Which puffer to choose

[Chinski]

Hello everybody!

At the minute, I have a 30 liter with a single Dwarf Puffer in, but as sweet as he is, I can't help but notice how amazingly small he is . I am planning on getting a 180 Liter (50 gallons), and I have been toying with the idea of a Congo puffer. I find the way they bury themselves really quite adorable! But I have read that only 30 gallons is needed for a congo puffer, so I was wondering if it would be possible to get one to live alongside a d.p or two? And if not, are there any other reasonably sized puffers that would fit in 50 gallon and work with d.p's?

I know that puffers often don't work well together (or with any other fish for that matter), but I was just wondering - no harm in asking right?

Thanks!

[bertie 83]

Certainly no harm in asking before you buy. Unfortunately it's a no no no. It will not work. Welcome to the forum.

[Pufferpunk]

Cong puffer will eat anything that moves. 50g is perfect for a single GSP though.

[sgtmyers88]

You could do 4-5 SAP's, 2-4 F8's, or a single GSP or even a large group of DP's. In a 55g tank.
Keep the congo alone and don't mix puffers.

[RTR]

I have never been able to keep 4 or more F-8s together well long-term, regardless of tank size, and I have kept an awful lot of F-8s. Past attempts always develop what I call hyper-dominant and overly submissive fish to the point of damage to the underdog(s). If anyone has really had such tanks work compatibly long term - at least over more than 5-7 years - I would love to hear from them. Truncated caudal fins and chronic body bite marks do not count as compatible in my tanks.

Personally I would consider 5 SAPs in a 50 overstocked as well. They might not actually fight, but I would not do it. Minimum housing is not the best way to long-term success. In practice, I never do minimum housing.

But do remember that I am a grumpy old man, and that I hate crowded tanks. My wet pets may be spoiled, but they do tend to hang around for an awfully long time.

FWIW

[JRC3]

If you have the room, why not keep 2 DPs in the 30ltr, and get yourself a congo in the 180ltr. Sounds like you like both fish and that would be the best scenerio.

But do remember that I am a grumpy old man, and that I hate crowded tanks.

I agree. I don't like all the activity and racing/compitition for food/attention. I like to see them mill around and take it easy. For me, It's just easier to appreciate the details of the fish's apparence, behavior and personality in less crowded conditions.

[Master of Puffers]

I

But do remember that I am a grumpy old man, and that I hate crowded tanks.

I agree. I don't like all the activity and racing/compitition for food/attention. I like to see them mill around and take it easy. For me, It's just easier to appreciate the details of the fish's apparence, behavior and personality in less crowded conditions.

I must be a grumpy ole gal cos I agree when it comes to my puffers..There are a few species which can cope with a more crowded tank ..

[RTR]

Perhaps we should just relabel ourselves as persnickety, but that sound rather snobbish to me. The older I get, the more space I seem to allow per fish. And the more I cannot stand so-called "community" tanks. To me they are little more than nixed fish holding cells, a biological screen saver. NIMFT, not ever anymore. I just cannot do that to my fish anymore. I have seen more of their "real" behavior and enhanced lifespans even in my tanks that are best described as "species tanks with workers" rather than communities. Natural behavior just doesn't happen in mixed or community tanks. The shorter lifespans I see in such tanks prompt an easy diagnosis of chronic stress. Life in the wild can be stressful of course, and only a small percentage of those fish born in the wild and remaining there reach sexual maturity, much less live to old age. We do not have to copy that in captivity, and I choose not do so.