Is there such a thing as a kind fahaka?

[groovitudedude]

I mean temperment, of course. I think that fahakas are beautiful, but I don't want a tank full of dead fish. My question is, if I found or rescued a fahaka that has been proven good with tankmates, would it be safe in my aquarium? Does such a fahaka exist? Will/can they change? Are there fish that would NEVER get along with a fahaka? Should I just forget this all together? Don't worry, I'm not gonna go out and buy a fahaka today. But I thinking how all puffers have unique temperments, and I thought that it would be a good idea in my tank under two conditions:
1) I get an upgrade (at least 180G+)
2) The puffer is not aggressive

I'm 99% sure I won't do this anyway, but I thought it could possibly/ might/ once in a blue moon/ under certain circumstances work. Of course, I won't even begin to consider it unless I'm 100% sure that there is such thing as a "nice" or "kind" or "non-aggressive" fahaka, and that I have found one, AND I get a bigger tank or are sure I'm getting an upgrade soon.

Any thoughts? Am I going insane?

[bosshogg]

Well I have had mine just about a year in a 5 x 2 x 2 and its female approx 5-7 inch without tail and mostly has shared the tank with one plec.

I regularly hand feed her and I would say she is a friendly fish, ie greets you when you come in and responds to input.

Four weeks ago I thought I would try her with other fish and purchased two platties, I quarantined them for a week and put them in the tank, well apart from the odd bit of chasing all was well.

Two weeks ago I had another thought, as the platties were fine maybe I could add more, I bought 4 sailfin mollies, quarantined for 2 weeks (I was busy) and added them to the tank today at 5pm just after I fed her a whole raw king prawn.

My fahaka ignored them and proceeded to sulk in her corner the rest of the afternoon and evening, at 10pm she came out and had a gentle swim around and returned to her quiet corner. Almost as if she was just showing them she was there and was the boss.

At 10.45 the lights went out on the timer and oh my god did chaos and mayhem ensue! She went mental chasing the mollies like something possessed! Well by the time I had put down my drink, put the lights on manually and got a jug and net from her cupboard she had eaten one and had scared the hell out of the rest.

They are now in another tank!

The platties continue to be ignored.

So personally I don't think any fahaka can be trusted or kind as it's not in their nature.

[groovitudedude]

Sorry to hear that. I never really got the difference between mollies and platties. I suppose there is something, but I never really kept them, so I never did any research on it.

Anywyay, do you think it would have gone differently if the fahaka was introduced after the mollies and platties were already in the tank? Maybe then she wouldn't have already established that she was the queen. Do you think it has to do with size?

Again, sorry about that.

[bosshogg]

No to be fair there was always going to be a risk adding other fish, but a 5 x 2 x 2 is a big tank with one fish so I decided to add two small fish as a test. I watched them for a long time and I never suspected she would attack. The molly is larger than the platty and again I knew there was a risk.

The shock was just the whole change in character - Shock and awe did spring to mind.

I think it would be a risk at any size or order in the tank if tonight was anything to go by!

[groovitudedude]

Hmmm..... I want a 240G, but I'm not sure if my house won't collapse (seriously). And I don't want to do anything that would lead to the death and/or discomfort of any fish.

[groovitudedude]

Does anybody have one? I'm just interested if they exist now

[Nick]

Pufferpunks fahaka is relatively mild with a number of tankmates, but for some reason went nuts on a particular dempsy.

[groovitudedude]

Hmmm.....

[Pufferpunk]

Actually it was my stepdaughter's poor huge parrot cichlid, who she has nursed back to health several times. We both thought since Filbert was fairly nice to all his present tank mates, he'd be fine in there. Didn't even last 6 hours...

[groovitudedude]

Hmmmm..... I was thinking maybe if the tank is already established, and you add one, will it be better than adding the fish to a Fahaka-is-King tank?

And how can you stop fahakas from burrowing in the sand? Is it just a habit? Are they nocturnal?

[Pufferpunk]

Mine has only burrowed when he was upset but I've never used sand. Right now, his substrate is about 25% sand. I added my fahaka to a tank with a large pleco & a softshell turtle & he attacked the turtle relentlessly. Turtle has a scalloped shell for the rest of his life!

[groovitudedude]

If a fahaka is just buried when the lights are on, will he come out and kill everything overnight? Is it safe to leave him in the tank the first night?

I've heard stories of Fahaka's ripping apart tinfoils and such. I'm assuming they don't take too well to dithers?

[Pufferpunk]

Ate an entire school of neons & tiger barbs. I'd really try to forget about tank mates.

[groovitudedude]

Ouch. One guy on MFK kept his with some 'rays and bichirs successfully. I think it really depends on the individual.

[Ariadne]

Mine is just over a year old now and right at a foot long. It buries when it feels like it, there is no particular lighting scenario that triggers it more or less. I use a combination of eco complete and flourite. I tried to house my fish with MANY types of tank mates starting when my fish was 2 inches long. My fahaka has always been in a 150 gallon, it is in there alone by choice. After seeing so much carnage, pleco's killed just for sport (over 4 times its size), so many "small fast moving" fish that would be "too fast and too much trouble" ambushed from the under gravel crouching tiger pose...yeah I finally accept my fish for who and what it is. I do still feed live food for enrichment, and sometimes I lose a good chunk of aquascaping for the beat down on crayfish and shrimps, but hey, half of my fahakas beauty is its fierceness. I could have picked any other kind of fish for that big tank if it was that big of an issue.