How Many Figure 8 Puffers In A 160ltr Tank?

[karigupi]

We have finally (I think) decided on these little fella's, how many could we have together in a 160ltr tank do you think?

I'm still aquascaping it whilst it cycles, but it will eventually have lots of nooks & crannies & lots of silk plants.

I was hoping for 4 or 5.

Are there any acceptable tank mates for a figure 8? I'm happy with a species tank, but was just wondering?

 

[jennybugs]

I have 2 in a 140L and it's a metre long tank. They are happy in there and I'd say 3 for a 160L really. Others may have different opinions of course, but I am just going by how my two fill up a 140L tank 15 gallons of water space per puffer minimum
I have a swarm of 10 bumblebee gobies in with mine and they all ignore each other well. The gobies eat very well so I've never had any issues with them...getting them to eat well is difficult I hear.
Mine are in a low end brackish set up SG 1.005 or there abouts

 

[nmonks]

Assuming you had reasonably robust filtration and kept up with water changes, I'd expect you to be able to keep 5-6* figure-8s in a tank this size without any problems at all. I have two South American puffers, four Carinotetraodon irrubesco puffers, plus a whole bunch of other fish in 180-litre system and everyone gets along fine.

Without live plants, algae tends to be a problem, so you will need to be careful there. I'd recommend sticking with rocks and other structures that will either look good covered in algae, or could be easily removed and cleaned when required. I mention this because silk plants tend to look a bit shabby when they're covered with algae.

As for tankmates, bumblebee gobies tend to work well, as do other small gobies of similar habits, like Chlamydogobius eremius and Redigobius balteatus. These small gobies seem to stay out of the line of fire by sticking close to the rocks and shells they call home.

Knight gobies can work well, but not always. So I'd approach that combination with caution. Glassfish might be an option: my specimens at least seem to have problems avoiding pufferfish, though my aquarium is a little bigger, and that may give fast-swimming fish a bit more of an edge. So again, mix with caution, and be prepared to remove them if things don't work out.

Cheers, Neale

*Assuming these fish are on their own, and not with other fish.

 

[karigupi]

I have 2 in a 140L and it's a metre long tank. They are happy in there and I'd say 3 for a 160L really. Others may have different opinions of course, but I am just going by how my two fill up a 140L tank 15 gallons of water space per puffer minimum
I have a swarm of 10 bumblebee gobies in with mine and they all ignore each other well. The gobies eat very well so I've never had any issues with them...getting them to eat well is difficult I hear.
Mine are in a low end brackish set up SG 1.005 or there abouts

Thank you Jenny, thats really helpful, we will go for three then & a small group of the bumblebee gobies if I can find some.

I've just been playing around with my hydrometer to figure out the SG, thats all new to me, but it seems pretty simple.

What are they like to have? The figure 8's & the gobies? are they as entertaining as the DPs?

Assuming you had reasonably robust filtration and kept up with water changes, I'd expect you to be able to keep 5-6* figure-8s in a tank this size without any problems at all. I have two South American puffers, four Carinotetraodon irrubesco puffers, plus a whole bunch of other fish in 180-litre system and everyone gets along fine.

Without live plants, algae tends to be a problem, so you will need to be careful there. I'd recommend sticking with rocks and other structures that will either look good covered in algae, or could be easily removed and cleaned when required. I mention this because silk plants tend to look a bit shabby when they're covered with algae.

As for tankmates, bumblebee gobies tend to work well, as do other small gobies of similar habits, like Chlamydogobius eremius and Redigobius balteatus. These small gobies seem to stay out of the line of fire by sticking close to the rocks and shells they call home.

Knight gobies can work well, but not always. So I'd approach that combination with caution. Glassfish might be an option: my specimens at least seem to have problems avoiding pufferfish, though my aquarium is a little bigger, and that may give fast-swimming fish a bit more of an edge. So again, mix with caution, and be prepared to remove them if things don't work out.

Cheers, Neale

*Assuming these fish are on their own, and not with other fish.

Thank you Neale, it would be nice if we could go for 5 puffers, thank you for the advice on the plants, hadnt thought of that, i've been offered some bogwood & slate, so maybe that along with some rocks would be the best way to go for this tank?

