The Puffer Forum

pufferfun · Post by **pufferfun** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 2:28 pm

Hi

I have a SAP in a community tank in which he has not nipped or bothered the other fish. I am in the process of setting up a 300l tank with some tanganyikans (Tropheus species) and a few Malawi ( red zebra and afra). I was wondering if anyone had put SAP in with these type of fish and whether they would be OK. My tap water is a bit hard and the PH is about 8.0. The SAP in the community tank seems to have adapted to the tap water and the new tank will just have teh same tap water.

If you have any comments or experiences I would be grateful to hear them.

Pufferfun

Fella · Post by **Fella** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 4:24 pm

During a tank move I had to put my SAP in with my neolamprologus Multifasciatus for 30 minutes. I would not trust those cichlids, or any other african cichlids with my SAP.

Post by **Hilly** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 4:29 pm

I agree with Fella, boisterous cichlids and puffers don't mix. I dont think your SAP would be very happy in there.

pufferfun · Post by **pufferfun** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 5:29 pm

Thanks for the info. Are the cichlids really that bad?? At the moment only have 5 tropheus ikola and 3 synodontis petricola and they seem to leave each othe alone pretty much like the SAP in the community tank. If this is the case maybe I'll have to add a mate for the one in the community tank a I have read they are better in groups rather than on their own.

Post by **Hilly** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 5:31 pm

Puffers usually do best as singletons, SAP's are usually pretty tolerant of their own kind and tankmates but there are always exceptions to the rule.

pufferfun · Post by **pufferfun** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 5:41 pm

I know most puffers are best on their own but thought SAP are one of teh least aggressive and some people say they don't swim up and down the glass cahsing their reflections if you have more than one. Is this info correct or more internet rubbish??? I know SAPs are not as common in LFS as say the figure 8s or dwarfs. Also thought that SAPs were a lot less aggressive than dwarfs and could go in community tanks. Is this right or have I just been fed bad information. The SAP I have is great but have not had him that long.

Post by **Hilly** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 5:52 pm

Swimming up and down the glass is usually a sign of boredom which can be resolved by giving them more tank decor to explore or it may also be a sign of stress. While the SAP is one of the less aggresive species and are fairly tolerant of tankmates it is possible he might not be happy with them.

My puffer swims up and down the glass when he's stressed when I clean the tank out and then goes back to his usual self when i'm done.

pufferfun · Post by **pufferfun** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 5:58 pm

Thanks Hilly. I will try moving things around and see if he improves. He does swim round normally some of the time but stays away from the other fish. Should these also be kept just on their own? Puffer fish are such lovely fish it seems a shame that they have to stay on their own all the time.

Post by **RTR** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:30 am

SAPs often tolerate more of their own kind, if they are all raised together.

Swimming space and some current is essential, as is some plant cover (live or artificial). These are very active swimmers, but they are not large fish and I would never co-house them with African Cichlids. I would expect feeding problems there as well. They will certainly adapt well to the water conditions, but I would not use Cichlids for tankmates - a school of midsized and fairly fast Tetras perhaps, if the tank were large enough.

Post by **nmonks** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:25 am

I'd go further that RTR, and suggest that they do better in groups than singly. That's certainly my experience.

Reading up on their science, I've learned that they form schools in the wild. particularly when breeding. Because they have planktonic larvae, the parents do not guard the eggs and simply scatter the eggs in deep rivers. Since they don't guard the eggs, this would explain why there's no territoriality, and any aggression that exists is to with status in the school, just as with tetras or barbs.

So while two or three might have exactly the same bullying problems as you'd get with two or three barbs or tetras, the bigger the group, the happier, and more peaceful, these fish will probably be. That said, I've kept them in threes and it worked fine for me.

One thing I'd add, is no matter what you do, they never become settled, placid fish like the Asian puffers. I'd put this down to a totally different ecological niche (open water schooling fish versus shallow water territorial fish). As tame as my SAPs get as far as being hand-feedable and curious about what I'm up to, they will often revert to frenetic up-and-down swimming. I've seen this is Colombian shark catfish, and put it down to both these species being riverine, migratory fish that "expect" to be able to swim freely rather than being trapped in a certain place.

Cheers,

Neale

pufferfun · Post by **pufferfun** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:11 am

Neale thanks for the information. If I shouldn't put the SAPs with the cichlids even though they are the less aggressive types, maybe I should get some friends for my existing SAP in the community tank.

coryc · Post by **coryc** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:42 am

pufferfun · Post by **pufferfun** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:19 pm

Hi

Just to let you know I have just got two more SAPs from the same LFS which are from the same batch as the first one. The all seem happy and are busy munching snails!!

Thanks for all the advice and they will all stop in the community tank away from the cichlids!!

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