Beginner Puffer for 90g

[Arget]

Okay, I've decided on a pufferfish for my 90g. I just don't know what species yet. Does anyone have any recommendations for a beginner puffer for a 90g, fresh<->brackish, that's highly interactive? It'll be a species only tank, either as a single specimen or a small group, depending on the puffer. I've got multiple options for filtration, depending on the currents they can handle, a sponge for the weakest swimmers, all the way up to an FX4 for monsters.


I'd like to get some options before I go to my LFS. I've seen Green Spotted, Figure 8, and a Falkaha puffer in there before. They've got a tank dedicated to brackish fish.



I prefer to thoroughly research any new additions so I can give them the best care possible. Captive bred is always a preference.

 

[Colin_T]

Very few if any pufferfish are captive bred, especially brackish and saltwater species. The demand for them isn't high and there is nobody willing to do the work for a fish that doesn't sell and isn't peaceful.

Figure 8 and green spotted are more commonly kept than the fahaka puffer.

Keep the water clean with regular water changes and gravel cleaning.

If you keep brackish or marine species, make up the salt water at least 24 hours before using it. Aerate the water during this time so all the mineral salts can completely dissolve in the water. Check the salinity of the new water before adding it to the aquarium.

Have some carbon in the filter just in case the fish gets stressed out and releases tetrodotoxins into the water. Replace the carbon every month.

Feed them a varied diet including things (prawn, mussels and snails) with shells. You can buy these items from a supermarket or bait section of your local fishing store and keep them in the freezer. Then defrost one and add it to the tank. The fish can chew its way into the food and the shell helps wear the fish's teeth down so they don't grow too long.

 

[Arget]

I use Este's black sand, and the tank is currently infested with ramshorns. I'm fully prepared to feed them shrimp and the like, I've done a bit of basic research before. I can't afford to turn the tank to a fully saltwater tank, I'm already maintaining a 55g reef, that's why I didn't convert the 90g to the reef. I always include carbon in my filters, and that's just the basics, and I'm a bit paranoid about water quality from the tap. No, I don't have an RO/DI filter yet, I've had freshwater from the beginning, and have to save up for it.