Freshwater Puffer

[stephen.h89]

ok i have a hexagon tank with each of the six sides measuring 18"H x 9"W, i have been looking for something i would like to own that would be suitable and have taken a liking to freshwater puffer fish. Basically i was wondering what puffer would be suitable in a tank of that size on its own or as a pair and what lighting do they need as i have read a few guides on how to look after puffers but none of them mention lighting, also is sand or gravel best for substrate and are plastic/silk plants ok aswell as some live. thanx in advance.

 

[jacko32]

ok i have a hexagon tank with each of the six sides measuring 18"H x 9"W, i have been looking for something i would like to own that would be suitable and have taken a liking to freshwater puffer fish. Basically i was wondering what puffer would be suitable in a tank of that size on its own or as a pair and what lighting do they need as i have read a few guides on how to look after puffers but none of them mention lighting, also is sand or gravel best for substrate and are plastic/silk plants ok aswell as some live. thanx in advance.

i think the only puffer suitable would be a dwarf puffer which you could keep a few of sand would be best for them and preferably live plants and nothing sharp as puffers dont have scales they have like a thin skin so they can inflate also you cant keep delicate fish with them due to them having a powerfull beak which they can take chunks out of other fish with
goodluck anyway

 

[nmonks]

I'd argue this isn't even suitable for fish, period. Hexagon tanks have terrible surface area to volume ratios, and this makes them poor choices for fishkeepers. It's a shame they're widely sold to beginners when the best advice is to avoid them. If you must use such a tank, you'd do better off with installing some semi-decent lighting, encouraging the growth of plants and green algae, and then adding some shrimps and novelty snails like batman snails and spiny nerites.

Dwarf puffers need at least 15 litres a piece, and I'd argue keeping them in anything less than 40 litre tank is just plain silly. They don't form "pairs" or anything like that, and males can be very territorial. When kept in groups they're normally in tanks with plenty of lava rock and Java fern, so that their lines of sight are all broken up.

Cheers, Neale

ok i have a hexagon tank with each of the six sides measuring 18"H x 9"W,