New 535 Gal Freshwater Puffer Fish Tank / Need Advice

[xrayjeeper83]

Im half lucky then cause Bloat doesnt touch my plants. Well I see a bite mark in one plant but I think it was from him chasing a crawfish.

I said half cause he loves it when I try tank mates lol

[sevenyearnight]

LOL!
Well then maybe! I still vote for cute x150

[xrayjeeper83]

I cant let Bloat see this post but I still like the DP idea too lol

[Flutter]

I cant let Bloat see this post but I still like the DP idea too lol

Now what did we tell you about teaching him to read and use the computer?!

[Perchmonger]

You guy are not only extremely Knowledgeable but also hilarious as hell!

[PolishPuff]

I cant let Bloat see this post but I still like the DP idea too lol

Now what did we tell you about teaching him to read and use the computer?!

LOL


But seriously, DP idea is what I would do.

DP's would have their own little world in a tank that size.

[xrayjeeper83]

I cant let Bloat see this post but I still like the DP idea too lol

Now what did we tell you about teaching him to read and use the computer?!

I know, but you all know how cute and irresistible they are when they beg

[Perchmonger]

The lure of a Fahaka growing to a monster 20" in that big tank, begging for delicious delectables for its fat tummy is pretty hard to turn down everybody!

[RTR]

+1 to PP's comments.

Established swords are not easy to uproot, but they are easily shredded. Stem plats will be shredded by any giant i have kept. Floaters are good, but can be messy w/big fish - they are not gentle fish when swimming.

But as PP said, it is all up to the fish. One of my three Fahakas ignored almost all plants, but the swords looked like Swiss cheese, and the stem plants broke off and floated away to clog intakes.

[Clowntje]

I think im one of the lucky ones. Kaya our Fahaka has no problem with plants what so ever.
She only touches plants to lay on top, or when theres food on top of it, then she sometimes bites the plant.
So far the only plants who didnt work where cabomba, and that was more because she zoomed trough them instead of around them.

To be honest i think the 450 litre stated in the pufferpedia is too small for a fahaka.
i have a bruto 840 litre tank, which netto is around 750 litre(roughly estimated) and its nice she uses all of it.

I do around 30% of waterchanges every week but thats more of algea and plant decay and add nitrates than for her waste.

[bertie 83]

mine leaves most plants too, seems to like where i put them i guess lol, only the occasional floating plant from chasing shrimp through the plants instead of going round

[RTR]

I admit my female did not disturb plants much, but at mature size, they can do a lot of damage to stems (and mid-sized Crypts just by swimming at speed.

The PufferPedia does specify "minimum" tank size. As you appear to do, I would never permanently house any valued fish in a minimum sized tank, and would never have any other critter in such a tank. I generally use at least half again for small puffers, and 2x or substantially more for larger ones, 4-5x for the giants. "Minimum" is just that. It says and implies nothing about optimum situations. We just do not know enough yet to specify optimum sizes with any certainty of correctness.