I'm thinking about getting some puffers...

[FlareBettaGuy]

I'm thinking about raising a puffer after a few years, when my betta passes away. I can't handle too many fish at the same time. Can puffers and bettas live together? If they could, I wouldn't have to worry about that.

What do puffers eat? How often?

I heard that puffers are poisonous. Will they poison the owner sometimes?

How big of a tank? Does it require filteration?

What water temperature? What type of water is reccomended?

How many puffers should live together in the same container?

Are they smart? Will they recognize you?

How often should you do water changes?

How long do they live for?

How tolarant are they? How long can they go without food, or without a water change?

Thanks to any very knowledgable people out there for helping me out here. I just want to learn as much as I can about a fish before I buy it to prevent any mistakes from happening.

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

I don't beleive any puffer would be compatible with a betta, their long flowing fins would be a target.
I'm not sure what puffers eat, I've never kept them, but I do know they prefere live or freeze dried food. they also like snails.
puffers are only poisenous if their water is very poor. they only poisen the water though, so unless you plan on drinking your aquarium water, you have nothing to worry.
It realy depends what type of puffer you want, but if you buy one of the easier small ones ( dwarf indian puffers for example) then you could keep 3 or 4 in a 10 gallon aquarium. also, yes, they do requiure filtration, Very good filtration I might add. they are very sensitive to water comditions, so you might want to try fissless cycling. the best temperature would probably be 76-80ish, but it depens on what type of puffer. The prefer clean water, most of them like it fairly hard and alkaline, but if your water isn't hard or alkaline, don't worry and don't add chemicals to make it the way puffers like it.
Most fish do recognise you, I'm betting puffers are no exception
I think they probably live for 5 to 10 years, but it realy depends on the puffer/ water conditions.
In a 10 gallon, 4 dwarf indian puffers would require probably 50% weekly water changes (much much easier if you have a siphon).

Befor you buy a puffer though, be sure to know almost everything about them, including whether they grow 1 inch or two feet, or if they are freshwater or brackish ( high salt levels) water.
also, wecome to the forums!

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

Thanks. Wow, that's a lotta hard work. And costly, too. 10 gallons for 4?!?! I was about to consider 2 gallons for 4! Wow. I guess they like space! In my local fish store, there were like....10 in around a 5 gallon tank!

Well, thanks again, and have a nice day. 8)

 

[Ron]

Ok...
Puffers need a wide selections of food, for example:
Frozen bloodworms, live blood worms, frozen black worms, live black worms, frozen squid, frozen brine shrimp, snails, live ghost shrimp. They also need sea food with the shells still on them to keep their always growing beak from getting to big.
Yes, they have a seriously deadly pioson in their liver, skin and other internal organs. You can only get this poison if you touch the puffer and lick your hands, or you lick the puffer, or you eat puffer that wan't prepared well. I'm guessing you wouldn't be planning on doing these things anyways but... The poison is one of teh most deadliest natural poisons accuaring on teh earth.
They need about 20 gallons per fish, or 5 gallons per every inch of fish. They need a heavily planted aquarium. They need very good filteration. So that all the water is filtered 8 times an hour.
The temp needs to be from 78-82 deagrees. Puffers are found in Fresh, Brackish and Salt water. But most will be in Brackish water. It depends on the species.
Again, it depends on how big of tank you have. Puffers are highly aggresive fish, so make sure that they have lots and lots of places to hide.
They are extremely smart and sensitive. They learn to reconize you and only you. They know taht when they see you they're probably getting food. They change colors too, depending on they're mood. When mine see me walk in teh room, they get very bright green.
I do a 5 percent water change every day, and a 15 percent every saturday. They are very messy fish.
They live up to 15 years and can get very very very large. They just get meaner to eachother and other fish as they get older.
They aren't very tolroant of bad water quality seeing that they are scaleless. They can go around 3-5 days with out food, but i would never have them go that long.
They aren't a fish for begginers and cannot be with any other species of fish, they are best kept in a species tank. Good luck!
Ron

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

Seems hard. Maybe I should wait a few years. Not for beginners, I guess. ..

 

[dixaisy930]

I have one dwarf puffer, and she doesn't seem to be that much work. lol She is in a 10 gallon with platies, mollies, and cories. She's an oddball though...they usually do well with such passive fish. I know there's no way she could be with a betta though (or a guppy for that matter)...those pretty, long fins would just be too tempting. I think it might have something to do with getting her so young, and always being with the same fish...maybe not. Maybe no one ever told her she's a puffer. She's only about an inch long, and she loves frozen brine shrimp and live snails. I've had her for over a year now, and I've just done 25% water changes every week or so. This might be a good puffer for you...

 

[Ron]

Yes, a dwarf puffer could be good for you. If your thinking you want four, then you could get a 10 gallon for four. Or a two gallon for 1. But again, all the other stuff that I mentionded before still goes along with dwarfs...
Ron

 

[joshua]

do they eat flakes? like regular tetramin? i was thinking of getting some in a bigger tank but would like to know more about them first. i really couldnt afford live foods )

 

[Nallen]

do they eat flakes? like regular tetramin? i was thinking of getting some in a bigger tank but would like to know more about them first. i really couldnt afford live foods )

Nope, they won't touch flakes...

 

[Ron]

They won't as Nallen said, touch flakes or any prosesed food for that matter. So no freeze dried foods eather. Just live and frozen.........they are very picky...
Ron