Getting A Puffer Fish

[akaicewolf]

So I really want a puffer fish but I want to add one to a community tank.

Right now I have a 40 gallon tank with 3 mollys, 3 guppies, 1 gold fish, 1 cat fish, and a crayfish(its separated as it would eat the fish. Is there a species of puffer fish that I can add that will hopefully mix with these fish? The cat fish is the only aggressive fish in the tank but its really passive it just mostly sits on the bottom and then just swims back and forth for couple hours and never attacked a fish before.

 

[Shovelman]

Sorry, but pufferfish will most likely nip, eat, stress, or take big chunks out of almost anything (or a combination of thees possibilities) their placed in a tank with. Of course aggression depends on the species, and there have been cases of a certain species being kept with other fish for a certain amount of time, but yet its only a little while until that cute little puffer views the other tank mates as fish sticks! So short story short, species only tank, and most puffer species will end up being a single species only tank. But if you wish to still continue with acquiring a puffer try out the dwarf puffer. At least keep 1 per 5gallons, for example in a 10 gallon you could easily have 2 (preferably not both males) dwarf puffers along with a small shoal of otto catfish as they have been kept safe with dp's. Hope this helps give a better view on fw puffers!

One last thing, your crayfish will eventually be stressed to death or a snack after a molt...or even its legs as a dinner meal......

 

[akaicewolf]

Thank you for the opinion. I probably will just bust out my 10 gallon tank for a puffer fish then.

By separating the cray fish I mean I put a divider in the aquarium so it has like 10 gallons for itself and some feeder fish. Would that be fine for it or would it still go crazy? Right now it tries to shoot out the tank(gets very close if not for the top lid)

 

[Shovelman]

Thank you for the opinion. I probably will just bust out my 10 gallon tank for a puffer fish then.

By separating the cray fish I mean I put a divider in the aquarium so it has like 10 gallons for itself and some feeder fish. Would that be fine for it or would it still go crazy? Right now it tries to shoot out the tank(gets very close if not for the top lid)

really depends on the crayfish species. Some need more space than others...

Also on the note of the dwarf puffers, make sure you really do your research on them, if you have questions let me know!

 

[alexbinge]

i have got an american puffer in my comunity tank and i find as long as i feed him once a day he doesn't harm my other fish. If i dont feed my fish one day the puffer does nip the guppys tails but as long as i feed him i have no problems.

 

[Shovelman]

i have got an american puffer in my comunity tank and i find as long as i feed him once a day he doesn't harm my other fish. If i dont feed my fish one day the puffer does nip the guppys tails but as long as i feed him i have no problems.

By American puffer, do you mean a South American puffer fish? Aka Colomesus asellus ?

 

[Hunterprey]

i have got an american puffer in my comunity tank and i find as long as i feed him once a day he doesn't harm my other fish. If i dont feed my fish one day the puffer does nip the guppys tails but as long as i feed him i have no problems.

How long have you had the Puffer? Some of them just takes awhile to snap. My Dwarf Puffer and Irrubesco Puffer behaved for only a week til they went nipping @ almost all the inhabitants in the tank. I fed them twice a day.

 

[alexbinge]

i have got an american puffer in my comunity tank and i find as long as i feed him once a day he doesn't harm my other fish. If i dont feed my fish one day the puffer does nip the guppys tails but as long as i feed him i have no problems.

How long have you had the Puffer? Some of them just takes awhile to snap. My Dwarf Puffer and Irrubesco Puffer behaved for only a week til they went nipping @ almost all the inhabitants in the tank. I fed them twice a day.

I have had the puffer for about a year now

 

[simonas]

I have two abei puffers in a tank on my kitchen worktop and theyve been there about 6 months. I was only just looking at them properly yesterday and they are so characterful and the fish that people always seem to notice out of all the ones I keep so yes if you can research them and cater for their needs a puffer tank is an interesting one

 

[RachelMallory]

I've got 3 amazon puffers (also south american puffers, bumblee puffers) in my freshwater tank, with tons of tropical fish. They barely ever fin nip, some times during feeding. But barely ever. They're very friendly and personable as well.

 

[Hunterprey]

i have got an american puffer in my comunity tank and i find as long as i feed him once a day he doesn't harm my other fish. If i dont feed my fish one day the puffer does nip the guppys tails but as long as i feed him i have no problems.

How long have you had the Puffer? Some of them just takes awhile to snap. My Dwarf Puffer and Irrubesco Puffer behaved for only a week til they went nipping @ almost all the inhabitants in the tank. I fed them twice a day.

I have had the puffer for about a year now

Never really kept South American Puffers before. But in the species index of this site about SAP, it says that they are the most peaceful puffers. Then someone else that keeps them somewhat disagree, saying they are fin nippers at best and mentioned an incident of a puffer attacking a Rosy Barb exposing its bare guts...http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/77823-south-american-puffers/

Great to hear your success on keeping them in a community. IME and most I read were unsuccessful. Would love to keep one in my semi-aggressive community. Its kinda risky to add them to a community IMO, but its up to the fishkeeper if its worth trying. I heard a few successful, so it can be done.

 

[laura120381]

think you might be best to create a species tank if you are getting a puffer. also, not sure a goldfish should be in your current tank

L

 

[Shovelman]

think you might be best to create a species tank if you are getting a puffer. also, not sure a goldfish should be in your current tank

L

+1
Goldfish= no-no