Figure 8 tank mate?

The forum for puffers that either live or start in brackish biotopes: GSPs, F8s, Ceylons & more.
Post Reply
fish_freak
Puffer Fry
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:48 pm
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Figure 8 tank mate?

Post by fish_freak »

Hello all I just purchased a new figure 8 tonight for a 30 gallon and I am wondering if there are any other brackish fish that could be housed with them. I was considering maybe a couple of goby's or a grouper. Any thoughts?
What if any thing do you keep with them?
kass
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 473
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:14 pm
Gender: Male
Location (country): Canada
Location: Guelph, Canada

Post by kass »

Welcome to the site!
Many people have had success with F8 tankmates, I'm sure they'll drop a line sometime soon. However, it does really depend the individual puffers temperment. Some will accept tankmates and others are just too vicious.
fish_freak
Puffer Fry
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:48 pm
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Post by fish_freak »

Thanks he was in a tank full of Red Scats at the LFS and didn't seem to bother them at all. I'm slowly acclimating the tank to brackish now as the LFS had them in "African cichlid" water lol.
User avatar
kjharve
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 3:59 pm
Location: Norwich, UK
Contact:

Post by kjharve »

I keep mine with 2 silver mollies and 4 bumblebee gobies and all is well.

If you go for bumblebee gobies you should go for a group of 4 at a minimum, they're thoroughly entertaining! Just make sure you have enough decor to keep everyone occupied as you will be pretty much at the maximum stocking level for that size of tank. And if the gobies get bored, they will fight - especially over territory, make plenty of places for everyone to make a home though and you'll be fine.

Another option is orange chromides but I think your tank would be overstocked with these as well as F8s.
User avatar
Pufferoni
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 1:54 pm
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Post by Pufferoni »

I have 2 F8s with 2 sailfin marble mollys in a 40g and they get along beautifully. Mollies are pretty much your only algae eaters.
Stand tall, be brave, wait for the signs.

http://biffmalawi.googlepages.com/
dingogirl66
Puffer Fry
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2006 1:30 am

Post by dingogirl66 »

How about Bumble bee Gobies?
User avatar
jake_vdb
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 127
Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:32 pm

Post by jake_vdb »

dingogirl66 wrote:How about Bumble bee Gobies?
I keep Bumblebee Gobies with my F8's, but many people report that at some point the Puffers may no longer tolerate the Gobies. Other people have kept Knight Gobies with F8's. I would say more than anything it depends on the temperament of your fish, it may or may not be fine with others. So I would just watch carefully if you decide to add tankmates, and be prepared to rehouse or return fish that don't work out.
fish_freak
Puffer Fry
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2006 9:48 pm
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Post by fish_freak »

well I decided to try 2 orange cromide's. I'll see how it goes. So far he has no interest in them and he is pretty big already about 2.3-3 inches so I'm not sure how old he is or how much bigger he will get. I'll just have to keep a close eye on them and make sure there is no major problems.
User avatar
crazy loaches
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 60
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:25 am
Location: Gahanna, OH
Contact:

Post by crazy loaches »

Bumblebees are questionable. I thought my puffers were pretty docile and I moved them recently into a new tank that had 4 BBs in there. I started with my smalles puffer and gave them each a week befor moving in the next. A day after I moved my biggest puffer in one of my BBs was found dead with a big chunk taken out of his back. Its been a month since and the rest are stillall accounted for thankfully. Always safer to use big fish, my puffers paid no attention to my scat and mono but unfortuantely cant keep either of them due to size, which BTW I am still trying to find a new home for if anyone is interested.
http://tristan.homelinux.net/fish/
* 150G Setting up
* 75G Freshwater Planted
* 45G Bowfront Brackish
* 40G Brackish
* 20G Plants, Guppies, Snails, low/no maintenence tank
User avatar
CoreyK
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 240
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:43 pm
Location: Michigan

Post by CoreyK »

I keep 2 knight gobies with my two juvenile figure 8's, and so far, if anything, the knight gobies push the puffers around (they are bigger).
They seem to go well together because they have similar temperaments, but we'll see how it goes when the puffers are full grown.
User avatar
Peregrine
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 290
Joined: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:36 pm
My Puffers: F8's (given to a fellow enthusiast)
Fahaka (My sole project for a while)
Location: Canadian Prairies

Post by Peregrine »

I currently have my 2 F8's in with some boesmani rainbowfish...their was a little fin damage initially, but now the rainbows avoid the f8's, and they have the speed to stay outta the way. They will steal food from the F8's. It is actually kind of funny, as the chunks of food are too large for them to swallow...so they just swim around playing keep-away from the puffers...I am sure this behavior will be punished in the future, but I have a Rainbow tank set up if things should get nasty...
Image
User avatar
kjharve
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 3:59 pm
Location: Norwich, UK
Contact:

Post by kjharve »

As with all puffers, their personalities vary so much that its difficult to say what is wrong and what is right.

Obviously, an aggressive puffer will do a lot of damage to a BB Goby but I think on the most-part this is a safe pairing. It probably has something to do with the black and yellow striping of the gobies - that combination in the wild means "stay away, I'm dangerous." I'm sure Mr Monks can expand on that but you get what I mean.

If anything I have found the gobies to be more aggressive than my F8s.
User avatar
Pufferoni
Figure 8 Puffer
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 1:54 pm
Location: Toronto
Contact:

Post by Pufferoni »

My moolies just had babies and my F8s chase them if they come near but more of a "Get away kid you bother me." than a "I'm gonna eat you."
Stand tall, be brave, wait for the signs.

http://biffmalawi.googlepages.com/
User avatar
kjharve
Dwarf Puffer
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 3:59 pm
Location: Norwich, UK
Contact:

Post by kjharve »

fish_freak wrote:well I decided to try 2 orange cromide's. I'll see how it goes. So far he has no interest in them and he is pretty big already about 2.3-3 inches so I'm not sure how old he is or how much bigger he will get. I'll just have to keep a close eye on them and make sure there is no major problems.
How's things going? I've recently purchased some Orange Chromides. They're very attractive and active little fish. The photos I have seen never do them justice!
Post Reply