Which Puffer?

[BraddersRam]

I really want to get a puffer but i dont no which because of the other fish in my tank...

its a 125L planted freshwater tank. Current fish: 4 penguin + 2 emporer tetra, 2 clown loaches, 3 otos and i fancy some amano shrimp soon...

i understand tht there are some limitations. i nearly got a figure 8 puffer but the guy @ my LFS sed it would eat ALL my fish (even tho it was about 2cm big) and ive read various things about them being brackish puffers etc.

Help anyone please?
Cheers

 

[AdAndrews]

I really want to get a puffer but i dont no which because of the other fish in my tank...

its a 125L planted freshwater tank. Current fish: 4 penguin + 2 emporer tetra, 2 clown loaches, 3 otos and i fancy some amano shrimp soon...

i understand tht there are some limitations. i nearly got a figure 8 puffer but the guy @ my LFS sed it would eat ALL my fish (even tho it was about 2cm big) and ive read various things about them being brackish puffers etc.

Help anyone please?
Cheers

only one suitable is the south american puffer, although even could still fin-nip

 

[nmonks]

Figure-8 puffers certainly need slightly brackish water to do well under home aquarium conditions.

Clown loaches also need a much bigger tank than 125 litres; adults are around 20-25 cm in length, and even a tank twice this size will be too small. Many would argue they're best kept in groups.

There's no immediately obvious pufferfish for your aquarium. South American puffers get along well with fast-moving tetras, but emperor tetras would be targets for their fin-nipping behaviour. I'd also recommend a larger aquarium for South American puffers because they're so active and happiest in groups. It should also go without saying shrimps come under the heading of "puffer food". Carinotetraodon irrubesco is a nice species that usually behaves well in mixed species tanks, and being less active than South American puffers could work in your aquarium. But it isn't as widely traded as it should be, and occasional specimens have been reported as being nippers (though I haven't experienced that problem myself).

In short, I'd concentrate on keeping the fish you already have in bigger numbers: both tetras as well as the Otocinclus should be in groups of six or more. Then worry about rehoming the clown loaches. Leave any thoughts about keeping puffers until you've mastered the fundamentals of the hobby; puffers aren't "easy" fish, and they're best kept by experiences aquarists in a single-species aquarium.

Cheers, Neale

I really want to get a puffer but i dont no which because of the other fish in my tank...

its a 125L planted freshwater tank. Current fish: 4 penguin + 2 emporer tetra, 2 clown loaches, 3 otos and i fancy some amano shrimp soon...

i understand tht there are some limitations. i nearly got a figure 8 puffer but the guy @ my LFS sed it would eat ALL my fish (even tho it was about 2cm big) and ive read various things about them being brackish puffers etc.

Help anyone please?
Cheers

 

[frenchie]

also it is worth mentioning that south american puffer's "teeth" grow very fast compared to other puffers and reguire a lot of hard shelled food

 

[bagu]

also it is worth mentioning that south american puffer's "teeth" grow very fast compared to other puffers and reguire a lot of hard shelled food

true, alot of people end up having to trim them manually