The Puffer Forum

Hey guys..

New to puffers... and fish in general.. (besides keeping 2 black moors when I was a little kid) annnnd to this forum!

I have a 10g w/ cichlid sand substrate and a Bio-Wheel filter (thats meant for a 30 gallon tank)

I have the sg at 1.008 right now..
pH = 8.0
Temp = 80 F

I do have 2 figure 8 puffers in there, probably isn't the best idea, but they seem to be getting along fine.. most of the time. No signs of stress either, from all the research I did.

One puffer, the larger of the two (named Cupid because of the heart pattern on his back) seems to get bossed around normally during meal time, by the smaller puffer which is about 1 inch, or 1.5.. (Octopoof...lame I know, but he does have a perfect figure 8 pattern on his back haha).

Although if there is any quarreling its normally over pretty quick... and yet most of the time they swim around together in the tank, I've even seen them resting on top of each other..lol

Just wanted to know if my set up seems ok.. if there is anything I should change.. maybe decoration wise?

All the shells, including the large on in the back (that the puffers swim in and out of), I found on while I was snorkeling on a private island called Half Moon Cay while I was on a cruise.








**My friend has GSP, and I noticed that when it was stressed the belly can turn to a darker color.. I was wondering if this was the same with Figure 8s, seeing as how they are so closely related..my figure 8's bellies are always glowing white, and coloration is quite vivid..

I think the first question of many is did you cycle this tank.
Welcome to TPF.

Yep, I cycled the tank.

I think they'd do better with more decor & of course, a much larger tank. See the profile we have on them in our Pufferpedia & the article on them in our Library. You can find both under the Learn tab, above.

Welcome, well bigger tank is a must

Welcome to the Forum! You'll like it here!

The dark belly holds true for the F8's. It can be an indication of stress or illness. However it can also be a sign of a mood change or that they are just simply sleeping. If you've checked out the puffer pedia article on F8's you'll know that you need to upgrade to a 30 gallon or bigger tank very soon. They need the extra volume due to the fact that they produce alot of waste and are very touchy to nitrites and ammoina. Right now (since they are in the 10 gallon) I'd recommend doing large water changes everyother day in order to keep your tank healthy. Adding decor as PP said would be a good idea as well. This will keep your fish entertained and happier. Be sure to watch for signs of IP's and Ich since these are common illnesses in new puffers. If you notice signs of ich do not use chemical treatments found at the pet stores. Puffers do not have scales and these treatments can kill them. There is an article in the puffer library on how to treat ich in puffers...Hope this helps and please feel free to ask any questions you may have!

Thanks a lot guys.. for the info and the warm welcome!


I'd love to have a bigger tank...I simply don't have any space for it, unless it was a tall tank (plus I kind of just received this one as a gift)... which doesn't totally make sense to me because of the fact that fish don't swim up and down as much as side to side.. lol

I guess I'll simply return one of the puffers to the LFS... hopefully having one of them in there should be ok?

In terms of more decor.. would any one be able to be a bit more specific on what types of other decor, and possibly give me some advice on whether to change the arrangement of things I currently have.. I can post up some more pics if needed.. to make some better judgments.

Thanks alot!

I think it would be best to find a knowledgable home for one of the puffs. Sometime's (depending on the store) they will distroy any fish brought back...this and it's likley that the LFS won't care for them correctly.

If you do decide to get a bigger tank, even if it's a 30 tall, it would be better. I know it doesn't seem like the puffs use the space but it's more about the volume of the water than the size of the fish or space used by the fish. Puffers are messy eaters and they produce alot of waste. Even with heavy filtration and weekly water changes you would have problems keeping the fish healthy in a 10 gallon.

Now when it comes to Decor. I like add alot of fake (or real) plants, drift wood, and things for them to hide in. Here is a photo of my 55 gallon tank and Spider my Green Spotted Puffer. Having more things to explore should cut down on any agression you are seeing as well.

1 F8 in that tank would definitely be better. I don't believe your sword plant will survive long in that SG. Petsmart sells these really cool fake mangroves that puffs love to swim around/thru.

If you recently received this tank, please explain exactly you cycled it so quickly & brought the SG up so high so fast. Do you have test kits? Please post the parameters of ammonia, nitrite & nitrate.

i like the shell do they use it as a home or for ambushing things>?

Yes, Darkstorm.. sometimes they sleep in side or behind it.. I actually found that shell my self on a cruise while I was snorkeling.


I received the tank about 2.5 weeks ago...

As for the cycling I used a friends biowheel, because he was actually changing his filter all together.

As I found more...I'd say legitimate articles on puffer care, I just realized I most probably raised the salinity too fast, and killed off the bacteria on the bio wheel.

The LFS I bought these puffers in had them @ full marine, I believe it was 1.023

The salesperson who helped me, taught me how to do the drip acclimation, which is what I did when I got home.. obviously with out realizing I was going to kill my bio wheel's bacteria.

As everything looks now... the puffers seem alright, but I will try to find a home so I can split them up... unless anyone knows of any great deals on tall tanks, that are affordable and can be used in my situation. By affordable.. seeing as how I'm a

college student, who works the bare minimum to keep his car running every week lol.. I'd say less than $100.

SxS316x wrote:college student, who works the bare minimum to keep his car running every week lol.. I'd say less than $100.

how about some free rocks for decor?



I currently house only 1 F8 in a 30 gallon tank. after putting in pleny of rocks (and creating caves and hiding places) this puffer is hardly seen at all. he likes to hide unless food are beeing served.

he used to pace the glass all the time before when the tank was less decorated.

Haha..

Free rocks...?

Welcome!
I think your decor is very nice the way it is! Good work.
If possible a 30gallon which isn't too much bigger! & That way you could keep both Cupid & Octopoof!
Either way good luck!