C Irrubesco Tank Friends...and More Info Please

[didz04]

Hi which tank friends can i keep with the C irrubesco?
I am very likely to get 6 of them tomorrow - 3 male - 3 female.
Will a figure 8 puffer be fine with them? Even if same size.
Could i keep barbs with them or cichlids like yellow labs. Or a yellow belly slider (turtle)?

 

[nmonks]

No, no, no... these pufferfish will be [a] harassed by the cichlids; eaten by the turtle (likely poisoning the turtle); and [c] require freshwater, as opposed to figure-8s, which need brackish water.

Barbs might be okay depending on the species. I've kept my C. irrubesco with a variety of *fast* midwater fish including bleeding heart tetras, diamond tetras and glassfish. Robust catfish like Synodontis nigriventris seem to be able to stay out of trouble, too. In a sufficiently large tank C. irrubesco mixed very nicely with South American puffers, these latter being sociable midwater pufferfish compared to the territorial and rather shy C. irrubesco. That's perhaps the ideal combination, giving you two completely different types of fish in terms of behaviour, while remaining compatible and needing the same sort of care.

As ever though, puffers are best in single-species set-ups, and a group of C. irrubesco is a fun project for tanks 20 gallons upwards. In small tanks they become very shy, and only when I moved mine to a 45 gallon system did they really become outgoing and busy.

Cheers, Neale

Hi which tank friends can i keep with the C irrubesco?
I am very likely to get 6 of them tomorrow - 3 male - 3 female.
Will a figure 8 puffer be fine with them? Even if same size.
Could i keep barbs with them or cichlids like yellow labs. Or a yellow belly slider (turtle)?

 

[didz04]

No, no, no... these pufferfish will be [a] harassed by the cichlids; eaten by the turtle (likely poisoning the turtle); and [c] require freshwater, as opposed to figure-8s, which need brackish water.

Barbs might be okay depending on the species. I've kept my C. irrubesco with a variety of *fast* midwater fish including bleeding heart tetras, diamond tetras and glassfish. Robust catfish like Synodontis nigriventris seem to be able to stay out of trouble, too. In a sufficiently large tank C. irrubesco mixed very nicely with South American puffers, these latter being sociable midwater pufferfish compared to the territorial and rather shy C. irrubesco. That's perhaps the ideal combination, giving you two completely different types of fish in terms of behaviour, while remaining compatible and needing the same sort of care.

As ever though, puffers are best in single-species set-ups, and a group of C. irrubesco is a fun project for tanks 20 gallons upwards. In small tanks they become very shy, and only when I moved mine to a 45 gallon system did they really become outgoing and busy.

Cheers, Neale

Hi which tank friends can i keep with the C irrubesco?
I am very likely to get 6 of them tomorrow - 3 male - 3 female.
Will a figure 8 puffer be fine with them? Even if same size.
Could i keep barbs with them or cichlids like yellow labs. Or a yellow belly slider (turtle)?

Thanks for the reply, i will probably just get some robust catfish with them.
Thanks.

 

[divegirl]

Hi, this is in answer to this post [ and your other one].

Puffers really should be kept in a species only tank! Yes you can try certain tank mates, as Neale has said, but unless you have sufficiant tanks to move your fish about, should they come to any harm, leave it as species only.

You could keep two F8's in your 25g....you could even try them with Bumble Bee Gobies [but add the Gobies first, by a good few weeks!!!]

I keep Dwarf Puffers and F8's....and both tanks are more than interesting enough on their own....don't give yourself the extra hassle of trying to find tank-mates.

And remember to post pics when you decide what to get.....

Lisa x

 

[divegirl]

Just re-read the whole thread! And wanted you to re-assure me that you do know that F8's need Brackish, whilst 'C irrubesco' are fresh water!!!!

http/www.pufferlist.com/puffer/freshpuff.php?puffid=1

Lisa x

 

[Jonathangerous]

Mine were fine with cany chromides and a mix of barbs.