The Puffer Forum

yesterday I have started cycling one of my old tanks I let go dry after a transfer of the tropical fish it once contained (theyre still here, but are in a much bigger tank now). The tank size is 90l and has a fluval 205 external filter.
What I was thinking of adding would be an F8 puffer; so in the weeks it's going to take my tank to cycle properly I'm taking this time to research as much as I can. I have previously tried online article searches and they have left me extremely confused. some have said F*s can be kept as a number, others say as a single fish, some articles say the fish is freshwater, some argue they are a brackish species (the location for this fish on your forum answers that question for me though)

so first things first, is my tank big enough? it has a sandy substrate but nothing else in there at the moment as this tank is going to be started again from scratch, which plants and decor would suit a F8? which plants could survive a brackish tank? how soon should I add the salt? or should I start it as a freshwater, and when mature then update it to brackish? is there anything I need to add / subtract from the filter media (currently; sponges, ceramic and carbon). also when the time eventually comes and the tank is indeed ready for the fish, how can they be housed? are they best as a group or singular fish, and which fish would be suitable to house them with (if any)

I hope I've included all information on there, but knowing me I've probably unwittingly left something out. your advice on this will be very much appreciated

thank you

I should also ask (I dont mean to sound thick ) would a water heater be necessary in the tank? I do have a spare so it's no problem

ok as far as the heater goes yes you should get one set up in there to keep the temp in the mid to high 70's. as far as live plants i've read that java moss and java fern can live in low end brackish water, but i personally would stick with fake plants as they are much easier to take care of. as far as decorating a very complex tank set up would be good, they are intelligent fish and need places to explore or they will get bored very quickly, lots of rock and plants everywhere would be good for them, and add a dark background to the tank (black paper could work fine as long as you don't get it wet) to help the fish feel more secure and be more adventurous. tank mates for a figure eight can vary from each fish, some are aggressive others aren't, they can be kept with other fish (including other F8s) but i've read they tend to best as a lone fish (or with other species of fish that aren't puffers). as far as starting it fresh or brackish, i started mine fresh and then slowly rose the salinity until it was about what i wanted it to be (slowly is the key as to not kill the bacteria). hope this is all helpful. good luck with the tank.

You should read PP's article on F8's... here's a link: -

library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/

Oh wow, I wrote that? Cool, it's in the Library now!

Definitely check out the F8 articles here. I'm not good at converting liters to gallons, but I think your tank should be fine for one F8. If I did it correctly, you should have just over 23 gallons, which is a bit small for two F8s.

I keep my F8 with bumblebee gobies and mollies. Only the mollies investigate the other fish, but they mostly leave each other alone. Definitely put a lot of decor and break up the line of sight. F8s easily get bored, so you'll want to provide plenty of things for him or her to check out.

Yeah, heaters are a must unless the temp stays steady between 75-80F. Just make sure the keep on top of your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH levels and water changes. Puffers are messy, so the tank needs good filtration and weekly water changes of around 50%.

You can either cycle it freshwater and then you can put the F8 right in (they're usually sold as freshwater) or you can cycle it brackish (1.005 is perfect) and then drip acclimate the puffer. Just set up a bucket and slowly drip in the brackish tank water over a couple hours. I've done this several times with no ill effects to the fish.