Fahaka in a community tank

[Fat Homer]

I was thinking of doing something similar. Do you think getting it to work w/ a Marble Gar, Tire Track eel, Senegal bichir, pleco, and 1-2 oscar? What fish didn't work for you specifically? I was thinking of putting them in a grow out tank then moving them to a 150gal tank. Any advice on looking at the Puffer before you buy it. Also, what's the stocking on the 220?

In a 220 with all those fish??? You are would be asking for some serious trouble and major overstocking...

I can almost predict that the eel would be the first to jump ship, thenwould be a matter how lucky you are with the rest...

 

[milkman407]

what size tank is your fahaka in? my baby just came in last month at 1" and I can't wait for him to be that size.

 

[Achilles1763]

Okay, I found big bodied semi aggressive fish work the best (oscars and jack Dempseys are great). I never tried gars, my only concern would be that a test bite could be fatal due to small/thin body structure. The eel/pleco I would stay clear of as the are too immobile... if the fish is very seditary the more likely the fahaka will bite it again and again.
I had failures with small catfish, smaller snakehead species (rainbows etc) and anything too aggressive (the GT).... and now the pike cichlid I guess.
Growing out is fine but the puffer must be bought as small as possible and put into their home with lots of other fish. For some reason my lfs can get them quite easily at a round 0.5 of an inch... so they are proper babies. Then grow the up with all sorts of fish so they get used to seeing them as tank mates and not a meal. From there it's luck and trial and error!
My 220g at the moment is the fahaka, oscar, frontosa, ornate birchir and 2 large syno decorus.

 

[Achilles1763]

That sucks dude.. sorry to hear it. Was it a concerted attack or just a test bite? That's the issue with smaller fish.. just one bit can be fatal.

 

[Achilles1763]

what size tank is your fahaka in? my baby just came in last month at 1" and I can't wait for him to be that size.

Mine is in a 220g 7ftx2ftx2ft... she has been in there for a year now.. but spend the first year of her life in a 5ft 80g. Your baby will hit 10-12 inches in a year with good food and water.

 

[mrrobxc]

That sucks dude.. sorry to hear it. Was it a concerted attack or just a test bite? That's the issue with smaller fish.. just one bit can be fatal.

Test bite. Third mate he did this to.

 

[Achilles1763]

Yeah it's going to happen occasionally as the fahaka is growing up and working out what's is and what isn't food. At least it's not a deliberate murder as then you have a problem! At that point you need to work out if it's that type of fish, environmental, hunger etc ... or if he has just turned psycho. Keeping a fahaka in a community tank can be quite stressful lol

 

[Achilles1763]

Stick with it though... it takes a while to find the best combination of fish for your comm and basically what your fahaka like she as tank mates.. it's a bit of trial and error

 

[George Fertern]

Okay, I found big bodied semi aggressive fish work the best (oscars and jack Dempseys are great). I never tried gars, my only concern would be that a test bite could be fatal due to small/thin body structure. The eel/pleco I would stay clear of as the are too immobile... if the fish is very seditary the more likely the fahaka will bite it again and again.
I had failures with small catfish, smaller snakehead species (rainbows etc) and anything too aggressive (the GT).... and now the pike cichlid I guess.
Growing out is fine but the puffer must be bought as small as possible and put into their home with lots of other fish. For some reason my lfs can get them quite easily at a round 0.5 of an inch... so they are proper babies. Then grow the up with all sorts of fish so they get used to seeing them as tank mates and not a meal. From there it's luck and trial and error!
My 220g at the moment is the fahaka, oscar, frontosa, ornate birchir and 2 large syno decorus.

Thanks Man, I know Gars have abnormally strong scales(a guy at my lfs said in college he struck one with a knife and not a scratch) so I think he can be alright(Thankfully he was the fish I wanted the most after the puffer)! I've seen other people house them with species of pleco, eels, and knife fish, but them I'm not as sure about them(especially the knife fish and eels due to their shapes and not really strong bodies). Maybe I'll experiment?
Anyway, for the grow out tank. Can housing them with rummynose tetras and less aggressive cichlids like firemouths work? The rummynose are cheap but might be too voracious of eaters and make the puffer grumpy, which is good for no one. The firemouths would be big enough to stand up to the puffer if he becomes too mean. I was thinking of establishing the grow out tank before the Puffer is introduced to make sure he doesn't become too territorial. For the fish I want to keep him with long term(Oscars, Gars, bichirs, etc), should I put them prior to getting him, or can I add them into the growout/150 later?
Feel free to add your input in on any of my ideas, like you a pufferfish predator community is the ultimate tank and I want to do it successfully.

 

[Fat Homer]

^ i've said it once, and will say it one last time... too many fish in too small a tank = waiting for trouble to strike...

Honestly, if you want to keep a fahaka, give them the whole 150 - 200G to him / herself and watch them become a puppy in your tank...