Puffers, please help!

[ghostknife]

I have decided that I want a Pufferfish but i don't know much about them so here are my questions:

What kind of puffer would live in my 45x30x30cm tank (I like Carinotetraodon irrubesco,C. travancaricus and C. loteti)?

What substrate/decor do they need?

Can I keep any other fish in there?


At the moment the tank that i want to put them in already has a betta and 7 white cloud mountain minnows, could keep the puffers with any of these fish or could i put them in one of my other tanks?

If I cannot keep them together which tank should i put the leftover fish in (see my sig. for info on my fish)?

Thanks

GK

 

[Pufferpack]

Hi GK

45x30x30 cm is about 40 liters (8.5 Imp. gal) if I'm not mistaken, and would house 3 or 4 Dwarf puffers (Carinotetraodon. travancoricus), or 1 lorteti, or 1 irrubesco comfortably. Personally I would go with the Dwarfs, but the other 2 aren't readily available in my area, so would make the choice easy for me.
Substrata doesn't matter too much to the puffers, but I prefer sand, I find it easier to see the leftovers when cleaning. For Dwarfs you would want to plant it heavly to help cut down on their aggression and give then multiple hiding/sleeping spots.
For tankmates it is a hit and miss thing, depending on the disposition of the individual puffers (can be anything from big wuss to psycho maniac). Most people seem to be having more luck with non-aggressive, short finned fishes (Ottocinclus, small plecs etc). Long finned fish like gouramis or bettas are a definate no-no (your betta would probably be shreaded overnight) and aggressive fish usually don't fare well either.
You could try to keep the minnows with Dwarfs, but IMO they would still be nipped up. Personally I would probably move them into the Guppy tank to keep them safe.

edit: Check with other Betta owners, but I would think he would do well in the Goldfish tank.

There have been quite a few puffer related posts lately, if you do a search on keyword Puffer you should get some good info.

HTH
Don.

 

[ghostknife]

Thanks for the help i was just wondering what is the puffer on my avatar because i ot it off a site saying that it was a 'True Red-eye Puffer' (personally i think it is a C.lorteti)

Could i keep the c.lorteti or the c.irrubesco with the minnows or the fighter?

 

[Lithril]

Personally I don't think any puffers will go well with fish that mainly occupy the top/middle of the tank and especially Bettas, those wavy fins will just prove too much of a temptation for them.

 

[Mista Majic]

how would one or 2 go with the fish i have (check my sig) the lfs had them for 8$ the other is that a decent price for them?

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

They would kill and shred almost all of your fish.
Puffers are realy specialty fish, and need special care and special treatment. They do not mix with other fish, with a few exceptions of slow moving bottom dwellers (not corrys).

 

[Pufferpack]

wondering what is the puffer on my avatar

From the red tail I would say male C. Irrubesco, lorteti males have a more blue/green tail with white fringe (I think the females are more diffucult to tell apart).

I would have to agree with Lith and Frank, puffers in general don't make good tankmates and I would be very leary of introducing them into any community.

 

[Lithril]

Definately wouldn't put them in your tank, your tiger barbs wouldn't last long for starters and the other wouldn't be far behind.

Also off the puffer topic, keep an eye on your chinese algae eaters, they're great fish when they're young but have a funny habit of turning VERY aggressive when they get older and feeding off of the other fish. I know some people get away with them being find in community tanks (ie CFC) but the general rule is not IF they'll turn but WHEN.

 

[SirMinion]

Puffers in a tank with Bettas? Only if you can find really tiny Hanibal Lecter style masks for the puffers.

Hello, I am new here and this is my first post.

 

[petitericeball]

im keeping danios with my puffers at the moment and since mt puffers and imo are too lazy to chase danios i think theyll be fine.. oh i guess you didnt ask for fish thatll work hmm... im not sure how much money you make but it costs like 10$ at the wal mart here for a 10 gallon acrylic tank about 14.99$ for a biowheel penguin 100 here it costs like 5.00$ for each puffer like 2.99 for like 20 lbs of sand i think heater'll cost like 14$ oh yeah and hood will cost like 14.99 (i bought most of my stuff at petco.com because they have a 20% off your first purchase but if youve already bought from there i recommend petsmart.com

10 10 15 10 3 15 15

i think it'll cost about 73.00 but im guessing if you were getting a new tank you'd of gotten it by now... ottos here are about 2.00 each too

youll need plants too and other stuff

lol sry i guess that was a little long but thats pretty much everything i got