The Puffer Forum

What would a good puffer (or multiple) be for a 125g planted tank. The tank is 6ft long x 1.5' widex 22" tall
I was thinking fahaka, but i dont know if that tank is large, well mainly wide enough. Are there any other puffer (FRESWATER ONLY) that get about 12" give or take a couple inches as all i can find really are ones that get under 6" or large ones that get 18" or more

The filtration is rena xp3, eheim 2217, penguin 250 (hob)
- I want to swich the penguin out soon for an ac500 i have (If the room the tanks in is painted i will, but right now theres not enough room for it between the tank and the back wall

Tetraodon pustulatus would be about the right size

I see what you're saying. That's not enough turn room. I think that a pustulatus might have trouble in there too.

I don't think that there's much besides a fahaka in the 12" range that is commonly available. Would you be willing to go with a smaller puffer, like a lurker, or several irrubescos/SAPs/etc.?

Im new to puffers, so im not familiar with the ones you mentioned. I just want one a size that will be comfortable in a 125g. The larger the better and i dont want anything under 6" so for the tank size i feel a 12" puffer would be ideal. I would prefer ones with personality and agression.

Also, what smaller pufferes could i keep if i divided up the tank say in half or gave the puffer 2/3 of the tank?


I quickly checked Tetraodon pustulatus and it seems to be a rare species, whihc i dont really think i could find to get.

sean-820 wrote: I quickly checked Tetraodon pustulatus and it seems to be a rare species, whihc i dont really think i could find to get.

Unless money really isn't an issue and you have crazy hookups, you will definitely not be able to obtain a pustulatus, guarenteed.

I would go with a fahaka, they have great personalities, and the tank would be big enough. No tankmates, though, be warned. Research is key

According to the PufferPedia, fahakas reach 18", and that tank is only 18" deep. Wouldn't that pose a turn room problem?

Here's some suggestions:
Ceylon puffer (T fluviatilis) gets to be 8" -- of course, that's a brackish puffer.
Humpback puffer (T Palembagensis) gets to be 8" -- no tankmates, other than T suvattii.

And then there's some at about the 6" size:
T turgidus
T suvattii
T miurus
Those are all lurkers and aggressive enough.
And we've also got the Green Spotted puffer which can get to be 6+" (brackish)

These are all puffers I currently own, and all lovely in their own right
I hope this has been helpful for you.

**Note: T turgidus isn't a "lurker", but is a very aggressive puffer**

Does it have to be freshwater? You could do a nice FOWLR with some of the smaller species of puffer like the narrow lined or some of the sharpnose. Dogface even.

pufferfreak wrote:Does it have to be freshwater? You could do a nice FOWLR with some of the smaller species of puffer like the narrow lined or some of the sharpnose. Dogface even.

sean-820 wrote:FRESWATER ONLY

I'm going with yeah, has to be freshwater.

I think the fahaka would be fine in the tank for quite some time if you're willing to upgrade eventually. If not I would suggest a tank divider and some palembangs on one side and maybe a turgidus on the other. Just make sure it's a very sturdy tank divider so they don't break it down to get to each other.

I dont plan to upgrade at all as this tank is pretty new (2 years) and great condition.
I would like this tank saltwater, but i just dont have the money for sand, ro unit, live rock and most importantly i dont want to be spending 300$ for a protein skimmer. I already have a 15g with a 10g sump saltwater, so i know how much saltwater costs even for smaller tanks. I also dont think there are any puffers small enough for a 15g.


Now, im thinking to divide the 125 into 3 sections of about 24x 18 each. The first one would hold my serrasalmus sanchezi piranha (already have him- others i dont), seond hold a bunch of exodon paradoxus' and the third with possibly puffers.

Which puffers could i have in a 24x 18 footprint (22" tall). I may do 18x18 and give a bit more room to the other sections. So, what puffers could go in this section, and how many? Im thinking of red eyed puffers, but im not sure. The divider is eggcrate, so dwarf puffers are out as they could fit through the openings into the other sections and would be owned