 

[nmonks]

Rock and wood are certainly easy to clean. But if you're doing a tank without plants, sit down and think carefully about style. A mix of rocks, wood and gravel can either look great or rubbish!

Slate is straight and jagged: it clashes with bogwood. It's hard to imagine the two occurring together in the wild, and that's the key thing. But water-worn pebbles are what you'd see in a stream running through a forest, so wood makes sense. If used carefully, at least! If you're going for a "marine" look with big rocks to create something like a rocky shore, then wood would be entirely out of place. Instead, barnacle clusters and oyster shells (cemented together to make a reef) would look much more in keeping.

Depending on the rocks you use, then substrate should be carefully chosen. If you're doing something with slate, gravel would look rubbish. Pulverised slate would be better, perhaps with black sand underneath. If you were doing a stream with smooth pebbles, then gravel works better. Yet again, if you're doing a rocky shore theme, then a mix of sand, pulverised sea shells and coral sand would look perfect. Scatter some estuary-dwelling shells such as winkles, oysters and mussels to finish the scene, but leave out anything "fully marine" like corals, scallops or conch shells.

The thing with brackish water aquaria is you have to be imaginative. There's no obvious "tropical reef" or "jungle stream" model as in the marine and freshwater sides of the hobby. You can do a low salinity planted tank of course, or use fake corals and empty seashells to make a pseudo-marine aquarium look. But it's as much fun to think of the other brackish water habitats: harbours, tide pools, sandy estuaries, etc.

You can keep plants in brackish water; there's a pinned topic all about it.

Cheers, Neale

Thank you Neale, it would be nice if we could go for 5 puffers, thank you for the advice on the plants, hadnt thought of that, i've been offered some bogwood & slate, so maybe that along with some rocks would be the best way to go for this tank?

 

[karigupi]

Rock and wood are certainly easy to clean. But if you're doing a tank without plants, sit down and think carefully about style. A mix of rocks, wood and gravel can either look great or rubbish!

Slate is straight and jagged: it clashes with bogwood. It's hard to imagine the two occurring together in the wild, and that's the key thing. But water-worn pebbles are what you'd see in a stream running through a forest, so wood makes sense. If used carefully, at least! If you're going for a "marine" look with big rocks to create something like a rocky shore, then wood would be entirely out of place. Instead, barnacle clusters and oyster shells (cemented together to make a reef) would look much more in keeping.

Depending on the rocks you use, then substrate should be carefully chosen. If you're doing something with slate, gravel would look rubbish. Pulverised slate would be better, perhaps with black sand underneath. If you were doing a stream with smooth pebbles, then gravel works better. Yet again, if you're doing a rocky shore theme, then a mix of sand, pulverised sea shells and coral sand would look perfect. Scatter some estuary-dwelling shells such as winkles, oysters and mussels to finish the scene, but leave out anything "fully marine" like corals, scallops or conch shells.

The thing with brackish water aquaria is you have to be imaginative. There's no obvious "tropical reef" or "jungle stream" model as in the marine and freshwater sides of the hobby. You can do a low salinity planted tank of course, or use fake corals and empty seashells to make a pseudo-marine aquarium look. But it's as much fun to think of the other brackish water habitats: harbours, tide pools, sandy estuaries, etc.

You can keep plants in brackish water; there's a pinned topic all about it.

Cheers, Neale

Thank you for a very interesting reply, I've been a bit of a chuck it all in kinda girl with my tanks so far, but you have inspired me to think about this one & plan it out, I make my living as an artist of sorts & yet I have ignored my creative streak in my tanks.

I have some items which will fit the theme & am going to hit the coast this weekend for some large pebbles & shells.

I'm going to go on an aquarium picture hunt today to get further inspiration & start to plan the tank.

Thank you.

 

[jennybugs]

What are they like to have? The figure 8's & the gobies? are they as entertaining as the DPs?

They are even more endearing and entertaining than DPs imho! One of mine eats from my hand and the other is alot more shy, but they have endless smiley faces (see my tanks thread in my siggy for recent pics) and I would be really sad to lose either of them.

they totally ignore the BBGs and they in turn charge at each other if there's a fin in th ewrong territory, but it's great to watch how the gobies can cling to glass etc. when I come in the room, the puffs watch me intently (especially Muldoonican), but always with a smiley face