How much space for each puffer?

[saffier]

How many figure 8 puffers would you recommend putting in one brackish ten gallon tank? I have had two for quite a while and recently added a third because I was told by my fish store that even four would be ok. But the third one is aggressive and I'm concerned that it's one too many. Thoughts? There are no other fish in the tank aside from the three 8's.

[Boxermom]

None. Figure 8s need 15g for one, and 10g for each additional one. So for three, you need at least 35g each. Most clerks at fish and pet stores don't have a clue, especially about puffers, unfortunately.

[Phaedrus]

I locked your other thread (found here: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/vie ... highlight= )

From your other thread: I have had two figure 8's in my tank for a while. I recently added one more figure 8 who seems to be more aggressive than the other two, especially during feeding. I'm concerned about this, as I'm quite attached to them and don't want them harmed. Will he settle down? He's only been in the tank for two days. Or should I take him back?

Figure 8 puffers are very active little fish and can become very territorial towards one another if they aren't given enough space. A well thought out 10g tank may be ok for a single Figure 8 for a while, but 15g is much roomier. I'd seriously consider taking some back or getting a larger tank (~30g+), especially if you're seeing aggression problems.

[OraLacerta]

I wouldn't recommend keeping one Figure Eight in a 10 gallon tank, let alone 3. That would be why they are fighting; puffers are solitary hunters in the wild, and in the wild food is scarce therefore they must defend their territory to survive. If they are all squeezed into an area too small to properly house one puff there is going to be some aggression eventually... If they don't all die first that is.

Figure Eights may be more tolerant of tankmates than other puffers, but that's not true of every Figure Eight puffer; some are incredible aggressive. Puffers can also be completely docile one day and start eating their tankmates the next. That's one reason why adequate room is so important. Another reason the puffers need to be rehoused is they are very messy fish, and all of their waste and wasted food from every feeding is waaay too much for that tank to handle, even with a good filter you need to do very frequent water changes (several times a week). It's going to be impossible to control the water quality of a tank so small with such a large bio-load.

I would rehouse them ASAP. On behalf of the employees at the store where you purchased your fish, I apologize. It's great that you found this forum; unfortunately pet stores almost always misinform their customers about proper fish care, and many of those people end up losing their fish because of this. It's even worse for fish like puffers, which attract people because of their cuteness or because of their ferocity, but require much more room than many people expect one fish to need. I'm glad that you found this forum; hopefully you can figure something out quickly for the benefit of your 3 puffers.