Congo puffers don't get along....

[s13maximo]

Ok I have two congo's in a 25gallon long tank. Now my problem is that my small congo has too much testosteron and my big one not enough....
He keeps harrassing my big guy causing him to go lie on top of the filter. In the pet store they had about 15 of them chilling together so I don't get it!

Any idea's except splitting them up?

[edmlfc1]

Rule no. 1 Never do as the lfs does, never believe what the lfs says.
Your tank is too small for two of them. One Congo needs 30 gallons to himself. I would put a divider in the tank before they kill each other. Your next step would be to get another tank set up ASAP or return one of them to your lfs. Congo's are extremely agressive and will kill anything in their tank. Including another puffer.

[Christemo]

Keeping two of them together in the first place is a bad idea, and when you cramp them like that, they'll kill each other. Most fish stores don't know how to properly care for puffers anyway.

[Pufferpunk]

When fish are in a LFS, they haven't established territories yet & will not act naturally. When you get them home, it's a totally different story. Please return one of them & explain this to your LFS so they don't sell 2 for a tank again. 25g is fine for a singleton.

[paulh81]

yeah, i have just set up a new tank, and was going to get two pig nose puffers, as the aquatics shop has about 25 of them in the same tank, they all seem rather happy together, all burried side by side.. but i defo dont want this to happen if i bought two. So time to rethink..

Paul

[Christemo]

It's rare for puffers to like each other, even if they're together in the same tank. They're territorial. SAPs, DPs and F8s are the only ones that I know of that do well with multiple puffers in the tank.

[ryverrat]

Straight from the pufferpedia (under the Learn tab )

"Piscivore. Very aggressive and usually attacks anything in sight."

Piscivore= eat fish.
Sorry you won't be able to keep them together . The LFS I got mine at keeps them, arrowheads, fahakas and mbus in individual (if small) tanks.
My congo Hoover will attack almost anything- was throwing a tantrum looking for food and bit the filter inlet. You could get another tank or if the LFS won't take one back, put it up on the classifieds on the forum. Some people have been looking for one.

[paulh81]

I think ill just have the one then! I did used to have four F8's on there own in the same tank. They got along fine, very peaceful with each other.

[ryverrat]

F8's are much more mild tempered. I keep SAPs, DPs, and A.Modestus in groups. The modestus are harder to keep together- got them all at the same time from the same tank. They are territorial and there is some fin nipping at times (mostly at feeding). Tank is so decorated that it is hard to see the puffers- this is what has allowed me to keep them together. The rest of my puffers are keep with clean up crews that can hide/get away easily (mostly kuhli loaches and flounder). Except for my congo- will kill anything put in the tank.

[Myaj]

When you see a tank full of aggressive puffers at a fish store, they aren't killing each other because they just can't pick one to attack. Too many choices!!

Cichlid owners often go by this theory to keep peace in their tanks.. overstock and over crowd so they just can't decide who to fight with. But that doesn't work with puffers due to being very touchy to poor water quality, the fact that especially the lurkers are looking to eat probably more than just defend territory, and they have HUGE teeth, cichlids barely even have teeth when compared to a puffer

The store can get away with it for a few reasons:
- one, they DO lose puffers (both from attacks and poor water) but they take the dead bodies out before opening the store and probably during the day, so you as a customer don't see it very often
- two, those overstocked tanks are hooked up to a massive water supply/circulation so the water is a lot cleaner than any tank you'd set up at home that was that overstocked, unless you had it attached to a huge sump of some sort

And of course, once you get them home and there's only two of them, its very easy for them to decide who to attack.. each other!

[LilGreenPuffer]

It's rare for puffers to like each other, even if they're together in the same tank. They're territorial. SAPs, DPs and F8s are the only ones that I know of that do well with multiple puffers in the tank.

I think PP has two adult GSPs together. Also, a mated pair almost always does fine.