puffer temptation

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Hello everyone!. a dude in a local fish group is selling a green spotted puffer for 5 dollars and upon research, I see that they come from Indonesia and can live in a 31 gallon, so that would technically mean that it could live in my Indonesian biotope project, the thing here is that I worry if it could hurt any of my current fish which are:
. a blue gourami pair
. a Mayan cichlid (just growing up until he is big enough to go in my backyard)
. a school of kuhli loaches
. a (in the near future, since I still haven't bought them yet) school of harlequin rasboras.
Now, I have read that green spotted puffers are suitable for community aquariums and tend to just be aggressive against each other but still if they can pose any danger to any of my fish (mainly worried about the kuhlis and the harlequins since they are quite small, the gouramies and Mayan cichlid are already larger than the puffers max size) then I will decline the offer. Thanks in advance for any help or comments about your experience with this puffer species with smaller/same size/bit larger fish and/or in a community setting.

 

[Lynnzer]

I took a couple of smaller pea puffer fish to rid my tank of snails. It was amusing towatch them slide up to a shell and grab it like a kid snatching a sweet from a shop counter. BUT ...... when the snails ran out they started snatching fish. Even the larger fish,. They are proper carnivores with little appetite for dry food so the phrase "if it moves - it's edible" is well and truly entrenched in them.
I'd say keep clear of any puffer fish.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

I took a couple of smaller pea puffer fish to rid my tank of snails. It was amusing towatch them slide up to a shell and grab it like a kid snatching a sweet from a shop counter. BUT ...... when the snails ran out they started snatching fish. Even the larger fish,. They are proper carnivores with little appetite for dry food so the phrase "if it moves - it's edible" is well and truly entrenched in them.
I'd say keep clear of any puffer fish.

Thanks for the info, i mean, if even the smallest of puffers can be a danger then i guess that a bigger one will just be worse

 

[Lynnzer]

A bigger one may just be a danger to piranha

 

[Byron]

I concur this is not a good idea. While this species of puffer can sometimes be kept in a community tank, it requires careful consideration of tankmates. And sedate or long fin fish (your gourami) rule it out totally. More data here:

Tetraodon nigroviridis (Green Spotted Puffer) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

I concur this is not a good idea. While this species of puffer can sometimes be kept in a community tank, it requires careful consideration of tankmates. And sedate or long fin fish (your gourami) rule it out totally. More data here:

Tetraodon nigroviridis (Green Spotted Puffer) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

Thanks a lot, i will have to decline the offer then

 

[connorlindeman]

could get another tank ;-)

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

could get another tank ;-)

I don't have the space for another 31 gallon but i was thinking about getting a 10-12 gallon tank and get either a fang's puffer or a red eye puffer, since both have that classic puffer shape, behavior and diet, and are more manageable in size

 

[connorlindeman]

I don't have the space for another 31 gallon but i was thinking about getting a 10-12 gallon tank and get either a fang's puffer or a red eye puffer, since both have that classic puffer shape, behavior and diet, and are more manageable in size

nice. I wanted to get a few pea puffers at one point but I didn't have a tank large enough. They are still on the list of future stock though

 

[Lynnzer]

I had 3 pea puffer and they didn't get on well with each other.
Honestly, I'd regard them as only necessary to clean a tank of unwanted snails, then when the jobs done take them back to the LFS and trade it in.
Feeding them with snails is a nightmare anyway. Once they have depleted those in the tank they were bought to eradicate, you then have to start a snail colony to feed them.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

nice. I wanted to get a few pea puffers at one point but I didn't have a tank large enough. They are still on the list of future stock though

hope you can get them soon!