The Puffer Forum

Hi, I am looking for some puffers for my 45 gallon fish tank and it is a 4ft.
How many puffers can I have in there ofcourse depending on what type of puffer they are?
Any help suggestions, even to keep one really big puffer in there.
What other fish would you recommend with puffers except pleco. I know a lot of people say its best to keep it a speciesonly tank. I know the SAPss are peaceful and like to be in 3s otherwise they get nervous by them selves. They could be kept with community which I have seen before. Are there any puffers suitable with cichlids or angelfish? I know angelfish do have long fins that are nippable but are SAPs be good with them?

How about these:
- Monotrete Abei
- Auriglobus modestus
- Monotrete Cochinchinensis
- Dwarf puffers
Could I mix any different species of puffers together?

ANy suggestions or opinions will be good, thanks

Brackish:D. Half water, with a sand shelf so the skippers can come out.

- 1 figure eights
- 3 livebearers
- 2 skippers

Hmm, I was thinking of going brackish but I am only limited to the f8 and gsp right? I think I might stick to fw then consider going brackish. Any suggestions..?

Edit: actually I do have a 8" floating dock station from my turtles, if I ever did consider brackish and chose mudskippers would they be find my jumping onto that with water 3 quarter of the way full?

Yeah. I might cover it with sand though, you would just have to periodically put some on from the substrate. Otherwise no biggy. Yeah really with brackish your limited to the fig 8 unless you want to go full marine with a GSP.

I think I would rather stick to Fresh Water but thanks for the info though

I myself have been dreaming of setting up a South American puffer tank. Judging by the info here, you could keep three of them in a 45 gallon, but I personally would keep try to about five (maybe), as I love planted tanks and that usually increases the amount of fish you can keep, both considering their comfort as well as handling the bioload. Since SAPs are oddly schooling fish, turf isn't as important, though it's still a consideration.

Anyway, give it some thought. The only problem is that you're likely to have to order online, because I never see them for sale locally, and it might be the same where you are.

I can find SAPs at my lfs as they have them in quite often but I went today to check if they have them in and other puffers but since the Volcano eruption all the airports being shut down they cannot bring in any more stock in. Even though that I knew that they imported over seas but just never came to my mind that they would be affected lol.

Al;so if anyone is selling any near-by south yorkshire UK, then please let me know and I have put this down in the classified section

There are other brackish puffers (listed in the PufferPedia), but it's hard to find them.

You really can't keep more than one of any of those puffers (listed at the top) with the exception of dwarf puffers, and of course SAP's. The others you listed do not get along with their own kind or any other puffers and/or fish. So whatever you decide on, you need to know that you can't have any tankmates in there.

The size of the tank is kind of in no mans land for a lot of the FW species. Abei and Cochinchinensis you might never see. Modestus on their own as well. You could have a large group of Dwarfs but they are small. Then you think you would like to keep other fish with them so the SAPs are the obvious choice.

Just dug out Neale Monks article from Feb 2009 in PFK

Recommended tankmates given sufficient space:
giant danios, bleeding heart tetras, glassfish. ie fast enough to get out of the SAPs way.
Semi aggressive dwarf cichlids such as Kribs and Acaras that will make the SAPS think twice about bothering them, although their fins may not stay pristine.

my favourite quote of the article "lots of fish are too slow or stupid not to be nipped"

Not recommended:
Livebearers, Bichirs, Corydoras and Gobies.

Gouramis, Angelfish, Congo Tetra and Bettas are also at rish because of long finnage.

Hilly wrote:The size of the tank is kind of in no mans land for a lot of the FW species. Abei and Cochinchinensis you might never see. Modestus on their own as well. You could have a large group of Dwarfs but they are small. Then you think you would like to keep other fish with them so the SAPs are the obvious choice.

Just dug out Neale Monks article from Feb 2009 in PFK

Recommended tankmates given sufficient space:
giant danios, bleeding heart tetras, glassfish. ie fast enough to get out of the SAPs way.
Semi aggressive dwarf cichlids such as Kribs and Acaras that will make the SAPS think twice about bothering them, although their fins may not stay pristine.

my favourite quote of the article "lots of fish are too slow or stupid not to be nipped"

Not recommended:
Livebearers, Bichirs, Corydoras and Gobies.

Gouramis, Angelfish, Congo Tetra and Bettas are also at rish because of long finnage.

Hmm I see I might go with the South American puffers then. Neale Monks does he have an account on here to, he is normally in the oddball section in the tropical fish forum. He has helped me a lot to and I guess you are helping me from his help to lol.

he's here also

pufferpuggirl wrote:You really can't keep more than one of any of those puffers (listed at the top) with the exception of dwarf puffers, and of course SAP's. The others you listed do not get along with their own kind or any other puffers and/or fish. So whatever you decide on, you need to know that you can't have any tankmates in there.

There is someone keeping quite a few abei puffers in a tank and they seem like they are fine with no fin nips. Does that mean I can't keep any of the aggressive puffers with other aggressive fish? Like cichlids or other oddballs? If the puffer is more aggressive than cichlids then wouldn't that be ok because cichlids are way faster swimmers and in a 4ft it is very unlikely that they will get bitten. I have seen a lot of the aggressive puffers doing completely fine with other fish like silver sharks and rainbows. People have said if you get them as young then they become more tame and used to other fish. I have kept puffers with fish i past with no problems.

didz04 wrote:There is someone keeping quite a few abei puffers in a tank and they seem like they are fine with no fin nips. Does that mean I can't keep any of the aggressive puffers with other aggressive fish? Like cichlids or other oddballs? If the puffer is more aggressive than cichlids then wouldn't that be ok because cichlids are way faster swimmers and in a 4ft it is very unlikely that they will get bitten. I have seen a lot of the aggressive puffers doing completely fine with other fish like silver sharks and rainbows. People have said if you get them as young then they become more tame and used to other fish. I have kept puffers with fish i past with no problems.

Abeis are extremely aggressive for small puffer and will take chunks out of each other and anything else. Has this been a long term captivity? It is not recommended to keep these sort of puffers with other fish, aggressive or not. Getting them while theyre young may make them more tolerant but as they age it is still a lottery on whether they will not attack other tankmates or not.

Well, at the moment none of the nearby fish places have any puffers in including SAP. how many dwarf puffers can I put in this tank?