The Puffer Forum

So next week I will be getting my new red tailed red eye female puffer and I was wondering what to do about algae since it is a planted tank. But my worry is that any type of algae eater I get will be attacked by the puffer. Suggestions on how to take care of the algae problems that have been growing in my tank since I began cycling it three months ago would be most appreciated!

Well as far as algae goes your best bet might be to deal with it yourself, because the best cleaners tend to be freshwater. That being said, the majority of the cleaner fish can swim fast enough to avoid the "lunch" nametag. Just make sure you aclimate slowly

I've kept nerite snails with irrubesco puffers without problems, and my four specimens live in a busy tank alongside Panaque and Garra, both of which eat algae. So there are options.

Cherry shrimps might be worth trying, though likely some would be eaten. My own experience with cherry shrimps is that if you have a tank dedicated to just breeding them, you'll quickly have more than you know what to do with, so employing them as "disposable" algae eaters is no big deal.

Cheers, Neale

FishyFishFish7 wrote:So next week I will be getting my new red tailed red eye female puffer and I was wondering what to do about algae since it is a planted tank. But my worry is that any type of algae eater I get will be attacked by the puffer. Suggestions on how to take care of the algae problems that have been growing in my tank since I began cycling it three months ago would be most appreciated!

ive got loads of snails and a few shrimp in with my irrubesco...they dont seem 2 bother each other

I keep a couple of different gobies in with my irrubesco and the puffers don't bother them at all (and they aren't BB gobies). I also have a couple of Corys, and a few Rasboras. My point is that my irrubesco don't bother the other fish in the tank, and I think they'd be more aggressive to their own kind, or other puffers, before being aggressive to other tankmates, but that's just from my personal experiences.

I agree with this. Indeed, I'd go so far as to suggest that the reports of psychotic irrubesco are actually down to misidentifications. Here in England irrubesco and lorteti are commonly mixed up in the same batch of fish, but sold as one or other species. Then there are those other Carinotetraodon that are very similar, but much more aggressive, like C. borneensis. Supposedly rarely traded, it's entirely possible that they're traded as irrubesco puffers.

Cheers, Neale

pufferpuggirl wrote:My point is that my irrubesco don't bother the other fish in the tank, and I think they'd be more aggressive to their own kind, or other puffers, before being aggressive to other tankmates, but that's just from my personal experiences.

I know of irribescoes (which are not mislabelled) that are aggressive, so it's all about the personality of the fish. I would't risk anything together with an irrubesco, all though my little Houdini is a shy one. The best ting is to be your own algae remover. You risk more than the fish's life, but also its health, as it's not a good way to keep fishes in stressful environment. And I would consider living with a puffer a stressful environment if the puffer chases the other fish.

Olaf_Sierpinski wrote:That being said, the majority of the cleaner fish can swim fast enough to avoid the "lunch" nametag.

This is not right. I know otos can be, but most fishes aren't (I've tried once, and never again!). Puffers can be pretty fast when they attack. Besides speed isn't everything: puffers are smart, and that really does matter. And again: even if the fish is fast enough, it will still have a stressful life, avoiding a predator.

puffers are smart

And sneaky!