ok so are puffers mean...i read they can fin nip and are not so nice? Right now i have 3 wag tail platy, 6 serape tetras.
freshwater puffers?????? community tank????
- Thread starter gouramimommy125
- Start date
It really depends on the puffer. I have a 46 gal bow front, that is a community tank, and I have had a figure 8 puffer in the tank for over 3 years with 0 problems. In the tank are 1/2 beaks, sids, cories, L240s, L104s, a full grown SAE, a flounder, some sewellia lineolata, some african 3 stripe glass cats and more. It is moderately planted with a big piece of driftwood in the tank. Never had an issue with fin nipping. I have been looking for a while for another figure 8 to add, but there has been nothing locally. Good luck.
Well I have a puffer in with a a bunch of platies and he behaves himself. I suspect that fish develop personalities that depend on the situation they are in. Anyway, I keep mine well fed with sun dried gammarus and he started out in a tank with a lot of room.
well i have a 35 hex and only have the 3 platies and 6 serape tetras...so is that enough room ...do you keep the water brackish or just fresh...because i read that serape tetras dont do well with aquarium salt
My water is and always has been fresh. My figure 8 has a great personality. If I put my finger on the glass, he/she will follow it anywhere around the tank. Course it took a while for this to happen. He/she used to shy away every time I took out my camera. Good luck.
A) What kind of puffer?
B) If brackish, will I have to re-home my current fish?
C) Will my puffer be large enough to nip fins/eat the other occupants once it grows?
D) Dwarf puffers?
Just some questions to consider. Only time I've ever had puffers was in a 40g breeder that was brackish and housed 2 colombian sharks in addition to the 2 green spotted puffers I had.
B) If brackish, will I have to re-home my current fish?
C) Will my puffer be large enough to nip fins/eat the other occupants once it grows?
D) Dwarf puffers?
Just some questions to consider. Only time I've ever had puffers was in a 40g breeder that was brackish and housed 2 colombian sharks in addition to the 2 green spotted puffers I had.
I agree with rufioman, fact is even though some people have had good luck with puffers the general consensus is that they are not usually suitable for freshwater community tanks and generally belong with species of similar temperament coupled with corresponding water parameter requirements {Which is why the questions posed are very important to consider 
}. I personally would not add a puffer to a community tank unless certain conditions are met, some of which have been listed above, however my suggestion for your best possible option would be Colomesus asellus or the South American Puffer. It should be kept in at least groups of three and should never be housed in an aquarium with slow swimmers or ones with long pronounced finnage as these fish can become fin nippers especially when hungry.
Also remember that unlike your platies and tetras these and most puffers have special feeding requirements many needing to keep their teeth trimmed. Please do as much research as possible and remember that while even this puffer is considered the most suitable for a community setting that is only fair up to a point.
In any case best of luck with your new setup
-Nick
}. I personally would not add a puffer to a community tank unless certain conditions are met, some of which have been listed above, however my suggestion for your best possible option would be Colomesus asellus or the South American Puffer. It should be kept in at least groups of three and should never be housed in an aquarium with slow swimmers or ones with long pronounced finnage as these fish can become fin nippers especially when hungry. Also remember that unlike your platies and tetras these and most puffers have special feeding requirements many needing to keep their teeth trimmed. Please do as much research as possible and remember that while even this puffer is considered the most suitable for a community setting that is only fair up to a point.
In any case best of luck with your new setup
-Nick
I remember reading that figure 8 puffers were brackish fish that became full on marine as adults.
If you want puffers get a species tank with dwarf puffers (grow to 1") Do a lot of research too. I decided not to set up a 10 gallon species dwarf puffer tank solely because I felt their special food requirements would not be met by me. As mentioned before they have beaks.
If you want puffers get a species tank with dwarf puffers (grow to 1") Do a lot of research too. I decided not to set up a 10 gallon species dwarf puffer tank solely because I felt their special food requirements would not be met by me. As mentioned before they have beaks.