South American Puffer (stocking)?

[FahakaPufferFreak]

Hi,

I have been wanting to get some SAP's and was wondering what the basic rule was for stocking these fish in an aquarium?

Thanks

[xrayjeeper83]

id say a 55 minimum for a couple of them. they need room to swim.

[Nick]

Yea, a four foot length is particularly important for swimming, as well as having at least 3 of them so they can socialize. I suppose a trio could go in a 33xl, but why not just get a 55 since it's the same footprint and will let them form a bigger group. If you can find a 75 or a 90 at a decent rate, great, the extra 6" front to back takes up almost no more of your space than a 55, but gives you a lot of gallons. These guys ZIP all over the place and kinda wink at each other periodically while they are doing it, it's really bizarre because it's not quite schooling but is definitely social behavior. Sadly the group of 8 I was watching was at the store where I worked at the time and 6 died over the first night.

[Pufferpunk]

Check out the excellent article on them in our Libary.

[RTR]

I strongly agree w/Nick's suggestions. I admit that I call these schoolers, but they are definitely not Rasboras. But it is as close as puffers get to schooling in hobby-sized tanks. Tanks 18 or 24" front to back are great for these fish, as you can maximize the front-glass current while stile having heavy planting at the back. I had done a 50 an a 55 for these fish and both were okay, but the first time I set a 75 for them it was so much better it was like different fish. I would not mind setting a 120 or 180 for them, but then everybody would really think that I was crazy (which may well be true).

[nmonks]

55 gallons for just two specimens is overkill, but yes, they need space. Make sure the tank measures at least 100 cm from left to right and, say, 50 cm from front to back. A 55 gallon tank could house 6 or 8 of them without the least bother, perhaps more, depending on how well it was filtered. They're very gregarious.

They like cluttered tanks, and floating plants are very useful, so feel free to add lots of Indian fern. I think stuff for them to explore is actually a bit more important than sheer space, since even a 1000 gallon tank is never going to allow them the migrations between rivers and lakes they seem to carry out in the wild.

Cheers, Neale

id say a 55 minimum for a couple of them. they need room to swim.