Sap Question

[DNA]

Hi guys!
My question is how many SAPs can I put in a 35gal? and what other fish can I put with them??

 

[DarkEntity]

Im assuming you are referring to Colomesus asellus, if thats the case id go with 2 in that tank and probably nothing else at least until i knew the fish's personality.

 

[DNA]

Yup, I'm referring to Colomesus asellus. I thought you could have at least 3. Some people have 4 and I read 1 person keeping 6 in a 30 gal (I understand 6 is overstocked). Can anyone please tell me what the stocking ratio is?
What other fish can be kept with SAPs? I saw one with a peacock eel..is this a good combination?

 

[Puffdaddy]

Puffers are a difficult fish to judge how many can go together in a specific size tank and what can be housed with them. As Darkentity has hinted at it really depends on the puffers personality. Some are very timid and docile while other are as aggressive as a T-Rex on a bad day, even within the same species. I've always believed, if your going to get multiple puffers get them at the same time and at a young age. Even then it seems to be a hit and miss chance. I would recommend 2 in a species only tank. In your case you seem to want to have as many as you can and/or possibly other fish. So you can try this approach. Get 5-6 SAP's, put them in your tank and view closely over a 1 week period then return the ones that appear to be the most aggressive and/or territorial. Granted this will only work if you are able to return the fish. Then go from there, depending on how many you keep (4 would really be pushing it as far as bioload goes). In all honesty unless you are an experienced puffer keeper, you'll seriously be walking a then line with more than 2 in a species tank for a 35gl set-up.

 

[Fella]

I'd keep 3 in a tank that size, and be prepared to move on any fish that squabble.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

what are the tank dimensions? if it's a 3ft tank, then i'd actually go with 4-5 puffers and just use a massive filter. i'd estimate that a canister with 160+ gph would be good; you should definitely go no smaller than 140 gph.

SAPs being relatively social, the limiting factor on this tank would really be the size of the bacteria colony and not territorial concerns. you'd also want more puffers as opposed to fewer so that the hierarchy is more evenly distributed. SAPs are also riverine fish that like a lot of current, so you'd want to use a powerful canister with a spray bar anyways. provided that you have some good plant growth, then i'd think this tank would be totally possible.

however, if the tank is more of a "tall" tank than a "long" tank, then stick with just 3. (two is a poor choice because there's a much greater chance of the stronger one always picking on the weaker one.)

 

[DNA]

I'm not sure about the width and height but I know it's a 3ft. What do you mean that the hierarchy will be more evenly distributed? I donno what this hierarchy is. You mean dominance? And what is gph? I'm rather new to this stuff so pardon my newbie questions. How do I find out the gph of my filter? (Im guessing the answer is not as simple as "check the box the filter came in" )

 

[pica_nuttalli]

hierarchy: the order of dominance in the group. you're always going to have a top fish and some bottom fish in a school. in smaller schools, you see more fighting to establish who is at the top and who is at the bottom because there aren't many steps in between. with a larger group, this aggression is more evenly distributed and it's less likely that one particular fish will be picked on all the time.

gph: "gallons per hour" (and yes, it's written on the box. ) sadly, you really can't pick a filter based on the manufacturer's recommendations because those are almost always the bare minimum. good filtration turns over the tank's complete volume between 2.5 and 3 times an hour. an "overfiltered" tank should have at least a 4x turnover. i would suggest that you aim for 5x or 6x in this tank.

the trick with keeping SAPs will be to have enough decor in the tank. SAPs are rather neurotic little fish and require lots of distractions if you want to keep them from swimming the glass all day. floating plants, plenty of snails and tall pieces of driftwood are almost must-haves. as i've said previously, you'll also want to have something such as a spraybar to create a "current" in the tank.

 

[DNA]

(and yes, it's written on the box.)

the trick with keeping SAPs will be to have enough decor in the tank. SAPs are rather neurotic little fish and require lots of distractions if you want to keep them from swimming the glass all day. floating plants, plenty of snails and tall pieces of driftwood are almost must-haves.

That's fine with me and I'm looking forward to such as set up as well.

You told,

SAPs being relatively social, the limiting factor on this tank would really be the size of the bacteria colony and not territorial concerns.

Is this valid for other non-territorail fish as well?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

SAPs being relatively social, the limiting factor on this tank would really be the size of the bacteria colony and not territorial concerns.

Is this valid for other non-territorail fish as well?

Sorry to disappoint, but the answer is generally "no". SAPs are unique in that their recommended "volume" is large because they're rather messy eaters and have inefficient digestive systems. SAPs are also fairly small fish that utilize all dimensions of the tank and so don't have many spatial needs in general. It's all of these reasons combined that you can squish in a couple extra by increasing the filtration.

But let it be known! There is a limit on how much you can get away with in terms of trading filtration for volume; you really can't get away with any more than 1 per 7g, even with more than 5x filtration. They are quite active fish and do need some extra space for exploration.

 

[DNA]

Thanks for the replies guys!
And by the way, pica, you make hard to believe what your sig says - 'not actually a nice person'

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Thanks for the replies guys!
And by the way, pica, you make hard to believe what your sig says - 'not actually a nice person'

heh, that's why i have to warn people.

 

[pandacichlid]

I've had two in a 30 gallon tank for a few months now and they even let me hand feed them now they make cute companions
thanks!

 

[pandacichlid]

what are the tank dimensions? if it's a 3ft tank, then i'd actually go with 4-5 puffers and just use a massive filter. i'd estimate that a canister with 160+ gph would be good; you should definitely go no smaller than 140 gph.

SAPs being relatively social, the limiting factor on this tank would really be the size of the bacteria colony and not territorial concerns. you'd also want more puffers as opposed to fewer so that the hierarchy is more evenly distributed. SAPs are also riverine fish that like a lot of current, so you'd want to use a powerful canister with a spray bar anyways. provided that you have some good plant growth, then i'd think this tank would be totally possible.

however, if the tank is more of a "tall" tank than a "long" tank, then stick with just 3. (two is a poor choice because there's a much greater chance of the stronger one always picking on the weaker one.)

that's why my puffers love to swim in my filter current, never knew this