figure 8 of dwarf puffers

B

Ben2

AC Members
Apr 27, 2003
12
0
0
38
UK (somerset)
Visit site
I have a 18 gal aquarium (30*16*12 deep) i have put lots of live plants in. i want to get 3-4 dwarfs of 1 figure 8 what should i have. i no that they nip and i will put a pair of kribensis in because they can stick up for themselves and are very fast.
Cheers Ben
 
If you want to keep the Figure 8, they are brackish, not fresh. this complicates planting the tank--most plants won't do well in salt. The dwarves are FW, and would be fine in a tank that size, though they will eat any krib fry they can.
 
So-so. They can get to 4-6 inches pretty easily, and it might be a bit cramped in there. I wouldn't put anything else in the tank, and you should be fine. I d be concerned that the puffer would go psycho and kill anything else--they are prone to this is smaller systems. According to my calculation, it's 25 gallons, not 18 ((30*16*12)/231).
 
Thanks for that. i think i will think the people at the lfs about a figure 8. i have put lots of snail in so they have a good supply of grub:) out of ten what are the chances of me puffers goin mental.:mad:
 
It depends--some people have them for years with no problems, then wake up one morning to bodies everywhere. They aren't very stable tankmates.

You'll need to have the snails in a separate tank--many people try keeping the snail supply in the same tank, and this seldom works out. I added 2 dwarf puffers to my 40, and within 4 days you couldn't find a snail outside the gravel.
 
Ben,

I currently have 2 (1.25") Figure 8's in a 24"x15"x12" which I am going to have to change ASAP. They are both doing really well at present and seem happy and healthy. They are wonderful fish to own and if you can be bothered with the high maintenance come highly recommended.

I am planning either one brackish 70g+ or two the same size as my current one (with one fish in each) as a long term solution. As of yet they are in FW (with 'tonic' salt at 1tsp per 5g) and are happy as Larry. I think it depends who you talk to as to how long they will be happy in FW (and I'm probably gonna get hammered for this), but I'm sure if the water is 'correct' in other parameters then they would be fine for a few months.

Look forward to hearing about your choice - Dwarf's sound fascinating little fish too. Check out this link:

30 gallon puffer?

HTH
Ade.
 
Figure-8 puffers do not get that big, about 2 1/2" standard, a bit over 3" total would be large. Green-spotted puffers double that size. A 24x12x12 (~15 gal) is fine for a singleton so long as water is maintained well.

For long life they do need to be brackish - and as for water parameters being "correct", pH 8.2 would be minimum, and marine mix for specific gravity 1.005 or better would also be correct. Juveniles are more adapting, but still are much less resistant to disease in FW.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom