Dreaming about Puffers

[silverain420]

Ok, Ok, all the puffer talk going on, I can't wait any longer. Within the next few weeks, I am going to purchase another tank (probably a 20 gallon which will be SW, I'll use my existing 12 gallon for the puffers). I had a brackish tank years ago that housed figure 8's, dwarf, and green spotted puffers (NO, not all at the same time!) At the time I was apparently not very well informed. I always maintained a brackish tank with aquarium salt. Most sites that I find advise aquarium salt, however I remember reading on a post here that marine salt is recommended. Can I get everyone's opinion on that? I do prefer the saltiest I can get and would go full SW with them if I could find the right fish. (My LFS only carrys figure 8's.) Which puffers do best in full SW tanks and does anybody have any reccomendations for the most docile puffer for a SW or brackish tank? I haven't thought about other companions, I am ok with a puffer only tank...

So lets have it. There is a great dwarf puffer thread as well as GSP threads. I wasn't sure if I should put this under FW or SW so let's hear from both if we could... [/color]

 

[madasafish]

Well, if you want full SW puffers, I'm a little out of the loop. But... There are many, of which the Porcupine Puffer and Dogface are perhaps the most famous. Others include the Spotted Puffer, Blue Dot Puffer, Saddle Puffer and the Spiny Box puffer. I think you'll find most of these too large for a 12 or 20 gallon aquarium. The Blue dot puffer only grows to 5 inches, though...

Green Spotted puffers often do ok in full marine water. I've seen them in SW tanks, and have heard from others that they keep them in their SW tanks. This is probably not too much of an issue because all estuaries have salt wedges (wedges of unmixed marine water) that creep up under the fresh fluvial water by virtue of their greater density.

Check fishbase.org for other options.

If you're going for brackish, I'd recommend Marine Salt. It's meant to mimic, or is, salt from the sea. Aquarium Salt is a blend of salts which have primarily medical purposes.

With a BW 12 gallon tank, I'd reccomend you think again. GS and F8 puffers get quite large--7 or 8 inches--and would need a tank of at least 55 gallons. If you're happy to go with dwarf puffers (they come highly recommended by me!), you do not need (really, should not have) a brackish tank. A FW tank of them is fine! Which means you can have a huge variety of plants, and possibly even house an Otocinclus suckermouth catfish with them. And, as long as you don't get too many, they'll never outgrow the tank. Just make sure it's well planted, so they don't get into too many feuds.

Waddya think??

 

[Electrobes]

Figure 8's do not get as bit as GSPs. Figure 8's should only get to about 3.5 to 4 inches max, while GSPs get to about 6 inches (and even that is pretty maxed out). I still agree with Madas about the tnak still being too small for either puffer, and also agree that dwarf puffers are fun to keep!. Definately definateky definately and please please please use marine salt, it can be found just about anywhere. It is sea salt which contains the necessary elements of either saltwater or brackish water. Aquarium salt is used for madical purposes, but even then I do not suggest using it, most poeple just up the temp and salt in the tank... if you want to know several reasons why.. do a search on the posts for it.. in short it speeds up the life cycle of Ich (for example) which later become free swimming but very vunerable to environmental changes.. hence the salt then killing them when increased.

 

[Tigerlily]

Silverain - I know how you feel! All the puffer talk around here has given me puffer fever! Madasafish, I was thinking about your cute little puffers all the way home from work last night. I may have to set up a little puffer tank of my own! What do you think the minimum size tank would be for several dwarf puffers? Could 2 or 3 go in a well-planted 5 or 10 gal? Do they need more space to curb aggression once they get bigger? How are you keeping yours and what would you recommend?

 

[madasafish]

*Tigerlily*

I keep mine in a 10-gallon planted. I'm going to increase the number of plants in there soon...

I'm starting to see some aggression, but am also noticing that the fish are using the plants to hide/camouflage.

I would say that a 5 gallon is too small for fully-grown DPs. Might be ok for a couple of babies for a while. Liveaquaria.com recommends 30+ gallons, but honestly the fish get lost to view in there.... Sometimes I really don't agree with their recs.

If you can sex the puffers when you're buying them, do!!! Get only 1 male, and several females (look for a longer lateral black stripe on the caudal peduncle--base of tail--of the male) This curbs aggression. I could not sex mine, as they are still very young. I'm expecting a casualty or two as a result... But if I see this, I'll separate out the weaker males into smaller/other tanks.

*Ideally*... I think you sould get a 20 Long with 10-20 puffers (1-2 males, the rest females) and plant it densely (with a fertilized suibstrate etc). That would be a great tank for you. You'd really enjoy watching them!

 

[Tigerlily]

Thanks for the explanation

Definitely something to think about...

 

[Sati]

I hate you guys! I've had puffer fever long before all this talk and you're all just aggrivating my disease :[

I do have an unused 10g though... Hehehe :]

 

[Electrobes]

Ha! and it starts

 

[madasafish]

It's like a virus.... But as I say, there's nothing wrong with MTS. So there's really nothing wrong with PES (Puffer Envy Syndrome) either!

Get some.

 

[silverain420]

Thanks

Thanks for all the great advice. I do not want a porcipine (ok, yes I do, but not in my 12 gallon) and thats why I was asking about other kinds, and why I posted in FW. I'm not looking for many, maybe 3, and dwarf puffers sound perfect. I have a small planted FW tank right now thats home to a male betta and 2 red claw crabs. But that's why I was looking at another tank for puffers only. I do have marine salt (and aqaurium salt for the FW) but thats why I was asking for more info on puffers in SW. I really love live rock! It reminds me of those candles they sell that have the treasures in them that you find as they burn down. It just amazes me the creatures you can end up with! So knowing my love for puffers and for LR tanks, I was hoping to be able to combine both. But you're absolutely right. It would be unfair to house too many puffers in such a small tank. So maybe I will go with a small FW planted tank w/puffers... So many choices! Thanks again, and keep it coming if you have more to say...

 

[Sati]

It's like a virus.... But as I say, there's nothing wrong with MTS. So there's really nothing wrong with PES (Puffer Envy Syndrome) either!

Get some.

It's a problem for me when it comes to $$