The Puffer Forum

I know I've seen that they can get up to 18''. However, what seems to be the average size of those kept in aquariums? I ask this because I currently have a 3'' specimen in my 90 gallon and was wondering just how big he/she may get. Would a 90 gallon tank really be too small for one fish assuming there are no other fishes in the tank with my Fahaka?

Also, is it true that aquariums that offer too little space can stunt a fish's growth? I haven't found this to be an issue but I can't recall ever having a fish that outgrew it's tank either.

Cerberus

The average is around 18" some get bigger, some stay somewhat smaller, there's really no way of knowing.
They do produce a lot of waste, and to get them to grow to there maximum potential a 120 is recommended, I suppose adding a 30 gallon sump could work too.

Also it's not that the tank offering to little space stunts a fish growth, it's a build up in toxins (like ammonia and nitrate) that stunts a fish's growth.

I have seen were arawanas(?) will outgrow and even break the tanks they are in if its not large enough so i think crazedpuffer might have it right. If you have an 18" fish then a 120 proabably won't be large enough either since most 110-120 are 18" footprints and that won't give him room to really turn around. I want my fahaka to get that big but if he does I would definately want a bigger tank than a 120.

If your tank is say 20" or larger in width and say 48" or longer in length then as long as you had a refugium or sump that could support his bioload then he might be ok. But would you want to live in a 6'x6'x6' room your whole life or would you want some room to walk around?

That is the real issue of having giant fish like this.

Is he healthy in a 90g sized tank that has a sump? Yes/maybe.

Is he happy and comfortable in a 90g sized tank that has a sump? Probably not.

Those are the real questions as fahaka and MBU owners that we need to answer. He will be fine growing in that 90g for 2yrs but after that he will probably be looking to live in a larger tank than that.

Its tough to hear but I have had to address this same issue and have chosen to go oversized to make him happy cause I know I would want to be happy.

apachepufferman wrote:I have seen were arawanas(?) will outgrow and even break the tanks they are in if its not large enough so i think crazedpuffer might have it right. If you have an 18" fish then a 120 proabably won't be large enough either since most 110-120 are 18" footprints and that won't give him room to really turn around. I want my fahaka to get that big but if he does I would definately want a bigger tank than a 120.

I believe 120 is 24" deep and 125 is 18"
Or I could have it backwards but I'm pretty sure that's right.

yeah i thought 120's were preferred over 125's because the 120 has a 24" deep footprint

it probably deponds on the brand. I have seen all different footprints for tanks. I was just mainly trying to get the point of not having an 18" fish in an 18" footprint.

Because rarely will they grow to 18" in a 18 or 24" tank.