The Puffer Forum

I have Satan (Fahaka) in a 65 hex tank, he is now about 4 inches or so..and growing. He is all alone. The tank is a bit empty, and people see it and say, are there any fish in there?? I have to search to find him after a meal, lounged in his hiding spot. My 5 year old finds him the best. is there anyone that keps tank mates with there fahaka?? i was wondering if some super fast fish would survive the night hunting of the fahaka,. Any ideas would be be appreciated. thanks.

It's hit and miss with Fahaka's. Very few people have had tank mates that are still living with theirs and others that have tried well........their fish became puffer food. Your fahaka will grow really fast, about 1" per month for the first year. It won't be long before the tank will not look so empty.

I get that too !! people always ask "why do you only have one fish in that big tank"?...or where is the fish ?? my puffer is usually active unless he is digesting his last meal ..I think your fahaka will grow in no time !! ...you can always say what I say to people.."stick you finger in there he'll come out !! JK

There are about 1% of the Fahakas that do allow tank mates. Even though, everyone needs their own territory & the tank has to be large enough. I happen to have a 10" fahaka that was moved to a 55g (at 5") with 2 with plecos & a soft-shell turtle. Within 2 days, the whole back rim of the turtle's shell was scalloped, so he got his own tank.
He now lives in a 125g with:
12" Goldspot pleco
6" sailfin pleco
10" Yellow-finned chalcius
2 7" Clown loaches
9" Lancer catfish
5" Rainbow shark
6" Redtail shark
5" Bosmani rainbow
7" Frontosa
8" & 9" Elephant noses (18 years old)
12” Black Ghost Knife
Occasionally there is a fin nipped but all in all, he's a wimp & the Goldspot & Frontosa is always kicking him out of his cave. After living with all these guys for years, my stepdaughter needed somewhere for her large parrot cichlid, since she was moving. I watch them for about an hour, went out that evening & within the 5 hours was gone, it was dead--tail & eyes missing.

I have five fish in with my fahaka and an eel right now. He is doin ok with them. IMO if you introduce some other fish the sooner the better. when he is a baby and he has some tank mates put in he will see that as being normal. If you wait till he is 9"+ he will probably show some more aggression. I have some silver barbs and some silver dollars and a red tail shark with mine. The red tail is the one that is a bully right but the silvers are to fast to be bothered to long.

Don't think that your fahaka is slow. There have been times that I moved by the tank to fast and spooked him and he moved faster than any fish I have ever seen or owned. If he wants to catch his tankmates he will you just have to hope for the best.

P.S. Try to stay away from albino fish mine ate an albino pleco in like two seconds. I didn't even have a chance to see what was goin on.

So you think that's why mine hated the parrot cichlid?

As far as trying tamk mates--even when young--most fahakas will eat them, not matter what or when you add them to your tank. 99% of them are killers!

The only fish I have had hold their own in a tank with my Fahaka is a Leporinus and a Fire Eel. They are fin nippers and very annoying to other fish. I don't suggest keeping them with most fish, but it is possible.

My Fahaka has destroyed anything that has been housed with him. He is very aggressive to anything that comes in contact with his tank.

Pufferpunk wrote:So you think that's why mine hated the parrot cichlid?

As far as trying tamk mates--even when young--most fahakas will eat them, not matter what or when you add them to your tank. 99% of them are killers!

Its purely a theory on my part. Its like with any animal (humans included) when you grow up in an environment you see that as normal even though it may be very Un-normal.

I had some issues with my fahakas tank mates at first but when I have added fish I added some that were the same size and semi aggresive and some passive. The aggresive ones live and the passive ones have become prey. Its just something that I have experimented on.

So in answer yes I think that could be why your parrot ended up on the menu. He was a new fish and everything that you have added to the tank for a long while was food for him or the other fish. So you might be able to chalk it up to a learned instinct. Kinda like Pavlov's dogs. You put in a new moving fish therefor it must be food. With all my tanks all I have to do is touch the top of the water and every fish goes into feeding mode. Like I said purely theory. I'm sure that some instinct from Fahakas can't be overcome; but I think you can alter it if you start when they are very young. (>5months)

When they are babies you can keep them in the same tank. What if you kept 3 or 4 from birth in a 500g tank? Would they still kill each other or would they grow up and create there own territories in a tank that has adequite room for them to live?


I don't know but it is something that I have been pondering for a while now.

sorry long reply

Every new fish I have ever added he has bitten but left alone after that. I really freaked when he bit the fleshy tails of my 2 18-year old Elephant noses I inherited from a customer! He has only bit 1 of them again & that was a year later. I was told parrots have a deformed heart (along with the rest of them) & it could have had a heart attack when he went after it. The large plecos could have eaten his eyes.

wow...well thanks for all the input. looks like the tank will look empty till he gets bigger. LOL.
I am having a bday party for my disabled daughter saturday, everyones gonna say the tanks empty. hahaha
oh well..i will tell them to come back in a few months and see how empty it is. lol.

Yeah, they grow fast.
I have brown gravel and had a hard time seeing him sometimes.
I wouldn't suggest putting anything in the tank with it.
Unless you don't like the fish that is!!

so, i left the fish that were in there with him, 2 mollys, 2 red eyed tetras, and a red tailed shark.
If he is hungry he chases them around the bottom, but never surfaces to get them at there hang out. i think they may live a while. LOL.

I wouldnt recoment it. But if you want nice FAST fish. Exodins or serpae tetras! my old fahake lived happily with these.. well i say happily he tried to get them but they were just too fast until he leartn to corner them and flair his tail. So NOT recomended atall

So you do recommmend them but not at all?