The Puffer Forum

Im really in love with the big puffers but have been put off the Mbu, due to the fact that they seem to be collosal fully grown (Thanks for all the info guys)
Im wondering about the Fahak, this isnt something I will rush into and have read the Puffer Pedia info but wondered if anyone here owned one and if they could give me ay info etc please..??

I love my Fahaka! You'll need at least a 125 gallon aquarium for him/her..they are very aggressive and can not have any "friends'' other than you! Mine loves to eat crayfish and large snails...

Large tank, heavy filtration, large WC.

Here's Filbert:


He likes the mangrove caves they sell at Petsmart:


Here's his 125g tank:

Thanks, thats very helpful...though could somebody please tell me what those sizes would be in feet and inches, as in the actual dimensions of the tank needed please..?? Also what does WC mean please..??


BTW, thats one FUNKY set up that gorgeous Filbert has..!!!!!

WC means water changes...you'll need to take out at least 20% of the water in the tank each week replacing it with new water (that has been declorinated) and that is the same temps as the water in the tank.

SatansLittleHelper wrote:BTW, thats one FUNKY set up that gorgeous Filbert has..!!!!!

Are you commenting on that awful gravel in Filbert's tank? He's really sensitive about that...

busybones wrote:I love my Fahaka! You'll need at least a 125 gallon aquarium for him/her..they are very aggressive and can not have any "friends'' other than you! Mine loves to eat crayfish and large snails...

Pretty much said it all.

I keep mine in a 135g 6' x 19"High x 24" Wide.

You wanna make sure the tank is at least 2 feet wide as the Fahaka can get to 18" so it will need it for turning around room.
For filtration I always try to aim for 10x turnover of the tank volume.
I have been told by members here that I should get a cave for mine(am working on it ) so might wanna plan for that in the decor.
As already said they are very aggressive. Mine will literally sit there in front of the glass looking at himself and having a mexican standoff.
Overall awesome puffers, by far my fav fish that I have ever owned.

So if I was to get a baby Fahaka Puffer and keep him in a smaller tank til he grows a bit would that be ok..?? I appreciate that they grow quickly and I would happily buy him a bigger tank as he gets bigger.

As long as you didn't put off the upgrade. Alot of people get fish that will get big quickly with the intent of upgrading soon but bills pop up ect and it never gets done....Big aquariums can be very expensive so know what you are getting into before making the commitment.. other than the large tank size and the aggressivness Fahaka's are awesome!

The one thing I'd say is, do you really want to change tanks? Puffers are hard to move, as they can't be exposed to air - take it from someone who's moved twice with them! And with a fahaka being a lot bigger than my DPs, it could get complicated. And then there's the business of setting up the tank and moving all the stuff. It might just be easier to get the big tank to start with.

My 2.5 inch guy was put straight into his 120gallon. Of course now he's breaking 3.5 inches. It's not so bad, the tank looks empty with just him and my 7inch decorus cat in there but I just have to keep reminding myself that soon that tank will be full lol.

I have to agree with LilGreen though I think as they get larger the difficulty in moving them is going to increase exponentially. I know I plan on moving next summer and my plan is to move my fahaka and whatever tank mates he's deemed worthy of living into a 150 gallon tank as his final home. So that's just one move and even then I am not looking forward to it. It's nearly a year away and i've already sat and thought about how i'm going to go about moving a nearly 12 inch puffer.

In general though my fahaka loves his rock overhang and spends most of his time under it. I have sand but have never seen him bury in it although I have seen him blow it around looking for food. He's a charming little fellow and by far my favorite fish.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:The one thing I'd say is, do you really want to change tanks? Puffers are hard to move, as they can't be exposed to air - take it from someone who's moved twice with them! And with a fahaka being a lot bigger than my DPs, it could get complicated. And then there's the business of setting up the tank and moving all the stuff. It might just be easier to get the big tank to start with.

I have recently moved my 12" fahaka, and I can say that they are more difficult to move than other fish, and you have to be very careful. When I first moved him into my 100G, he bit me not once, but twice on the way out of his container. However, I don't think that that should prevent you from planning on upgrading.

Oh for me he'll definitely be upgraded. Right now his tank is only 18inches wide which is as long as he can get so it just won't work for me or him. So you should and can definitely upgrade just think about how many times you want to do it before he goes into his final tank and plan accordingly.

I moved Pookie once and he ripped the transport bag open like a pitbull! Other than stressing the fish out it's not a big deal just make 100% sure you don't expose them to air....