Happiest as Singletons?

[Pufftastic]

So I've read that singleton F8s typically live longer than those kept in pairs or groups (provided all fish have ample space, good water quality, good food, etc.). I'm guessing that this can apply to GSPs as well?

But I was wondering whether the experienced folks found their F8s and GSPs to be happier when kept singly or with conspecifics? I know that identifying "happiness" in a puffer is kind of subjective, but would love to hear opinions.

I'm still deciding between F8s or a GSP and am trying to figure out whether 2-3 F8s or a single GSP would be a better choice (given proper room, of course).

[pufferpuggirl]

I know everyone says that puffers don't need "friends", but I still think, to some degree, that they enjoy having other fish/puffers around. Not all of them of course, but surely some of them must hang out with others of their kind in the wild?
My GSP's were living together and seemed happy enough and now they are living with the Ceylons, and they all get along fine.
I know you're not talking about dwarf puffers, but I think that DP's definitely appreciate being in small groups.
Of course, all of this is just my opinion.

[Pufferpunk]

library/puffer-care/alone-but-not-lonel ... fers-solo/

[RTR]

I am by personal experience, solidly in the group that prefers all hunter-predators to be kept singly - without conspecifics in the same tank. Those kept with conspecifics do only very rarely achieve the ripe old ages often seen from singletons. But it must be emphasized that all conditions must be equal in both situations for the comparisons to be valid - water quality and upkeep and volume per fish as well as visually complex environments must be directly and evenly comparable.

As most of my experience comes from tanks where there may well be conspecific puffers in immediately adjacent tanks, the situation in my tank room does not at all preclude vision-only interactions between puffers from adjacent tanks. They have been likely more often than not.

None of this applies as a blanket finding to all puffers, but only and specifically to the more common in the trade hunter-predators. it certainly is not as applicable to the uncommon schooling-as-adults species such as the SAPs, and many equally not apply to several Carinotetraodon species, especially to the dwarf puffers, although breeding females are likely to be a bit shorter-lived than the dominant males as they are in many species of tank-bred fish. It also may not apply to Auriglobus species, where I do not have enough personal experience to generalize. That subgroup does show some tendency to aggregate as adults. Some of those aggregations may during nonbreeding periods only, and can present difficulty in captivity when breeding is triggered

It is perfectly possible that my experiences would have been different had I always used much larger tank sizes than those commonly suggested for these fish, but for me that would be more likely to a multiple of the usual suggested volume per fish - something which IME is all but unheard of in this hobby, and unlikely ever to be common practice with these fish or with any others common in the hobby. Most hobbyist want to cram as many fish as possible into whatever tanks they have - a practice which is easily and fully understandable, but one which is rarely the best situation for the fish involved. Few of us are willing to attempt to offer optimum rather than minimum accommodations.