View Full Version : Puffers! And tank mates? Suggestions?
Springtyme
08-14-2005, 6:42 PM
Okay so I absolutely miss my puffers... I'm going to try to convince my roomie to set up the 30 gallon tank and put some puffers in it (i dont know if they'll go for it or not) but I'm just curious what you guys would suggest for tank mates. I had 2 puffers in a tank and they ate EVERYTHING else I had in there with them (which include a ghost knife fish, 3 flouder like things). I really hated having a tank with ONLY 2 puffers in it, was kinda depressing but nothing lived. :feedback:
Mattcomptonassvanhorn
08-14-2005, 7:39 PM
Is this salt or brakish?
Springtyme
08-14-2005, 8:29 PM
Ah, guess I should have stated that... I dont really have the time or patience right now for a saltwater tank, so Brackish it is!!
piranha45
08-14-2005, 8:45 PM
get 4-6 dwarf freshwater puffers. add some schools of small tetras. see how things go... i think they might all get along fine.
mkpeters6
08-14-2005, 8:51 PM
brakish water puffers (ie green spots or fig 8s) are tough to have tank mates b/c they love to nip fins and they have some serious teeth that do a good deal of damage
Not angelfish, did that, bad thing.
Springtyme
08-14-2005, 8:58 PM
brakish water puffers (ie green spots or fig 8s) are tough to have tank mates b/c they love to nip fins and they have some serious teeth that do a good deal of damage
Haha, no kidding huh? My green spotted puffers before ATE my ghost knife fish, all I found was his skeleton... he was about 3"-4", they were, oh, I dunno, maybe 1" if they were lucky? Those little b@stards! :p
rweedon
08-14-2005, 9:04 PM
how about you just stick to the puffers cuz chances are everything will be eaten you have already learned that so just get a school of puffers in a 30 gal tank you could keep like 5 spots and 5 figure 8's without being close to max for the tank... and who cares what the roommate thinks unless she is really hot and then I would understand...
rweedon
08-14-2005, 9:05 PM
forget that part about the hot girl or maybe that still could be true?!?!?! oops guess I should look at who I am responding to DOH!!!
I would not reccomend keeping more than 1 or 2 'Brackish' Puffers in a 30g tank. The green spotted puffers grow fairly large, but most don't make it that far. T. nigroviridis, T. fluviatilis, and T. biocellatus are often commonly available, but they will grow large (3-6") and become aggressive.
The green spotted puffers should really have a min. tank size of 50g, for 1 or 2.
F8s should be fine in a 30g, but I wouldnt go any smaller.
I would go with 2 figure 8s, and a butis butis. Possibly a knight goby, too.
There is alot of ignorance about Pufferfish, and alot of bad information out there. If you are serious about your puffers, I would go to ThePufferForum.org and ask people that are very well versed in puffer husbandry. Most information you will recieve regarding puffers on other forums, will be incorrect.
Hope that helps!
Miles
Btw.. Puffers can have tankmates.. You just need to pick them wisely. It also depends on each puffers individual personality.
Ask Rweedon, hes seen it ;)
frontosa_man
08-15-2005, 2:20 PM
my wife had a dwarf puffer and 4 giant danios in a 40gal. and never had a problem with fin nipping.
bluedempsey
08-16-2005, 5:49 PM
i want a puffer like this!
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/pufferGoldAfrica.jpg (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/pufferGoldAfrica.jpg)
:thumbsup:
rweedon
08-16-2005, 6:43 PM
burn miles really schooled me this time do spotted really get that large... all the ones we usually get from african are in really bad shape as are the rest of them but you might know all about that miles...
bluedempsey
08-16-2005, 6:57 PM
burn miles really schooled me this time do spotted really get that large... all the ones we usually get from african are in really bad shape as are the rest of them but you might know all about that miles...
what does that mean?
:screwy:
I wasn't trying to burn you, just letting everyone know that Green Spotted Puffers can get fairly large. You might be able to house them temporarily in groups like that, even in small tanks.. But you will never grow a GSP to its adult size, nor let it look its best.
The reason they usually look so crappy, is because people try to overcrowd them.. Those little jaws or 'Pinchers of Power' as I would like to call them, can do some serious damage.
