View Full Version : Puffer Figure 8 HELP!!
Dark Demoness
09-02-2005, 8:27 PM
Ok, I need some info on figure 8's...The problem is that I've read many books but they all say different things. Are they in brackish water? Or are they in low 2-4 pH?? Why is everyone so contradicting?!?!?!?!?! I need some opinions. Does anyone have figure 8's and have them living very well? If yes tell me what you do plzzzz :)
OrionGirl
09-02-2005, 9:58 PM
Figure 8's are brackish. They can survive in FW, but will be prone to infections and health issues, and will not live their normal captive life span. Brackish water is not low pH--it's typically high, around 7.9-8.2, similar to marine water. They are aggressive fish, and do best in species only tanks, with low density stocking to provide more territory per fish, as well as handling the high waste load produced by these messy fish.
There are several members who have or had F-8's for many years--search on F8 puffer or figure 8, you should get lots of hits.
LittlePuff
09-02-2005, 10:13 PM
One Fig 8 per 10 to 15 gal. Feed frozen bloodworms, snails, ghost shrimp, krill. I believe she covered the rest.
Kim
Puffernewbee
09-02-2005, 10:51 PM
I have a figure-8 (P-Diddy my only named fish)) and have had him for 10 months and appears to be happy and healthy. Lives in a 10 gallon with brackish water with a pH of 8.6. It is decorated with Texas Holey Rock and some artificial plants.
I have tried tank mates but he ate them all so he/she lives alone.
I feed him snails, ghost shrimp, brine shrimp, blood worms, and the occasional frozen krill (not his favorite).
He will come up and pull the snails off of the tip of my finger when I feed him. He is a great fish and full of personality. My daughter love watching him hunt the ghost shrimp.
And the fish has the potential of living to the mid- to upper teens.
Puffernewbee
09-03-2005, 1:22 PM
One thing I forgot to mention. Be prepared to take care of all algae maintenance in the tank. There are no real algae eaters that I know of for a brackish tank other than snails. The problem with that is that they are my F-8's favorite meal. So be prepared to do all algae maintenance for the tank. I have to clean the glass, plants, and decorations about every two to three weeks.
I clean the glass with a magnetic scrubber. As far as decoration I put them in some bleach water then scrub them. After that I soak and rinse them well in water with extra dechlorinator. When I smell the piece and no longer smell the bleach smell it goes into the tank.
Dark Demoness
09-03-2005, 9:02 PM
thx alot guys..uve been a great help :)
hurdledude1298
09-04-2005, 8:38 PM
i have mine alone in a 10 gallon fresh water and he is fine.
FreddytheFish
09-04-2005, 8:54 PM
good tankmates for a fig-8 are monos, scats, other puffers and other fairly large brackish fish
Monos and Scats are not good F-9 tankmates, as they are very large abd very messy and require high BW to full SW as adults, where the F-8 is not a large fish and never needs more that light BW.
And F-8s will have shortened and unhealthy lives as FW fish unless your water is liquid rock.