The Puffer Forum

Can anyone who has owned or currently own an abei speak of their experiences and failures. I'm interested but would like to know a bit more before considering.

Thanks.

Jared

Probably my favourite puffer in terms of character/personality. They're also great if you don't have a ton of space, because they do great in 25-30 gallon tanks. Mine has been pretty easy to keep, and a real hoot when I show people how he can wolf down a shrimp in less than 2 seconds! ^_^

My only annoyance is that it's hard to keep algae under control, but I'm also using very bright lights and don't really dose with nutrients, which is likely my problem, hehe.

Also, I find that he uses up most of the tank's space, so if you get attached to an Abei, you'll probably find yourself upgrading him to a 40 or 50 gallon breeder. Abe (my Abei) will be getting a larger tank (40 gallon breeder) when I move to my new place at the end of the summer.

i agree with agnate..my abei polly is probably the best puffer i ever kept. I have him in a heavily planted tank but he still hang around infront of the glass and keeping his eyes on me if he finds out im looking he will kinda wiggle his turn swimming left and right trying to get my attention. Probably want me to feed him again but no can do Mr Polly..you get fed every other day. He's watching me now while im typing...lol

im new to puffers, what kind of puffer is a abei?

You can find out all about them in our PufferPedia (under the Learn tab at the top of the page, under Freshwater Puffers). The species name is Monotrete Abei.

i miss mine ( got if for my birthday and has sense passed but it was so cool.) beautiful puffer. loved it to death

What's the word on tankmates for these guys? Are they aggressive with any fish, just their own species or what? Would they work with kuhlis and a clown pleco?

Only if you want the tankmates to be food.

yeah like most puffers its puffer specific, if your going to experiment be ready for a new home and some quick action.

What's a breeder? I assume it has something to do with breeding, but then why put just one fish in it?

They just use that word to separate the dimensions of the tank. Typical 45-55 gallon tanks are 48" long x 12" wide x 16-20" tall. A 40 & 50 gallon breeder have the footprint dimensions of 36" long x 18" wide, and varying height dimensions of 16" to 21".

I prefer breeder-sized tanks because it gives your puffer more moving room, and allows you to create a better tank (nicer caves, more planting space, etc.).

Hope that helps.

I have a 30 gallon a bunch of plastic plants from the dollar store... they look really good in the tank. It's currently occupied by a Betta, kuhli loaches and a clown pleco.

The betta will be moving for sure... the Kuhlis will be so hard to catch and the clown.. well it'll be easy enough.

Has anyone had a successful experience with tankmates?

Agnate wrote:They just use that word to separate the dimensions of the tank. Typical 45-55 gallon tanks are 48" long x 12" wide x 16-20" tall. A 40 & 50 gallon breeder have the footprint dimensions of 36" long x 18" wide, and varying height dimensions of 16" to 21".

I prefer breeder-sized tanks because it gives your puffer more moving room, and allows you to create a better tank (nicer caves, more planting space, etc.).

Hope that helps.

*makes comprehension face* Ohhhhhh. Merci!

*blush* I hope that wasn't too technical.

A breeder tank is simply a wider tank. Typical 50 gallon tanks are long and narrow, whereas a breeder is shorter and wider. Picture a skinny rectangle and a square (sort of).