, I would suggest that you post an article on their care.

You, Sir, are way too kind. A few months does not an expert make. An article? I am absotutely not qualified. I will deem myself an expert if and when the day comes when I have a mated pair of thornbacks that give me viable grandfish. Only then will my words be truly valuable.

Until then, my life as a proud thornback mom will be documented anectotally.

[LisaC144]

Yay! Scooter looks so darn cute in your avatar!

[worried puffer mom]

I would like to be all witty and humorous, but golly it has been a BEAR of a couple of weeks. Being a middle aged white chick with a rake (translation: female landscaper. Incidentally, I am the equivalent of 2 mexicans or 4 white guys) working in the humidity of the Arizona monsoon is killing me!

Anywho, the search for Scooter, The Sequel has been fruitless at this point. I have driven many a mile over a reported Thornback, as told to me by a LFS, only to come face to face with a Longhorn. So much for informative sales people.... So the search continues.

As far as the star of this thread, Mr. Scooter, there have only been 2 occurances of note:

1. Brian the Dogface puffer, after murdering a cleaner shrimp, then eating the evidence (he was kinda busted when I noticed simultaneously the absence of said shrimp and the incredibly extended belly of Mr. Brian) has come out of hiding and is swimming with the fishes to to speak. Scooter still takes food from Luigi's mouth (PP Puffer), and now he does it to Brian as well. Before, Brian would head for the rock caves whenever he saw Scooter scooting his way. Now that he has been 'blooded' (murder and eating of the shrimp), not even Scooter scares him any more. I will say, where Luigi never so much as tossed a snail, Brian is showing puffer behavior (at least with the dearly departed shrimp). Therefore I am keeping a very watchful eye on Brian to make sure he doesn't turn on the others, including Scooter.

2. I originally thought it was my sun-blinded eyes, but I now have confirmation from others who live and work in the AC of AZ: Scooter has turned ORANGE. This didn't happen overnite, it has been a gradual process. I just thought it was me and my aging eyes wanting to see more color in the tank. Coloration, in all literature, says mottled brown/tan, with blue markings in juveniles. Scooter has never shown blue, and I can not find any mention of an orange cowfish. All other physical markers say Thornback. The orange isn't showing up so much in pics yet, but it seems he gets brighter every day. So, some day, I will show an orange Thornback on this page. He eats, spits, hovers, plays in the pump flows, blows at the substrate, and is growing - everything a happy little cowfish should do, so I am not thinking health issue is to blame. It could be he is just a color morph.

Or.... is this a sniglet of a potential gender differentiation issue.... only a second Thornback, kept in similar circumstances can help answer this question....

Oh where, Oh where is that second little Thornback cowfish hiding!

[worried puffer mom]

So, I get the call today. There is a Thornback with my name on it at a LFS. When I get there, I am a little apprehensive.... said Thornback is at least 3 times the size of Scooter when he came to live with us.

My experience with Mandarins is that the older they are, the less likely they are to adapt to live in captivity. In genetics it is likened to Phenotipic plasticity: The younger an organism is, the more adaptable it is. So, looking at this larger Thornback, who is relatively stationary in the tank, I pondered 1) my low balance in my checking account; 2) if this critter does not survive, I will have a lower balance in my checking account, and nothing to show for it and 3) because he is such a cool looking critter, anyone with a fishbowl could pick him up, and since this particular LFS is notorius for its lack of knowledge, this critter would be sent to his death for the sake of profit, with an unsuspecting buyer.

In the end, #3 won out. I would like to say that the decision is totally altruistic, but there was a subsection #4 to the decision process: Live or die, there is a lot that can be learned here, and at least in my case, I have a history of going above and beyond for my finned critters - thusly earning me a very high mandaring survival rate in nano tanks, after said diamonds of the seas are trained to frozen.

SO, here are the questions posed with Bob:

1. Being older, and obviously wild caught can he adapt to captivity.

2. If he doesn't eat, how can he be trained?

3. Is Scooter a freak of nature?

4. If Bob were to pass away, will he nuke his current tank (29g with a bangaii and a yellow coral gobie)

Initial observations of Bob:

1. He appears a lot more sedentary than Scooter, more in agreement with the literature concerning Cowfish. (Scooter was hightailing it all over the tank introducing himself to all the other life forms in quarantine with him)

2. He would not take frozen food. He showed no interest at all. (Scooter hit the tank asking for supper - gorging on whatever he could get - all frozen)

3. He did become more active, though that isn't saying much, and ate live brine. After he ate it all, he settled on the bottom. (Scooter was a little speed demon, and after the food (frozen in Scooter's case), he continued his explorations.)

4. He was tan and mottled coming in, and there were no color changes during acclimation or release. (If Scooter's initial paleness, and his 'paling' when he got stuck under a rock, indicate stress, Bob is not showing a stress related color change.

In Scooter's case, i was more worried about nukage and other fish picking on him. In Bob's case, I am more worried - based on my experiences with Scooter, about Bob himself.

More to follow..... And as is the case with Scooter, win lose or draw, I will document everything I can about Bob.

[aunt kymmie]

I do not know the answers to your questions but am enjoying following this thread.
Yes, Scooter is a freak of nature and how lucky you are for that!
I wish you the best of luck with Bob!

[worried puffer mom]

I came home from work today to find Bob gray in color. Based on the assumptions made with Scooter, this would indicate stress. I ran chems and all were in order. I fed Mysis, and he ate it. A little while later, I gave him some of the mix that goes in the display tank, and again he ate. So, watching the color (yesterday he was mottled tan) for further developments. It should be noted that the bangaii and gobie sharing the tank are not showing any indications of stress, and both are still eating. This observation in reference to the statements that a stressed cowfish can exude toxins.

He is more active than yesterday, but still not Scooter active.

The 29 g is in our office, and as I sit here, Mr. Bob is staring at me. If I move around the room, he follows - as in turns to watch.

When Scooter was in the 29, he seemed happy, but was a lot happier in the 110. Given his size, I wouldn't have thunk tank size mattered, but the assumption was based on an increased activity level.

Watching Bob track me has me wonder if it isn't the what, but the where. Scooter's tank is in a wall between the livingroom and the kitchen. In other words, a high traffic area. Bob's tank is in a relatively quiet room that we only go into to feed the 29, or to use the computer.

In retrospect, given Scooter's intelligence, it makes sence that an inquisitive critter is happier in a location that gives more visual stimulation. These are living, sentient beings, after all. So, pondering environmental enrichment opportunities for Bob....