The Puffer Forum

Hi guys,
I'm new to this forum and just registered today. I have a 20 gallon long and im not sure if that is big enough for an Abei puffer. Currently he is being housed in a 33 gallon tank i believe and everywhere i search it seems that 25 is the minimum i should be keeping him in.. my 20 was originally setup to house a few DP in it so im not sure if i can have the Abei in it.. the substrate is eco complete and i was planning a heavily planted. has a fluval 205 canister on it atm. i just wanna ask if this is just enough until i can get money to get a bigger tank.. also will the Abei eat all of my plants? ive read somewhere that some types of puffers eat plants and shouldnt be kept in a heavily planted tank. Hope to get some insight on this. I really hope i can keep the Abei in my 20 gallon long thanks

Sorry i can't help you out as i've never owned an Abei's before, but just thought i would welcome you to the forum and ask if we could see some pics of him when you get a chance

P.S, if you haven't already checked the pufferpedia under the LEARN tab, you should check it out...

heres the page link to the Abei just incase you haven't already seen it

Hi, and Yep i already checked out that page. I've tried to search for smaller tanks that people keep them in but all i see is minimum 25 gallon.. not sure if my 20 gallon long is big enough.. I think i have attached my 20 gallon long and the puffer pic.. not sure if it works.. but hope you can see it..

anyone? kinda need some guidance/ advice...

You should be ok for a short time in the 20 gal, depending on the size of the Abei, but you seriously need to actively look for a larger tank. You wouldn't want to keep him in there for very long due to stunting issues. Make sure you do weekly water changes, 2 times a week, to keep the waste and hormone levels down. Craigs' List is a great place to look if you're in the US (not sure, no location listed), you can usually find decent sized tanks for very cheap. Another place to look is Freecycle, post a wanted add and a of times people have tanks they are looking to just get rid of for free, I've gotten 2 off there.

so i cant keep him permanently there right.. he is fully grown now. so i should just get DPs for the 20 gal? any suggestions? i dont have room for a new bigger tank so 20 is my max for a few years... also i live in Canada

I wouldn't keep him in there, even at full grown. They need a larger tank volume because they are very messy eaters and need the dilution of the waste products. It's a disaster waiting to happen because puffers are so sensitive to their water conditions and any ammonia spike in a tank that size would happen fast...

Hey khoa.tran

What about getting a tank that has the same footprint but is much taller

you could get one and then sell the tank you've got tro go towards the price oif the one off of Craigeslist

Just a thought

Hey thanks for the suggestion, the only other tank that would fit on my stand is a 29gallon.. i think same footprint as my 20 long but its higher.. would that be enough? I guess I could just go for Dwarf puffers for now instead of the Abei.. How many dwarf puffers do you think i could keep in the 20 long anywaiy? i heard they need 3-5 gallons per fish.. so max i could keep should be around 4 right? thanks again for the replies

khoa.tran wrote:Hey thanks for the suggestion, the only other tank that would fit on my stand is a 29gallon.. i think same footprint as my 20 long but its higher.. would that be enough? I guess I could just go for Dwarf puffers for now instead of the Abei.. How many dwarf puffers do you think i could keep in the 20 long anywaiy? i heard they need 3-5 gallons per fish.. so max i could keep should be around 4 right? thanks again for the replies

If you go for 3g per dp you should be able to have 6 in there. You should go for 2 males and 4 females to keep agression down

ps the 29 high is only 25g

This is a little late, but I really feel like a 25 gallon is the minimum for a full grown Abei. My Abei is pretty large (4 inches or so), and I had him in a 28 gallon bowfront. He definitely looked like he wanted more room, so he's been transferred into a 40 gallon breeder, which I feel is a good size for an Abei.

Mine doesn't bother plants unless he sees a snail on it, hehe.

Yeah, I'm about to get either a 40 gallon or 75 gallon tank for him haven't decided what size yet but I will definitely get a larger tank for him.

[quote="khoa.tran"]Hi, and Yep i already checked out that page. I've tried to search for smaller tanks that people keep them in but all i see is minimum 25 gallon..quote]
Well, if it said 25g minimun, then that's your answer.

Yes I know the minimum suggested is 25 gallon. I was just asking if a 20 would be ok. Some people say betta needs 5 gal minimum and some say 2.5 gallon. So i thought it was just an opinion. But I have just bought a 75 gallon tank with stand and eheim filter. I'm planning to get another canister for better filtration. However its not cycled yet. and im still treating my Abei in the 20 gallon for ich. So technically, the 20 gallon hes in right now is a hospital tank. In about a month the 75 gallon will be fully cycled and ready. By that time his heat and salt treatment should be over. 30 days. thanks

He'll love that 75!