Lone figure 8 question

[amzwiz87]

I recently bought a young figure 8 puffer. He is eating well and is healthy. The only problem I have is that he seems bored all the time. All he does is chase his reflection in the glass....should I go back and get another figure 8 puffer for company for him? that was what my friend who has figure 8s told me to do, but all of my research points to the fact that they do best when in a tank by themselves, is that not true? I have enough room for two of them but only bought one because I thought they did better alone. What are all of your opinions? Thanks for your time!

[biggy101]

As long as you have 25+gallon tank and feed plenty during feeding times they should get along just great.

[Agnate]

F8s can usually get along, but you'll find that a single puffer seems to have a lot more personality than multiple puffers in the same tank (some exception, of course).

Puffers will still pace the glass, regardless of how many other are in there. If you want to keep him entertained, fill the tank with decorations and cave systems, and toss in ghost shrimp & snails so that they can go hunting (be careful of overfeeding, of course).

[Pufferpunk]

They have been proven to live longer as singletons & are more personable to their keepers. That said, maybe their quality of life (being alone), is compromised? I'm not sure...

[Agnate]

Unfortunately, I don't know much about fish psychology.

[pinkfloydpuffer]

Man oh man, it is so dang fun to put in some ghost shrimp and watch the puffs try to find them.

[erinmd]

I've found that an interesting pair is a Figure 8 and a Fiddler crab. I recently added a female fiddler to my lone f8 tank and it's made the whole dynamic of the tank more interesting. Also, my f8 seems to pace less! He's more interested in what the fiddler seems to be snacking on than chasing his reflection. So far neither has attacked the other, and it's been three months...I feel like after they each weighed the other out they just came to amicable terms and got on with their exploring. One of the problems with adding a fiddler however is that they need to have some time out of the water, so they'll climb on wires and tubing in order to breathe. It's fairly easy to drop the water level some and get a bamboo or some plant/object that has structure to it for them to climb on though, just make sure you have enough swim space for the puff. OH! Just to be clear, I got a female crab...the one without the huge "fiddle" claw. Something about that monstrous pincher-tool made me kind of nervous for my puff. I hear the males are just as docile and don't really use their big claw for grabbing a snack, just for flashing at the ladies, but I was still nervous about it.

[marksrush]

...I hear the males are just as docile and don't really use their big claw for grabbing a snack, just for flashing at the ladies, but I was still nervous about it.

I have some fiddlers, and I've never seen them use their large claws for much of anything except when eating or when, like you say, the males are trying to impress the female. I even pick them up to get them out of the tank to do water changes, and they've never tried to use that claw on me.

[Puffer_holic]

The reflection thing is what my GSP does. From the patterns I've seen I believe it might be a territorial thing..(as in finding it's territory) but I don't know. How long have you had him? I have a F8 with my GSP and they do fine, but they don't really interact with each other that much. I would recommend getting another F8.

[yunachin]

You can add some more decor or maybe put a background on the tank to give him more security and things to explore. Pipes and pots and shot glasses can entertain a puffer very well.

[Christemo]

Unfortunately, I don't know much about fish psychology.

I believe Freud said that the reason they pace is because they secretly want to sleep with their mothers.

</psychology major>

[Myaj]

Hehe.. oh boy... such ANIMALS!!

Seriously, more decoration can help with pacing at the glass, and letting a supply of something like red cherry shrimp loose in the tank can really help too.

Another thing to consider is.. is the puffer just doing this to get your attention, and food? Often when puffers pace the glass, people have found if they leave the room and peek around a corner, with the puffer not noticing them, they quickly stop pacing and go back to normal behavior.

[Dadof4]

shot glasses can entertain a puffer very well.

They can entertain humans well also.