Fahaka Puffer

[LittleL]

I've just brought a fahaka puffer and he is currently in a tank with small gravel. He lays on the gravel pretty much most of the time.

Im just wondering if i should change it to sand as im worried he might hurt his belly or prehap he would be better in sand than gravel? what do you all think?

If sand is the better choice, how would i go about changing the tank from gravel to sand??! is there any specific kind of sand to use and do i need to add anything else to the water (will sand make the tank really dirty and cloudy)? please help.. i've never used sand in a aquarium before, so i need some detailed advice...

many thanks
Laura

 

[fishfishfish]

sand would be much better.do u have him with other fish?they will not last long.fahakas are very aggressive.and also, what size tank?

 

[LittleL]

He is on his own in a 40 Litre tank (i know that he can't have tank mates). He is currently only 2" long but i understand that he is going to grow considerable big, so im well prepared to buy him a bigger tank (100+ gal) when he gets abit bigger.

The gravel i have in the tank at the moment is very fine stuff, but i've read that some puffers like to dig and hide in sand? im just wondered now wether i should change over to sand for his benefit and if so, how do i go about it without causing to much stress to the puffer? Also, does sand make the water stats vary much and does it make the water cloudy etc?

Laura

 

[Fella]

He is on his own in a 40 Litre tank (i know that he can't have tank mates). He is currently only 2" long but i understand that he is going to grow considerable big, so im well prepared to buy him a bigger tank (100+ gal) when he gets abit bigger.

The gravel i have in the tank at the moment is very fine stuff, but i've read that some puffers like to dig and hide in sand? im just wondered now wether i should change over to sand for his benefit and if so, how do i go about it without causing to much stress to the puffer? Also, does sand make the water stats vary much and does it make the water cloudy etc?

Laura

Tropicarna,

What i would say is that with tetraodon lineatus, the fahaka, you really need to upgrade as soon as possible. I am not usually one of the "overstocking" police, but, what I would say is that these fish grow around an inch a month for the first 12 months, I have one of these puffers and he is around 14 inches.

If you are desperately aiming short term while you're looking to get a tank of around 100-125 gallons (which would suit him for life) then upgrading to something like a 55g as soon as you can really would be beneficial to the fish. If it were mine, keeping it in a 10gallon tank I don't think would sit very comfortably with my conscience.

I'm sorry to have to be so frank with you, but these fish really are deserving of the biggest tank you can offer them. You'll appreciate him a lot more in a bigger tank as well!

 

[Squid]

He is on his own in a 40 Litre tank (i know that he can't have tank mates). He is currently only 2" long but i understand that he is going to grow considerable big, so im well prepared to buy him a bigger tank (100+ gal) when he gets abit bigger.

The gravel i have in the tank at the moment is very fine stuff, but i've read that some puffers like to dig and hide in sand? im just wondered now wether i should change over to sand for his benefit and if so, how do i go about it without causing to much stress to the puffer? Also, does sand make the water stats vary much and does it make the water cloudy etc?

Laura

Tropicarna,

What i would say is that with tetraodon lineatus, the fahaka, you really need to upgrade as soon as possible. I am not usually one of the "overstocking" police, but, what I would say is that these fish grow around an inch a month for the first 12 months, I have one of these puffers and he is around 14 inches.

If you are desperately aiming short term while you're looking to get a tank of around 100-125 gallons (which would suit him for life) then upgrading to something like a 55g as soon as you can really would be beneficial to the fish. If it were mine, keeping it in a 10gallon tank I don't think would sit very comfortably with my conscience.

I'm sorry to have to be so frank with you, but these fish really are deserving of the biggest tank you can offer them. You'll appreciate him a lot more in a bigger tank as well!

Im thinking there might be a bit of a typo here (hopefully in the right way). In the other thread in the brackish forum it was mentioned that the puffer was moved to a 40 gallon, where in this one it says litre. So, although not a 100gallon for the future, its a more capable 40 gallon for the time being and not 40litre. That is unless the mistake is the other way around in the threads.

Squid

 

[pica_nuttalli]

by the way, tropicarna, 1 gallon is equal to about 4 liters (just in case you didn't know that already).

with big fish like fahaka puffers, you really need to consider a tank in terms of its dimensions moreso that in terms of volume. an adult fahaka is generally considered to be an 18" fish. thus you should get a tank that is at least 2 feet wide, 2 feet deep and 5-6 feet long. one foot is equal to about 30 cm.

 

[severum boy]

pica_nuttalli is right, people should start thinking in terms of dimentions instead of gallons or liters. There is too much confusion with it, and by using dimentions you can be toatally accurate about tank size. The fahaka will need a 5'x2'x2' tank to see him out for his life.

 

[DarkEntity]

pica_nuttalli is right, people should start thinking in terms of dimentions instead of gallons or liters. There is too much confusion with it, and by using dimentions you can be toatally accurate about tank size. The fahaka will need a 5'x2'x2' tank to see him out for his life.

