Puffer with a catfish?

[Slippery K]

Hey mfk, just wondering if anyone has attempted this combo before. A Tetraodon Palembangensis (Humpback) puffer has popped up for sale at my lfs. I've kept salt water puffers together with morays for years with no problems. This will be my first freshwater puffer in a 75 gal tank, only other inhabitant is a jaguar catfish, who spends most her day in the pvc pipe. From what I've researched this puffer species seems to be fairly docile towards other fish. Does anyone here have any first hand experience?

 

[Fat Homer]

I used to keep a breeding pair of them, and basically its like owning a pet rock!!! So definitely not the type of puffer i would recommend for anyone looking for at least a bit of movement / action... The male used to stick strictly to his cave area, and not move more than maybe 5"- max 10" away from the entrance / The female, also never really moved when you were looking at her, but would randomly appear in the different areas of the tank staring at me...

Now as for the questions will they work with tankmates is really going to be touch and go, since by nature, Palembangs are piscivores / opportunistic feeders that attack from below, so if your jag gets unlucky, he could potentially end up with part of his belly ripped open...

 

[Slippery K]

is there a more active species of puffer around the same size range? space isnt a problem, I still have a 120gal tucked away under the basement stairs for later use when needed.

 

[Fat Homer]

^ This has always been the problem with F/W puffers in my eyes... the Active ones all stay relatively small at around 2"-3" or less, otherwise you need to look into a larger tank to house a Fahaka or MBU.... But i guess if you wanted something active, and would fill out the 75G, maybe could consider a trio of South American Puffers??? Although not sure how you feel about the potential need for teeth trimming...

If teeth trimming seems a bit daunting, you could otherwise consider one of the Target species of puffers, such as something like say an Abei Puffer if you can find one around your area? They max out around 3" i think, and could maybe live with some larger / fast enough tank mates? Although will require a lot of hiding spaces for both the fish and puffer to hide, and may still run a risk of nipping...

 

[hart24601]

If he has a 120 (4x2x2) tucked away a Fahaka shouldn't be a problem right?

 

[Fat Homer]

^ a 120G has often been said to be the bare minimum for a fahaka, but imho i think a 180G would be better...

 

[hart24601]

Wow, since they are generally the only fish - 10 gallons per inch of fish (assuming 18" max) seems like a lot, but then again mine is only 10". I would like to see a 18" one in person and how active they are.