The Puffer Forum

Ok, so I have set up a new 24 gallon tank. With the goal in mind that I get to move Joe (Target Puffer) to the new tank. But I have a few questions that need to be answered before I can finish up and start the cycleing.

1) What would be the best and least stressfull way to transport him from the 10G to the 24G in the basement?
(He is extremely scittish, and I am afriad he will jump out of the tank which I assume would be a KO for him.)

2) Just for the info these are the behavioral traits my puffer has a) he's rather lazy at most times b) he's agressive to anything I have put into his tank in the past (I have never put fish in there though) c) He likes to hide a lot under the driftwood.

3) So with that in mind, I am wanting to put tankmates with the fish (yes, I know the agressive nature of the target puffer group) but I am needing advice on what to put in. I was thinking that the fish that would be a) a speedy swimmer and would be able to outswim the puffer (dwarf rainbow?) or b) a fish that has armor plating (or think skin) that would make it hard for the puffer to attack it (talking catfish?). Has anyone had success keeping a target puffer with a non-puffer speices or do you know of one that would be a good match?

I do not believe there will be any fish that can outswim your puffer. What is the footprint of that tank? He's better in a long tank, rather then tall. Just scoop him up into a container & place him in his new tank.

Even if tankmates can outswim the puffer, I wouldn't put them in. It wouldn't be a very nice life for them... In the wild, they have a lot more room for escape, but if they're enclosed with a predator, not fun!

Pufferpunk wrote:I do not believe there will be any fish that can outswim your puffer. What is the footprint of that tank? He's better in a long tank, rather then tall. Just scoop him up into a container & place him in his new tank.

It's a typical 24 gallon fish tank. Unforuntaly it's taller than it is long... Also, would it be too risky to put two talking catfishes in the tank with the puffer?

I do not believe 24g is a "typical'" size for a tank, unless it's a bowfront. Your best bet is a 20L for a fish like that. Again I repeat as LGP has, no fish are safe with this species.

For some experience, I've placed a baby guppy in a 29 gallon tank with excess java moss floating near the top. The guppy was barely the size of your pinky fingernail and was extremely quick & pretty safe in the moss. 24 hours later, despite the tank's height, guppy's size & speed, and the excess java moss for cover, my arrowhead had gotten to it. My puffer has the same behavior as yours, relatively lazy until something edible pops up. Trust me, there's a reason why these guys are predators.