Although something with more depth would be nicer. more space for turning etc

 

[LittleL]

thanks for everyones input.

I know the tank i have him in at the moment is not that big and not ideal as he will grow very quickly, but at the moment im saving for a bigger tank, so once i have the money together, im looking to get a 5x2x2ft tank for him. I should be able to get this tank in a few weeks and im sure once he is in it, he will be much happier, as will i!

Unfortunitly, i was naive and didn't really do my homework before hand and when i saw him at the LFS, i just wanted him (please don't shout at me.. im sure we have all been there before). It wasn't until i got home and posted on here and found out what puffer he actually was and that he can grown up to 18", that i realised i'd have to spend alot more money on him yet! but i don't mind, he's worth it! Since moving him into a slightly bigger tank for now, he seems quite content and i fed him live shrimp tonight which he loved!

I'll keep you all updated and let you see the pictures of his new tank once i get it!

thanks again for all the help, im sure i'll have many questions yet to come!

Laura

 

[demonmagus]

wahey I can't wait

 

[DarkEntity]

thanks for everyones input.

I know the tank i have him in at the moment is not that big and not ideal as he will grow very quickly, but at the moment im saving for a bigger tank, so once i have the money together, im looking to get a 5x2x2ft tank for him. I should be able to get this tank in a few weeks and im sure once he is in it, he will be much happier, as will i!

Unfortunitly, i was naive and didn't really do my homework before hand and when i saw him at the LFS, i just wanted him (please don't shout at me.. im sure we have all been there before). It wasn't until i got home and posted on here and found out what puffer he actually was and that he can grown up to 18", that i realised i'd have to spend alot more money on him yet! but i don't mind, he's worth it! Since moving him into a slightly bigger tank for now, he seems quite content and i fed him live shrimp tonight which he loved!

I'll keep you all updated and let you see the pictures of his new tank once i get it!

thanks again for all the help, im sure i'll have many questions yet to come!

Laura

Im just glad that you are prepared now, and tbh you are one of a minority who ask questions then act on the answers rather than moan when they dont get the answer they wanted.

Im looking forward to seeing the Fahaka in a nice tank

 

[LittleL]

well at the end of the day, i have the fish's best interest at heart and if that means having to spend more money on a bigger tank to ensure he lives a happy, healthy life, then so be it!

I don't like it when you see or hear of fish that are in over-stocked tanks or in poor conditions etc and no-one really cares about them, aslong as they look 'cool and colourful' in there tank.. thats so sad... theses fish didn't ask to be taken from there natural enviorment and placed in a tank, but as it going to be done, we might as well make sure they have all they require, including a ideal size tank, to ensure they have a good life!

One more thing that im not sure on and would appreciate some help... i fed him live shrimp last night and added a few shelled cockles to his tank and he loves them both, but i just wondered how much to feed him and how often? last night i gave him 3 live shrimps and two shelled cockles for him to chew on, but i wasn't sure if that was too many or not enough?

He is obviously going to grow quite quickly, so i want to make sure i fed him enough so that he matures nicely and stays healthy but in the same sense, i don't want to over feed him...

I've been told that i can feed him defrosted, peeled prawns that you get from the supermarket? are these any good and if so, how many should i feed him in one feed? please help!

thanks, Laura

 

[Tommo]

i just wondered how much to feed him and how often?
thanks, Laura

I would recommend feeding him once a day as these puffers are lurking fish and so wouldnt eat that often. In terms of how much food its hard to say, just make sure the fish doesnt become emaciated or, on the other hand, obese!

 

[Fella]

i just wondered how much to feed him and how often?
thanks, Laura

I would recommend feeding him once a day as these puffers are lurking fish and so wouldnt eat that often. In terms of how much food its hard to say, just make sure the fish doesnt become emaciated or, on the other hand, obese!

Fahakas are not one of the lurking puffers. The giveaway to whether or not a puffer is lurker is the body shape, if rounded across the top, typically they're an active hunter, if they're flat, then they usually lie in wait for prey.

Fahakas are quite active fish, but with all fish it's easy to over feed them in aquariums. I give mine a few prawns once a week, that's all he really needs. And he's about 14".

 

[severum boy]

I would feed him three times a week with a few prawns (maby two) until he gets to around 6", then up it to three prawns untill he is 12", then feed him twice a week with 5 prawns at a time. When he is an adult, he will need feeding twice a week with 7 prawns a time. This is a very approxomate guide, you may need to change it for the puffer. If it is very active, feed it more, if its inactive (as they usually are) feed it a bit less.
From all the reports I have heared from experts, fahakas are lurkers, and will act approprietly and inactively in the aquarium. However, for such an intelligent specie, there is some variation in the hunting techniques employed.