Fahaka and another tank mate.

[Pufferpunk]

For now...

 

[barney619]

Let us know how it goes stud muffin. Mine have been together for years and are going strong. They hit a bump in the road when I moved, and the devil started picking on her, but they've been back to their regular selves since.

 

[arapaimag]

It really depends on the temperament of both fishes. I've had my 7" Fahaka with a 10" Red Devil for about 4 years. The devil is unique because he's killed everything else I ever put in there including other devils, plecs, barbs and africans. He bullies and mouths the fahaka to the point of pushing her above the surface of the water, but rarely bites or does damage. I really think it has to do with the fact that the fahaka is female and he devil is male.

You have been lucky with these two.

I am surprised how slowly your puffer has grown. My Tetraodon mbu also grew slowly and is only 18 1/2" after more than 13 years (Just measured him last month out of water) but my now deceased Tetraodon lineatus (Fahaka, Nile puffer, Coral Butterfly) grew to 14" in only 3 years from a 2" fish at purchase then slowed down and only grew an additional 3" over the next 3 years before shuffling off this mortal coil.

What size tank do you keep them in?

 

[xrayjeeper83]

arap I know you are very knowledgeable with fish and what not. But from everything ive ever read you should never take a puffer out of water, if they suck air it can be a death sentence for it.

But I agree something is up with your fahaka to be 4 years old and only 7inchs. Mine is 7-8 months old and that big. What size tanks has it been in and for how long?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Just added an 18" fire eel to my fahaka's tank. The eel went up & sniffed the puffers tail & the puffer just looked at him like, "What are you???" It's funny how the eel is going up to each fish in the tank & sniffing them like a dog, introducing himself.

 

[arapaimag]

arap I know you are very knowledgeable with fish and what not. But from everything ive ever read you should never take a puffer out of water, if they suck air it can be a death sentence for it.

Good point,

I guess there are lots of different ways to raise fish successfully. Reading books sometimes can help.

Maybe in my case it's a good thing I did not read those books. I really would have a tough time trimming my mbu's teeth by trying to do it under water.

Dr Klaus Ebert suggests that when a puffers teeth get too long "The fish is netted out and immobilised by wrapping in a damp cloth and the overgrown teeth snipped off".

He suggests that this procedure will (may) need to be repeated after a few months.

I guess he must just tell his fish not to suck air (in German).....each time he takes his fish out of water.

Just kidding,
Actually I and friends have owned a few puffers and kept them for reasonable periods of time and never encountered problems with them dying from breathing air, however possibly/probably different species from what we have owned are more adverse to being out of water.

I wish you the best with your puffer and hope he lives as long as my old four tooth (Tetraodon) mbu has and hopefully even longer.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Dr Ebert wrote that book how many years ago??? We have developed methods of safely tranquilizing the fish to make it much less stressful & dangerous to the fish (possibility of sucking in air), since then.

How old is old four tooth?

 

[dark_knights_99]

the only fish that i knew that can stand on its own is a ordinary pleco.

 

[Pufferpunk]

My girlfriend's 4" fahaka bit an 8" pleco in half.

 

[ajrhodes]

They say not to put any thing with a fahaka it might tolerate it for a while but then will eventually kill it.