As some of you may know, I have a fahaka puffer named, Filbert.
You may also know, he is one of the very few that has allowed tank mates to live with him. Yes, he has bitten the occasional fin but his tank has several exotic, expensive, slow-moving fish & he usually is the one getting chased out of his cave by someone. Even though, everyone needs their own territory & the tank has to be large enough. My 1st attempt with tankmates was at 5" & he was moved to a 55g with 2 plecos & a softshell turtle. Within 2 days, the whole back rim of the turtle's shell was scallopped, so the turtle was moved.
He now lives in a 125g with:
12" Goldspot pleco
6" sailfin pleco
10" Yellow-finned chalcius
2 7" Clown loaches
9" Lancer catfish
5" Bosmani rainbow (killed last week)
7" Frontosa
8" & 9" Elephant noses (18 years old)
12 Black Ghost Knife
I came home from a week's vacation to find my 10 year old Bosmani rainbow missing about 1/3 of his back end & his head. The guy taking care of my tanks said it was alive the day before I came home. I chalked it up to old age & the large plecos eating his remains. About a year ago, Filbert took a bite out of his belly but it had healed & he seemed to be fine.
Today, my stepdaughter brought me her very large parrot cichlid. I've never seen one so big, it had to be about 6+" from head to tail. He seemed very friendly towards the other fish & Filbert completely ignored him, even when the fish went into his cave. I went out for the evening & checked the tank with the flashlight when I got home, to see how he was doing & where he chose to sleep. I knew something was wrong when I saw the Goldspot pleco sitting on top of this bright orange fish. He was dead--missing both his eyes & his entire tail & the pleco was eating his side.
There have been other times, where Filbert just didn't like certain fish in his tank. I had a 7" EBJD that I grew from a 1" fish, that he suddenly started picking on & by the time I finally got the fish out of there, it was too late, it didn't make it:
My concern is whether this is just another example of him not liking one of his tank mates or is this the beginning of a killing rampage? I know you guys probably don't have answers for me & I really don't wwant to find another home for Filbert. I've had him for about 7 years now. I also don't have another tank for him or the other fish he's in with.
What I really need help with is--what do I tell my stepdaughter??? She's an adult & knew Filbert was a potential killer but she also really seemed to love this fish. She was so happy to see it liking the other fish & them liking him (they were actually rubbing on him) & was happy to see Filbert ignoring him.
You may also know, he is one of the very few that has allowed tank mates to live with him. Yes, he has bitten the occasional fin but his tank has several exotic, expensive, slow-moving fish & he usually is the one getting chased out of his cave by someone. Even though, everyone needs their own territory & the tank has to be large enough. My 1st attempt with tankmates was at 5" & he was moved to a 55g with 2 plecos & a softshell turtle. Within 2 days, the whole back rim of the turtle's shell was scallopped, so the turtle was moved.
He now lives in a 125g with:
12" Goldspot pleco
6" sailfin pleco
10" Yellow-finned chalcius
2 7" Clown loaches
9" Lancer catfish
5" Bosmani rainbow (killed last week)
7" Frontosa
8" & 9" Elephant noses (18 years old)
12 Black Ghost Knife
I came home from a week's vacation to find my 10 year old Bosmani rainbow missing about 1/3 of his back end & his head. The guy taking care of my tanks said it was alive the day before I came home. I chalked it up to old age & the large plecos eating his remains. About a year ago, Filbert took a bite out of his belly but it had healed & he seemed to be fine.
Today, my stepdaughter brought me her very large parrot cichlid. I've never seen one so big, it had to be about 6+" from head to tail. He seemed very friendly towards the other fish & Filbert completely ignored him, even when the fish went into his cave. I went out for the evening & checked the tank with the flashlight when I got home, to see how he was doing & where he chose to sleep. I knew something was wrong when I saw the Goldspot pleco sitting on top of this bright orange fish. He was dead--missing both his eyes & his entire tail & the pleco was eating his side.
There have been other times, where Filbert just didn't like certain fish in his tank. I had a 7" EBJD that I grew from a 1" fish, that he suddenly started picking on & by the time I finally got the fish out of there, it was too late, it didn't make it:
My concern is whether this is just another example of him not liking one of his tank mates or is this the beginning of a killing rampage? I know you guys probably don't have answers for me & I really don't wwant to find another home for Filbert. I've had him for about 7 years now. I also don't have another tank for him or the other fish he's in with.
What I really need help with is--what do I tell my stepdaughter??? She's an adult & knew Filbert was a potential killer but she also really seemed to love this fish. She was so happy to see it liking the other fish & them liking him (they were actually rubbing on him) & was happy to see Filbert ignoring him.
