Dwarf/Figure8/spotted puffers

D

dbo

Registered Member
Sep 22, 2004
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I've been reading up all day and I'm a bit confused on a few things. I plan to have a puffer only tank that just has dwarf/figure8/spotted puffers in them along with my trusty old rubberlip pleco that I've had for some time now.

Is the rubberlip ok to be in there? He's plenty fast but he hides under a rock all day and doesn't move much at all. He comes out at night to eat but he doesn't move all that much while eating. Is this going to be a problem? Are the puffers going to bother him? Let's just assume that the puffers I will have are pretty agressive and like to bother others in the tank.

Also .. would having tiger barbs be a bad idea? Are they too fast for the puffers? WIll they attack the puffers and stress them out?

Sorry . alot of questions, I know
 
First: Puffers are not comunity fish, period. Yes, some folks do get away with this of that fish with a particular puffer for some period, but sooner or later, disaster (in your terms, normal behavior in the puffer's world) happens.

Second: Puffers are very demanding and very messy fish - think of Ocsars with fewer fins, no ribs, bigger, better, and stronger teeth, and greater water quality demands.

Third: Commonly available puffers may be freshwater, light brackish water, high brackish water, or marine. Many of the last three subgroups breed in esturaries, bays, or mangrove swamps, so the young caught there may be from any of those habitats and need those conditions as they mature. The three you mention incude the dwarf puffer, Carinotetraodon travancoricus, which is FW for its full life cycle. The Figure 8 puffer, Tetraodon biocellatus, does best in captivity in light BW throughtout its very long life. The GSP, green spotted puffer, Tetraodon nigroviridis, prefers light brackish when young, being gradually moved to high BW or marine conditions as an adult. So those three are incompatable with one another by required water conditions, even ignoring their other incompatabilities.

Dwarf puffers seem to be compatable with Otocinclus catfish, some are compable with some shrimps, other individuals eat the shrimp - unpredictable. Bw is not suitable for suckermouth cats, so they cannot be housed with F-8s or GSPs. Tiger Barbs are not compatable with dwarfs as they would out-compete the dwarfs for food.

If you think of puffers, think of species tanks and you will be better off.
 
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Maybe I'm just lucky but I have had 2 dwarf puffers for awhile now. they are in a tank with angles, loaches, plecos, oto's, dwarf grami's and SAE's and they leave all of the fish alone. I never seen them bite or chase another fish.

In fact they are probably my most favorite. I love the way they can just "hover" in the water. Also even though mine are peaceful they always have this look of knowing everthing that happens in the tank. They are fun to watch.

Trash
 
Figure 8s live for me to an average age in the mid to late teens. GSPs a bit less, early teens, but I have not taken any to full marine, only high brackish, so it may be my fault. Dwarf puffers have not been in the trade long enough to judge full lifespan yet.
 
Nor, IMO, to judge group behavior. Before I decided the dwarf puffers weren't suitable for a community setup, I had them in with several tetras and other fish. The original pair I purchased--then about 9 months old, were fine. Never bothered the other fish, were content to chase each other a few times and mostly hunt snails. I added a trio, and all heck broke loose. The new puffers went after everything that spent time in the mid and upper levels of the tank, shredding fins over night. I had to remove most everything from the tank but the bottom dwellers. Do NOT count on a continued peace, and please do not advise others to mix them in with a community. While it might work in a few instances, for short time periods, I do not think it will in the long run. I had to learn the hard way.
 
Hmm ok .. I never intended on putting puffers in with community type fish. Just with Tiger Barbs at most .. but RTR already stated that they may outfight the puffers for food. Hard to imagine a tiny little puffer being so mean but I guess its the truth in most cases.

So its a no go for the rubberlip pleco? Poor guy just likes to hide under a rock and eat at night ... really not a good idea to have him together with some puffers?
 
Saying that "a pleco should be fine" is overly optimistic and broad. A pleco may or may not be harrassed - one specific subgroup of "plecos", the Otos, has been shown to co-exist well for extended periods with dwarf puffers. Other plecos have not, and may not.
 
I kept fig 8 puffers for a while. I would seriously recommend keeping just those guys by themselves. I had planned to try a few Bumble Bee Gobies with mine but couldnt find any. I tried my fig 8 with Tigerbarbs when I first got them ( LFS lady said it would be great) well the poor ole puffer never left the corner with the barbs in the tank. I took the barbs out and left just the puffers, and they did great.
Jason
 
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