Fahaka Tank Mates??

Discuss & learn about Mbu, Fahaka, Mappa & other giant puffers.
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flash.dan
Green Spotted Puffer
Posts: 433
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:50 am
My Puffers: 8 years of FW puffer care!
currently have 1x mbu
Bubba 17" gentle giant... loves a belly tickle.
2x Suvatti Pair
1x Carinotetraodon borneensis
Location: Coventry, UK

Re: Fahaka Tank Mates??

Post by flash.dan »

if you really must mix fish id recomend exos or serpaes, but my fahaka found out how to get them in the end. I wouldnt do it again but it did work for 6-8 months
Erinmarie93
Puffer Fry
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2016 11:00 pm
Location (country): United States

Re: Fahaka Tank Mates??

Post by Erinmarie93 »

I have a 3 1/2" fahaka puffer that I have had since he/she was a little under an inch and immediately had him living with a bunch of baby new world cichlids and 2 cat fish.
Currently he lives with
6 1/2"jack Dempsey
4" parrot fish
2" electric blue jack Dempsey
6" eclipse catfish
6" shovelnose catfish
4" pictus catfish
4" green terror cichlid
2" firemouth cichlid
And a 4" in diameter freshwater stingray.
He's been with most of these fish since he was brand new with me and he could care less about basically all of them. He does consider biting my stingrays tail though and I might have to move the stingray out soon if he doesn't quit it. I just got the stingray recently so he is new and he hangs out on the bottom near Puffys snails so I guess I understand why he looks like lunch. My puffer is actually less aggressive than my cichlids (at least as of right now) so my theory is if you get them really small and raise them with other fish that are slightly bigger and more aggressive at first I think they will be okay. :) Probably not with stingrays though :(
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Pufferpunk
Queen Admin
Posts: 32755
Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles
Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
Location: Chicago
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Re: Fahaka Tank Mates??

Post by Pufferpunk »

I'm very afraid this combo will eventually end very badly. Starting with that shovelnose eating many of it's tank mates. How large is that tank?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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olliesworld
Puffer Fry
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2016 1:00 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Ollie, Wally and Paulie - Fahaka Puffers in separate massive tanks
Location (country): USA

Re: Fahaka Tank Mates??

Post by olliesworld »

My three Fahaka have always lived with guppies that I had in their tanks as a "clean-up crew". The guppies breed so I do not know if some are being eaten, and fortunately I am not individually attached to them. They eat up the little bits of snail, clam, mussel and prawn that the puffers spit out. When there get to be too many guppies as the fry grow up I take a batch to the local fish store or give them away.
I also put a school of about 20 cardinals in my 180 gallon before Ollie Fahaka was moved in from his 75 gallon, and they are all still there. Braver than the guppies even, they wait right in from of Ollie to get the leftovers. I feed them flakes but the puffer food is tastier apparently. SO far he could care less that they are there, literally "in his face". haha.
I had a horrible experience trying to introduce a small catfish. Yes puffers can be lightening fast and yes even the seemingly sweet ones are killers. So I wont try another fish who also lives in the bottom of the tank as their resting spot (Ollie's turf), but the surface/middle dwellers seem acceptable for now.
If you do try to introduce anything please just be sure it is well quarantined. Potentially introducing a disease- even through plants or snails somehow- is my nightmare!
:)Image
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Ollie- Fahaka puffer. I am wrapped around his fin!
sunny.sideupp
Puffer Fry
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:30 pm
Location (country): Lahore,Pakistan

Re: Fahaka Tank Mates??

Post by sunny.sideupp »

I have a 6” fahaka living peacefully with a yoyo loach and two roseline sharks in his 55 gallon aquarium….weird thing about my puffer is he destroys all the plants added to his tank doesn’t eats them just destroys….. i only had success with java moss
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