He is reffering to African Northwest, a wholesale company we work with here in WA. They likely keep all those little puffs in a tiny cubicle, where they constantly eat each other. Keep in mind the actual cost of Green Spotted Puffers when they are in season, is near the same cost as Tetras.. However, they don't ship well in large groups, and can be very expensive to Import from their native region (Sumatra, Borneo, etc.).. Sometimes it is hard for me to keep my mouth shut when I know exactly how much each fish is being paid for when it changes hands.. The point I am trying to make is, most Exporters will insanely overcrowd these nippy fish, so they can save on freight costs. This makes the next few months bouncing from tank to tank extremely hard on them, which means by the time they get to you, they 'look like crap.'
I had 2 Green Spotted Puffers, both at 4-5".. They were in a 55g tank with a 1" F8, and a Butis Butis.. To some people even this is still overcrowded. Puffers are messy eaters, and can put off alot of waste, so often people will give you the 'Bio-Load' lecture. Bio-Load is only a term for people who don't change their water enough ;) I also kept them in the Saltwater tank with the Lionfish for a while, but they would always get spooked and smash into the live-rock, scraping themselves. Not to mention I was worried one was going to get pierced by my black sea urchin.
Note to self & MFK members: Never buy cheap knock-off canister filters.. They will leak all over your house, drain your tank to 1" of water, and kill your most beloved pufferfish.
BTW Ryan, If your puffers 'Eat, Eat, and Eat some more' but always have that 'Skinny Belly' look.. its because wild puffers often have internal parasites. Use frozen krill, and soak it in garlic extract. It is a very safe, all-natural medication that should help the puffers perk up alot. Also try not to overcrowd them, and they will do WAY better.
ThePufferForum has a wealth of information. Jeni (PufferPunk) is very knowledge, and very helpful! She has written a few articles in TFH about Puffers, as well as the puffer section in the encyclopedia of exotic tropical fish.
Hope that helps!
Miles
snargalsius
08-25-2005, 10:01 PM
You could also try a tank with several Colomesus asellus(sometimes called zebra puffers or brazillian freshwater puffers). I have kept these in community tanks with small fish like dwarf red Badis badis and have never had problems. Some sources say that the get 6" long but my experience with them is that they are slow growing. They are easy to care for and feed well on krill and blood worms. Check out chunkypuff.net for a picture
Hey Ryan,
Check out these Puffs! You still think you can do 10 of em in a small tank? ;) No offense, dude!
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Super_Spotted_Puff.jpg (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=2/medium/Super_Spotted_Puff.jpg)
flowerfan
08-29-2005, 1:34 PM
wow! I never see one that larger in my life, I want to have one that big.
Miles
08-30-2005, 11:28 AM
That is how big they can get, if you give them a proper home and take good care of them..
Most people don't make it past 1"..
I had mine to 4" before they died :(
flowerfan
08-31-2005, 10:47 AM
I have one umb puffer. I tried to post its pic. but the file is too large to upload, do any one know how to change to smaller file?
Fish Finder
09-04-2005, 2:33 PM
you should have it hosted somewhere on the web they will down size it for you . Here is the site i use
http://www.photobucket.com
and it's free
bermuda
12-16-2005, 1:50 AM
puffers are territorial and agressive but beautiful and wonderful if you can do them right. they really like mellow fish as tankmates, and they generally won't nip if the tankmates don't move much or don't have impressive fins. i know dwarfs do fine with otos...
Did anyone mention Archerfish?
warren126
12-16-2005, 8:18 AM
I have a pignose puffer he is not a really big eater I have only had him for about 1 month all he does is sits on the bottom of the tank can any one tell me about how big do these guys get thanks
Alx510
12-16-2005, 1:48 PM
just go saltwater and get 2 or 3 valentini puffers. those little guys are awesome :D
Fish Finder
12-17-2005, 4:40 PM
so what did you do?
ignoramous
06-10-2009, 10:37 PM
There is alot of ignorance about Pufferfish, and alot of bad information out there. If you are serious about your puffers, I would go to ThePufferForum.org and ask people that are very well versed in puffer husbandry. Most information you will recieve regarding puffers on other forums, will be incorrect.
QFT. I just got done spending about two days trying to sift through all the opinions out there to get some hard, useful facts about SGPs, and wish I'd seen the above comment right off the bat. :thumbsup: