T. Bio.: Tank sizes and behavior...

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Hi Forum,

First let me pay you a compliment for a great deal in doing all this here. I read a lot and really had a great time with it! Thanx.

Now i must ask sth. because my brain is heavily twisted. There is much different information being stated in case of the Bio.

Especially about tank sizes.

In this forum i read several times, that 10 gal. for 1 Bio may be suitable. But in another (german) forum, your head gets bitten of if you only dare to ask putting a fish like this in such a little slop.

Now that i fell in L.O.V.E. with Bios i don´t want to do something wrong. Can anyone tell me how the fish is behaving when situated in 10 gal.? Is it playing this cheerless up-and-down-game most of the time?

Maybe it also depends on composition of the tank? I have a 14.4 gal tank heavily planted and decorated. Would you suggest to get a larger one?

thank you for answers,
So long,
Matthias

[lisalisa]

are you talking about figure eights? is that what you mean by 'bio'? If so, than a 15 gal is minimum, preferably a 20.

[Jayhawk]

What's the footprint on your 14.4 gallon tank? If it's about the same as a 15 gallon tank (especially lengthwise), I think that would be good enough. I kept one in 10 for a few weeks, but I had to do bi-weekly 50% water changes to keep the nitrates down...and it did seem a little small.

Are those live plants in the tank? Most will croak in the brackish water needed for a figure 8. Silk plants do well, and I'm personally having success with Java moss, java fern and duckweed (not pretty, but a great nitrate sink).

Eric

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Thanx for replies,

@ lisalisa: Yes Bio means T. biocellatus.

@ eric: My tank is exactly 23,622 x 11,811 x 11,811 inches

and i have real plants. Java fern, Java moss, duckweed etc.
I bought some real cool fake-mangroves. It would be a nice playground for a f 8 i suppose. Looking quite like the natural habitat. Only a bit small?

Waterchanges i do in all my tanks minimum 50 % a week. I enjoy doin this. It´s no problem.

The only problem would be the puffer not feeling confident...

I had this in another tank the same size with C. travancoricus. But then it was not so heavily planted and it had not much structure. When i put in some more plants and stuff they began feeling confident.

But T. bio is a little more in size. so i wanted to ask here, before putting it in his new home...

Matthias

[RTR]

That tank size is fine. Just be careful with feeding and monitor ntrate.

[Jayhawk]

I agree with RTR - the tank is big enough.

Figure 8s are great puffers...so much personality in such a small fish (although giant compared to dwarfs puffers).

Eric

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Thank you RTR & Jayhawk.

I´m felling much more confident right now. I´ll give the small tank a chance with one f 8, but already bought a larger one (48 gal.) standing ready, if the puffer will be unhappy.

Maybe it depends on the special personality of each individual, whether it fells well in 15 gal or not?

[Jayhawk]

I think some of it depends on how well you decorate the tank! Lots of plants (real or fake), caves - basically anything that makes the tank interesting from a puffer point of view.

Eric