F8 Puffers + Fun Nipping

[Icedcoldmine]

So I have 4 f8 puffers in a 55 gallon aquarium.

3 of whom have nipped fins and 1 doesn't. It's currently only those 4 fish so I have a good idea on who's causing the trouble.

My questions is, would removing the 1 f8 puffer who has become a fin nipped stop the nipping? Is this nipping acceptable or should I stop it immediately? Will the other puffers recover? Will they then become aggressive if I take away the nipper?

 

[Fat Homer]

Puffers are going to nip and chase each other, even friendlier ones...

To try and cut back on aggression you want to add caves / plants / wood or any other decorations that will help break lines of sight as well as give the puffers to hide...

So without seeing or knowing your tank, that would be my first suggestion...

 

[Icedcoldmine]

Puffers are going to nip and chase each other, even friendlier ones...

To try and cut back on aggression you want to add caves / plants / wood or any other decorations that will help break lines of sight as well as give the puffers to hide...

So without seeing or knowing your tank, that would be my first suggestion...

Here's my tank. They are always up against the glass even with the nipping Z_Z

Going to be adding knight gobies, bb gobies, sailfin mollies, and sword tails soon

 

[Fat Homer]

I would personally add some caves and plants to the substate area since puffers dont normally hang out at the top of the tank...

You could also try throwing in a bunch of quarantined snails for them to feast on and hunt for...

 

[Icedcoldmine]

I would personally add some caves and plants to the substate area since puffers dont normally hang out at the top of the tank...

You could also try throwing in a bunch of quarantined snails for them to feast on and hunt for...

Ah ok. Where can I buy such "caves" lol..... and by snails what do you mean? I feed mine a variety of bladder, ramshorn snails, krill, crushed up MTS, and bloodworms

 

[Fat Homer]

^ those types of snails are all fine...

Just find ways to break up lines of sight from the substarte up, whether it be with plants or driftwood stacked to create caves down what you may find in walmart or your lfs

 

[Icedcoldmine]

^ those types of snails are all fine...

Just find ways to break up lines of sight from the substarte up, whether it be with plants or driftwood stacked to create caves down what you may find in walmart or your lfs

Ah ok lol. I have tons of cool driftwood that makes it look like a mangrove currently sinking...... Do you know if sword tails can go brackish of around 1.004-1.008ish area? The puffers left the guppies alone (even their fry)...... but would sword tails be nipped? Hence their sword?

 

[Icedcoldmine]

Ah ok lol. I have tons of cool driftwood that makes it look like a mangrove currently sinking...... Do you know if sword tails can go brackish of around 1.004-1.008ish area? The puffers left the guppies alone (even their fry)...... but would sword tails be nipped? Hence their sword?

The 2 strains of swordtail I have are Sanshoku Swordtails and Koi Swordtails. Any in particular that likes brackish? I also have 4 sailfin mollies in right now....... should I remove 2 and add the 2 swordtails?

 

[PYRU]

Homer gave great advice.

My experience is F8s are not community puffers. Mine did best alone or with little gobies. I had issues until I split them up to singles. Even 2 in a 40b nipped each other to pieces.

 

[Icedcoldmine]

Homer gave great advice.

My experience is F8s are not community puffers. Mine did best alone or with little gobies. I had issues until I split them up to singles. Even 2 in a 40b nipped each other to pieces.

I have 4 in a 60 with 3 knight gobies, 6 Bb gobies, 2 sailfins, 2 swordtails, and 3 nerite snails :]

Only the puffers nip eachother :[

But I can tell they like their company.... I have 2 that always swim side by side. It's cute.

All my fish fight *in species* when I feed snails the gobies dont really care about the pufferzZ