Can someone advise me on petsmart puffers?

[sg1]

Well, Puffers are very aggressive (and annoying fin-nippers), that can usually not be kept in community aquariums, even with other puffers. Also, obviously, puffers puff, so they are potentially dangerous. They are scaleless (similar to clown loaches) and require extra care when changing temperatures, doing a water change, or treating for ich.

Ahh ok, well Ive had pangasis cats before, Im pretty sure they are scaleless too right? Had really good luck with them, my tanks temp is always constant, perhaps with puffers instead of my weekly 30% water change something like 20% would be better. Ive been lucky as I havent had an ich outbreak as far back as I can remember. Love africans, cons, deevils, and labeo's so Ive got plenty of exp dealing with agressive fish! Anything else you can tell me about keeping a puffer? I was thinking about just doing 2 or 3 puffers in the tank, maybe a couple of tiger barbs to go with em.

 

[groovitudedude]

Puffers do not go well with tankmates, ESPECIALLY other puffers. Or tiger barbs. Did you decide on what type of puffer you want? Whatever you do, don't get a Fahaka or an Mbu unless you happen to have like a 1,000 gallon tank sitting around.

 

[importracer]

Awsome tank....I have seen a 30g Hex tank, heavily planted with Dwarf Puffers....The guy, or actually the store owner, has few fancy guppies breeding in the setup too....This setup has been up for may years...If he allows me, I will take a picture of it this weekend or next week....I have been wanting to visit since my last hello in December.....

 

[sg1]

Puffers do not go well with tankmates, ESPECIALLY other puffers. Or tiger barbs. Did you decide on what type of puffer you want? Whatever you do, don't get a Fahaka or an Mbu unless you happen to have like a 1,000 gallon tank sitting around.

On no this is a small setup nothing big at all, probably go with dwarf or figure 8 puffers. Are there ANY tankmates that you would recommend for puffers? I mean, red tail sharks and leperinus go well with mbuna, I know pufferns are notorius fin nippers but they cant be as agressive as mbuna are they? And If there are fish out there to pair with africans surly there is SOMETHING that can be paired with a puffer no?

 

[sg1]

Awsome tank....I have seen a 30g Hex tank, heavily planted with Dwarf Puffers....The guy, or actually the store owner, has few fancy guppies breeding in the setup too....This setup has been up for may years...If he allows me, I will take a picture of it this weekend or next week....I have been wanting to visit since my last hello in December.....

Love to see a pic!!!

 

[groovitudedude]

On no this is a small setup nothing big at all, probably go with dwarf or figure 8 puffers. Are there ANY tankmates that you would recommend for puffers? I mean, red tail sharks and leperinus go well with mbuna, I know pufferns are notorius fin nippers but they cant be as agressive as mbuna are they? And If there are fish out there to pair with africans surly there is SOMETHING that can be paired with a puffer no?

Do NOT get a Leporinus unless you have a 5 foot or longer tank for it. Trust me, I have one.

I keep my dwarf puffer with 9 neon tetras, 5 zebra danios, a mini-pleco, two in-IDd catfish, two cories, and a kuhli loach. That's all in a 10 Gallon tank.

 

[piranhalova666]

i bought 2 dwarf puffers at my petsmart and have had them for over a year!

i guess its the staff, i rarely see a dead fish in mine.

 

[groovitudedude]

Lucky! Rarely do we get a good LFS.

 

[cassharper]

I agree with above in saying they should be kept in specimen (or with some types) species tanks.

This isn't to say that petsmart doesn't have potentially good ones, but that they are hit and miss. Puffers are great fish with loads of personality, but can be kinda picky. If you sign up for this, be prepared for the long haul as a lot of species live for 10+ years.

Dwarves (about the size of a button when they are sold usually) can be kept in species and live in FW. Green spotted puffers (bigger) are usually kept with 1 or 2 more (depending on size of tank) and that's it. They live in BW all the way up to marine. I have a 3" GSP that I am working his salinity up to keep in full marine.

The only problem is that with these guys, LFS don't always take care of them. They are very prone to a lot of problems (mainly internal parasites). I do %50 waterchange every 2-3 weeks. I know this is not what a lot of people recommend but I like to disturb as little as possible and his nitrates are always in line. When changing water, I prep some in a trash can just for him to get salinity and temp right, then siphon off whatever and pump it back in with a utility pump. This is a gentle enough process that he usually doesn't get too peeved.

 

[groovitudedude]

I'm not a sw or bw puffer expert. I only know about fw fish. And puffers are not for everybody. It's a very hard little pet to keep care of, and you can not just throw them in any old tank. Good job for doing research.