Figure 8's in Freshwater

[HiggityHank]

There is much discussion amongst keepers of puffers as to what conditions Figure Eight's come from. The general consensus is that they can survive in freshwater, brackish and marine if correctly conditioned although they tend to do slightly better in brackish conditions. Naturally they are supposed to be a freshwater fish.

That blurb comes straight from Pufferfish.uk which was mentioned to me on this site as a fairly well regarded source of info. Now I hear everyone in here saying that F8's require require require brackish conditions... but do they really? Does it really make a difference? According to this, they're probably the most adaptable puffer going, and the woman that owns my LFS has them sold all 3 ways (conditioned for each).

Yes yes... just because it's at the LFS doesn't mean its right, yadda yadda yadda...

The whole point of this questioning is that I'm really looking to get into puffers, and while I love the dwarf puffer, they're tiny... itty bitty even. I've gotta have something a little bigger. The F8's just seem to be perfect, EXCEPT the brackish water thing. Opinions? Suggestions of other puffers to check out? A giant flamewar about how dumb I am to even think about putting puffers in freshwater? It'll all be appreciated.

 

[MAM]

C. asellus, the South American Puffer, is a completely freshwater puffer, probably one of the more passive of the puffers, and get around 3 inches (same size as a figure 8....). the only issue is, you need to be really good about providing snails and such to help keep their beaks in check. of all the puffers, theirs tends to grow more quickly, and you may have to actually trim them. search the oddball posts for more on this. theyre nice puffers, have some size but are still fw. finding them may be your biggest hurdle.

if you want to try to keep figure 8s freshwater, thats on your conscience. sure, they'll live, but they most likely wont have the best quality of life, or a very long one....... your choice. if bw is such a problem and dwarfs are just too small for your tastes, look for asellus.

 

[Puffer_freak]

Yep, South American puffers sound a good bet, MAM!

I have seen some before in an LFS!

Sounds like I was lucky!

 

[HiggityHank]

Well... I've got till the tank cycles to look for something... If F8's are as out of the question as everyone says they are, and I cant find South Americans (haven't seen em yet, been looking at verious LFS for WEEKS at puffers exclusively) How many dwarfs can I put in my 10g?

And what would go well with them? Everyone suggests Ottos, or shrimp as a cleanup crew, but I think I'd rather a Bristlenose (which I've also heard suggested) any other fish they won't go after?

 

[MAM]

3 or 4 dwarves will work well in a 10 gal. otos and bristlenose have been kept successfully by many with their dwarves. mine personally were not so nice to my bn..... shrimp ARE an excellent cleanup crew, they will keep the tnak floor spotless, but also keep in mind that you may have to replace them from time to time, as teh puffers are likely to make a meal out of some of them....
also, if you are able to find freshwater strain of bumblebee gobies, they work well, they are tough enough to hold their own with the puffers, they spend their tiem on the bottom and do cleanup what the puffers dont eat, they have great little puggy faces, and you could have a nice little group of say 3 in there. i have two in with my dp's, funny little guys all.

from what my lfs has told me, C. asellus are sort of a "seasonal fish", so you may only find them certain times of the year.............. but ask around at your lfs. they may actaully be able to order some for you if its not part of their regular stock. though in a 10 gal, you'd only be able to have one or two...........

 

[Puffer_freak]

So if I got a 10gal, I could actually keep 1 or 2?

Wow, great!!!!!!!

*Gos away cheering*

I will get a 10 tank if it means getting some of these!!