Figure-Eight Puffers?

C

Cichlid Woman

Dwarf cichlids rule ...
Nov 27, 2002
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Do you folks know anything about figure-eight puffers? I've got one. (It's a long story ...)

The web sites I've researched say it's vicious and will eat the tank, it's a great, nonaggressive community-tank puffer, it's a carnivore, it's omniverous, etc., etc.

I am thoroughly confused by the data. Has anyone actually had any experience with this fishie?

If it's aggressive, I'm giving it away tomorrow. I've got breeding kribs in there!!

Thanks in advance,

-- Pat
 
It LOVES to fin-nip! can anyone answer if this particular puffer needs salt in the water?

It does get to 6inches...
 
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Cichlid Woman, I just read an article about puffer fish in a magazine that I just picked up. It talks about the figure eight specifically, as well as many other freshwater puffers. If you want, email me, and I can scan the article and send it to you.

decz@spl.at
 
Decz - if you ae refering to the the Dec Aquarium Fish mag article, it has even more incorrect information than ususal.

CW - FW and BW puffers are carnivores. Some species are more aggressive than others, but none, nada, zero are trustworthy - especially as adults. Figure-8s are among the milder BW puffers and are quite hardy when properly maintained. But under the best of circumstances they are not community fish.

My experiences w/Fig-8s:

http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/8puffer.shtml
 
RTR- Isnt there one Freshwater Puffer that is not aggressive and WILL NOT nip fins. A long time ago I was thinking about getting it..but didnt. The one Im talking about is a pure FW puffer, grows larger. Thats all I know about it. It suppose to be a really nice puffer. Its not a common puffer. hard to get.. Now THATS all I know about it.
 
Thanks, folks,

I checked out a lot of those sites before I asked you guys, and you see the problem--contradictory information. Maybe it's one of those individuals-within-a-species-variation thing.

The one I've got is spending all his time about a quarter of an inch from the breeding pot in which the kribs appear to be making babies, when he's not swimming up and down the side of the tank in the same area. (I suspect they're at the wiggler stage right now, and have not yet emerged from the pot.) The puffer isn't nipping at anything, and swims away when the male krib charges him, but then settles right back down to the vicinity of the breeding pot, which is in the corner of the tank.

Aha! ... update: I just did an experiement. I netted him and redeposited him way over on the other side of the tank, in the opposite corner. He stayed there for about a minute and a half, and now he's right back over by the krib jug again, swimming up and down in the water column (the power filter's about 18" above that spot). This is what he was doing last night, and he looks harmless enough, but I'm nervous.

About the fish himself: does he really need brackish? And will he eat flakes, or is this a frozen-food-only kind of fishie? I've tried to check this out but, again, found contradictory info. Even if he works out in the tank temperament-wise, I don't want to keep him under conditions that are bad for him. I don't have salt in the tank because I've got lots of cories, and I feed flake food most of the time. He ignored the flakes this morning, but then again he also ignored the frozen shrimp last night, too.

Any info would be really appreciated. Thanks,

-- Pat
 
Oops, P.S.:

Decz, thanks, that was Aquarium Fish magazine, and I've got the article. And JamesBWalsh, the article makes reference to such a pure fresh-water fishie, but unfortunately that's not what got dumped into my lap on this occasion ...

-- Pat
 
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