Figure 8 Puffer help!

[rns91294]

I recently bought two of these fish and was hoping you could help me with a question. They are in a tank with one Tiger Barb and they all seem to be okay together (salt is added of course). When I bought the puffers, they were in a tank of about 30 and all were pretty chewed up. The two I got look great though. One is a lot fatter than the other( I call him Bloat), but the smaller one (Smiley) seems to eat all the food. So far, I have only fed shrimp and bloodworms as I only had them for 2 days. Anyway, Bloat gets a couple bloodworms, but not much. He also seems much less active than Smiley. The first day, Bloat seemed to attack the food, but sine Smiley discovered it, Bloat seems to not care much anymore. I noticed today that when I go to put the light on, Bloat is always sitting on the bottom for a while and then will start to swim around. Is this normal? Was he sleeping?

Also, I noticed Smiley's colors are much brighter. In fact, I thought he had more spots on him than Bloat, until I noticed the spots slightly on Bloat this morning. By the time I left for work, they were gone again. Why has he lost his color? He looks the same as when I bought him, but I was concerned that his colors have not brightened up like Smiley. I was hoping you might be able to help me out with this, and even maybe a way to get Bloat to get to some food before Smiley eats it all up.

Bloat just seems much calmer (and less vibrant) and I do not know if this is normal or if there may be something wrong. What signs can I look for if there is something wrong with these fish. I absolutely adore them.

Thanks for any help you might be able to give. I understand it is just your opinion, but anything will help.

 

[MAM]

figure 8s are brackish fish........................ just making sure you have a full brackish tank for them.............. (yes, as juvies, less than full bw is okay, but will need to be made full bw as they grow....)
and um, the tiger barb is a fresh water fish, and also a fin nipper, especially when there isn't a group. take him back or relocate him, make the tank a bw species only tank, please.


okay, as for the color loss, many puffers will actually lose color and brightness when they are sleeping, and as they move about it will come back. this can be a scary sight for new puffer owners not expecting this, since they kind of look dead......... its normal. color loss can also be due to stress. what size tank do you have these two in??

bloodworms, brine shrimp, mysis, good foods. tubifex worms are good too. are you feeding frozen or freeze dried? the occassional live foods, if you can be sure theyre clean sources, are good too. also, your puffers will need snails in their diet, to help keep their beaks in check. so get some snails. as for making sure they both get food, try feeding off to one side of the tank, when the dominant one gets there first and starts to eat, put food at the other end of the tank, hopefully the lesser will find it over there.................

 

[rns91294]

Actually, the barb and them seem fine together. I have read of many people who keep them together. and many people who keep them in full freshwater. I have added aquarium salt to the tank (currently a 10 gallon, but will soon be moved to a 29 gallon I have). Anyhow, i am working on getting it to more brackish (going to the petstore for more stuff, even though the store has them in full freshwater as well). What exactly needs to be done for brackish water adn what do I need to test it. where should ther results be? Thanks.

Also, after he wakes up and is swimming, his color still seems very faded. I have also tried to feed Smiley on one side of the tank, once he starts eating, I feed Bloat, but Smiley seems to know what I am doing and comes over and will literally take the food right out of Bloats mouth. At that point, the Barb eats the rest of the food that was on Smiley's side.

I am feeding Frozen food, freeze dried shrimp and am buying snails and ghost shrimp as well.

I also have a pretty big Pleco in the tank. Will he surivive in full brackish water? will they pick at him? Thank you for all your help!!

 

[diVer]

Just because the barb seems fine doesn't mean he is, he might be now but you're going to need to make the tank fully brackish. Plecos cannot tolerate any amount of salt, you have to take him out of that tank as soon as possible. Keeping a fig. 8 in fw just because other people said it has worked for them, is cruel

 

[rns91294]

I know Pleco's can tolerate aquarium salt because I have always added that to the tank. I have just been researching and found many sites that say F8's actually come from freshwater, but live better in brackish. This is not from people on forums that keep the fish, this is from care sheets found on the web. So how do you know what is true and what isn't?

 

[MAM]

i have no more to say

 

[MAM]

yes, i do.

people who keep the puffers are better sources of info because they've actually experience caring for the fish. they didn't just copy info from old sources to create a factsheet. most factsheets are pretty useless as it is.
figure 8s start out as fw fish yes, but should be full brackish by the time they reach adulthood.

but you obviously feel you know whats what, why you bothered to ask is beyond me, so keep them how you like. you won't be keeping them long, but so be it.

i've said my piece, sorry if it was harsh

 

[Rudy2860]

that plec is in danger, salt is not tolerated. whom ever said they were doing that is making their fish unhappy or doesnt have their plecos around for long
and the barb is fresh water as well.

err now that i read it i notice you didnt research the salt with the plec but it is your own intervention?
i would strongly suggest you dont do that and remove the pleco to another suitable freshwater home as well as the tiger barb. I've never heard of anyone keeping a barb in brackish and if you researched this i'd like to see the website or book that this is contained in.

not to be mean in any way but for the fish's sake....

 

[Pufferpack]

It can be difficult to get good reliable info on puffers, there is a lot of old, conflicting advise floating around and it is easy to get confused.
From what I understand Fig 8 puffers were originally labled as FW due to the babies being collected further upstream, but it has come to light in the last few years that they spend the bulk of their life more in the BW end of their natural homes once they start to mature. Fig. 8 puffers, although they can survive in FW, should be kept in BW (Sg 1.010 or so, measured with a Hydrometer) to help ensure a full healthy life. I have spoken to puffer keepers that have had their Fig 8's live for 15 years in BW, but I have not found anyone who has had one live past 5 years in FW, and usually they were sickly for their last year or so.
You mention that Bloats color is dim and washed out, that is typical of what happens to BW puffers kept in FW. If you slowly acclimatize your puffers to BW I think you will see Bloat's color brighten up and the puffers become more active and happier. For BW you MUST use a marine mix rather than just "Aquarium salt". There are additional minerals and stuff in marine mixes that the fish need to stay heathy that regular salt doesn't contain. Marine mix should be sold at the lfs.
While plecs "may" be able to handle small medicinal doses of salt, it is really not good for them and I believe can burn their skin, and will be fatal in larger doses, please discontinue with salt in the plec tank for the good of the fish.

 

[diVer]

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