The Puffer Forum

i bought a f8 and the pet store never said if it was brakish or just fresh and every site has its own opinion. will it be fine in just fresh which he is in now. and i have a 5 gallon tank with just him in it is that fine?

The tank is way too small, check the PufferPedia. Also, Figure 8's can survive in FW but need BW to do well So yes, it needs BW.

Please make sure that you actually have an F8. Some stores like Walmart have been selling green spotted puffers as F8's.

I mention this because I am suspicious of your local pet store...most good pet stores will say brackish water..but bad ones (like walmart) will try to sell F8s and GSPs as freshwater

well that sucks i thought i read 5 gallons for each puffer. how big do the f8s usually get. will he at least survive in the 5

purplecandle wrote:Please make sure that you actually have an F8. Some stores like Walmart have been selling green spotted puffers as F8's.

I mention this because I am suspicious of your local pet store...most good pet stores will say brackish water..but bad ones (like walmart) will try to sell F8s and GSPs as freshwater

its green and has the black eight with yellow rings around the black

Awesome! Welcome to Puffer Parent Hood!

purplecandle wrote:Awesome! Welcome to Puffer Parent Hood!

ya it is for sure an f8. will it be fine in the fresh? and if not how hard is it to get brackish.
plus its in a 5 gallon by himself should that be ok as well

kevinjgray88 wrote:

purplecandle wrote:Awesome! Welcome to Puffer Parent Hood!

ya it is for sure an f8. will it be fine in the fresh? and if not how hard is it to get brackish.
plus its in a 5 gallon by himself should that be ok as well

also if i give him a snail a month is that ok enough to keep his teeth down

Some people will tell you that it's fine to keep a F8 in fresh water. This is untrue. It decreases the fish's lifespan and makes it more susceptible to disease. It's quite detrimental to their overall health.

F-8s are best in light BW, and best there with aragonite substrates, not inert ones. Keeping them in FW will cut their life in half and make the prone to many illnesses. If you cannot provide the proper conditions, it is better not to keep the fish.

Very few stores (or web sites) know anything about puffers at all. Here you get the real info.

I can only assume this tank is not cycled due to you not knowing about an F8. Do you have a filter and heater at least in the tank? If it is not cycled you need to just give the puffer back to the fish store and get your tank cycled first. What are your tank parameters? Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate PH Temp. This could also be your problem with the fish not eating. They don't eat flakes or pellets.

TSI431 wrote:I can only assume this tank is not cycled due to you not knowing about an F8. Do you have a filter and heater at least in the tank? If it is not cycled you need to just give the puffer back to the fish store and get your tank cycled first. What are your tank parameters? Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate PH Temp. This could also be your problem with the fish not eating. They don't eat flakes or pellets.

i have a filter and heater i just got frozen bloodworms, thawed them out and he is loving them

Also try some frozen shrimp. I cut mine up and feed them with tongs. Keep the shells on them to cut down on the beak growth.

How did you cycle this tank? Do you have test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? If not, please get them! What is your plan for upgrading this fish? It can't live in the 5g for long.