DP vs. F8?

[sara_momof3]

Howdy. We are ready to buy our puffers.... now to decide. I've done a ton of research & have narrowed it down, but would like to hear from experience: What personality differences would I see between DP & F8? I have 2 tanks to choose from (20g & 25g), but would prefer to leave 25g freshwater. I have lots of filtration, lots of plants & a cool piece of driftwood with tons of holes in the 20gal. I was planning on 4 or 5 Dp's in there, but I'm not ready to let go of the F8 idea. I think you can see so much more detail & character when they're bigger. I know 20g is a bit too small for 2 F8, but would 1 be ok alone? ***When you buy DP from the LFS they are young- how do you ensure you're getting the appropriate ratio of m/f? Do you exchange later? Any breeders near Grand Rapids, Michigan? Please help us decide on what will be more fun for my 3 little kiddies to watch. Thanks!

[Sponge bob]

Welcome.
Figure 8's are brackish.
1 per 15 gallons
I personally like dps better
u can tell sex when they are a little bit older
males have a shine to em, wrinkles behind eyes.
Females dont

[Christemo]

F8s are brackish water, meaning that they need salt. I would go with the DP.
Plus, you really need to get that tank cycled. If you introduce a puffer to an uncycled tank, they'll probably die from the ammonia.

[groovitudedude]

Howdy. We are ready to buy our puffers.... now to decide. I've done a ton of research & have narrowed it down, but would like to hear from experience: What personality differences would I see between DP & F8? I have 2 tanks to choose from (20g & 25g), but would prefer to leave 25g freshwater. I have lots of filtration, lots of plants & a cool piece of driftwood with tons of holes in the 20gal. I was planning on 4 or 5 Dp's in there, but I'm not ready to let go of the F8 idea. I think you can see so much more detail & character when they're bigger. I know 20g is a bit too small for 2 F8, but would 1 be ok alone? ***When you buy DP from the LFS they are young- how do you ensure you're getting the appropriate ratio of m/f? Do you exchange later? Any breeders near Grand Rapids, Michigan? Please help us decide on what will be more fun for my 3 little kiddies to watch. Thanks!

Although there are other puffers you could fit in a 20 Gallon, I'd stick with Dwarf Puffers. You could get 4, and they would be fun to watch.

[LilGreenPuffer]

I would go with the DPs. I love mine, and brackish is just extra upkeep, which I can't do in college and so certainly would have problems with if I had three kids.

There should be breeders in your area; DPs are pretty common. As for the gender ratio, you can get them when they're old enough to look different. I just asked the LFS to order a male and a female, and that's what they sent, and as they've grown, it's only gotten more obvious that I got what I asked for.

You could get up to six DPs without tankmates, and a trio plus some otocinclus catfish (their favorite tankmate) would be nice, too.

[CaptainMorgan_SOS]

i wuld also agree on te DPs, especially if you want to keep it freshwater. they would like the driftwood and all the plants. your kids would probablylike the DPs because you could have moe than 1. they may get bored just watching one fish.

[Homer]

if you had a bigger tank for more puffers, i would probably say go with the F8's... but seen as you are only setting up a 20G and want to keep it fresh i agree that DP's would probably give you the most joy since you could get more than one, and once you've been here you'll realize how its the more the merrier till you don't have any more space for tanks in your house...

oh and btw...

[alexk3303]

I live in Grand Rapids also, andhave been looking for Dwarf puffers too (small world, eh?). My dad seems to think there is a good fish store on Plainfield, but doesn't remember the name (if that helps at all). If you find anything please let me know!

[alexk3303]

I was just searching the forum for Grand Rapids and someone said that the store on Plainfield was ViPets. If you go there please let me know!

[katty]

I agree. I think an f8 sounds like more work but if you do decide to go for one of those, remember to get marine salt and not aquarium salt. It took me a while to figure out the differences when I first got my crab that needs brackish water. On the other hand, DP are absolutely adorable and very amusing to watch as well though! As for finding a breeder, I'm not in your area but I have noticed that, generally, smaller but known independent petstores tend to carry them. I've seen them in 2 here (Seattle). I just searched for my location and petstore in google and it should come up with a list for you. Oh and yes, definitely cycle the tank before you add a puffer. They're extremely sensitive! There are products, like BioSpira, that will help cycle a tank quickly. Good luck!

[LilGreenPuffer]

Also, most pet stores will order for you, as long as their supplier has what you want. That's how I got all my fish.