About Puffers

[Jarred Darque]

ok, I have a 29 gallon and a 10 gallon, each currently has in a red fin shark and a cory cat along with some guppies, the guppies and cories are temporary

I am looking for a predatory type fish for the 29 gallon, and would prefer either something relatively large for the tank, say 8 inches in a solitary fish, or 2-3 fish that are 4-5 inches each.

Puffers are right now one of the options I am looking into, so I want to learn something about them from people with expierience.

things to know, what types and how many would fit. DPs are a possibility, but they are kind small, and havinga tank filled with 10 of the same thing is not THAT appealing, but who knows. (basically, i dont want an empty looking tank)

Is there any that could be housed withteh bottom dwelling red-fin shark curently 3 inches will be about 4 inches before tank is stocked. I wouldnt mind having something that I could breed in tehre as well (again one of the only reasons I am even considering DPs as an option) on this note, do puffers eat their fry? and will they eat feeder fish, or feeder fry for the smaller types? (I have about 20 guppy fry ATM)

Are there any puffers in the max 2-3 inch range that could have 3-4 in a29 gallon, the tank is planted with anachris right now, but I am still propogating the tank with it, only have about 3ft of plant in there atm, none of it reachin from top to bottom yet. Will also be buying a hollow resin ship in two pieces to put in there

The tank also has in some malaysian snails, the little cone shaped ones, now I dont mind if they get eaten to hlep keep population in check either and tank currently has in a medium black substrate, smaller gravel, but I may switch to Black Tahitian Moon sand when I move in a month (tank will get stocked about a wek or two after that, once I make sure the ammonia and nitrate/nitrites are under control again

I gues I am loking for general info and stuff on stocking the tank.

how expensive is feeding puffers? what all do they require, or is best (frozen, live, fry, etc etc)

ty

[RTR]

Puffers are predatory fish, with all that implies (tankmates many be nipped or eaten at any time, their diet is largely/entirely live or frozen foods, no prepared foods, and they are very messy eaters). No puffer at or larger than 6" sould be kept at minimum in a 29, and larger tanks would be better. They are very demanding on water quality (scaless fish). Puffer tanks, other that the lurker-predator tanks, never look empty - these are among the highest-personality fish available, right up there with Oscars and goldfish for interacting with their owners, and far more intelligent than most.

Puffers suitable for keeping with a redfinned shark: IMHO, none.

Puffers available for keeping with Cory cats: the same list.

With dwarf puffers in a heavily planted tank you may be able to keep Otocinclus catfish, and may be able to keep Amano shrimp. With South American puffers you may be able to keep dwarf Peckoltia catfish or the smaller Ancistrus cats if you provide a dritwood or rock tangle for them to hide in or under.

[Jarred Darque]

ok thanks. is there anything other than DPs that stay under 3 inch? I found a site that lsits a few as doing it, but they also list fahukas (sp?) as only getting upto 6, and I have seen pics of a few well over a foot...

[Pufferpunk]

Check out the Puffer List: http://www.pufferlist.com

[Jarred Darque]

kk thanks PP, I thought I recognized your avatar from another friendly site.... got a post in teh FW puffer forum there as well.

[Rocker]

This is from RTRs article in the library about MT snails

Malaysian Trumpet Snails are not recommended. Their coiled shells are too heavy and too strong for many puffers. Attempts to crush MTS can result in broken teeth. I lost an immature puffer from this a number of years ago and have not used them for puffers since. They would be fine for loaches. Loaches are commonly referred to as "slurpers" as they pull the snail from the shell without crushing the shell. I prefer the label "biter/slurper", as they need a strong bite to hold and pull the snail out. Some smaller puffers do this also, leaving intact shells behind. Larger puffers tend to be "crushers" in that they crush the shell with their strong jaws and fused tooth plates. They somehow sort the meat from the shell, blowing the crushed shell fragments out their gills, or just spitting out larger chunks. My older puffer tanks have substrate that is a significant percentage shell fragments. It sorts when you vacuum the gravel and looks more than a little strange in the gravel vacuum, but is not noticeable in the substrate otherwise. These MTS snails are reported to be parthenogenic females, meaning it does not take two to tango. They are livebearers rather than egg depositors. They also have an operculum (essentially a trap door) they can close to protect themselves from loaches or snail poisons.

[Jarred Darque]

I am guessing that DPs are the crushers then right? and not the slurpers? I ask cause in the article it says many small puffers are'slurpers' rather than crushers, but have read that they are not recommended. I am actaully talking to P.P. on this issue atm.

TY for the post.

[RTR]

DPs are biter/slurpers of other than tiny snails IME. Their incissors are small and thin.

[Jarred Darque]

so are MTSs still bad for them then?

[Rocker]

MTS are bad for all puffers due to their shell being hard.

[Jarred Darque]

kk, ar et here any surefire way to get rid of them in a tank?

I know comeplte changing the gravel and plants, I dont maind changing the gravel, but I really dont care to have to grow out all new plants before I can put some fish in here. :/

[RTR]

http://www.thepufferforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=58

There is a brief discussion of snail capture techniques there.

HTH