The Puffer Forum

i am absolutely dumb when it comes to puffer. but as a present my mother bought me a Tetraodon biocellatus but i have a huge problem i have read up about them being light brackish. i only have a community tank and i have no idea what to do with him im quite worried i dont wanna kill the poor thing is there anything i can do
i have another tank its about 2 foot by 1 foot by half a foot i could wash out and put him into if anyone could even tell me how to set a tank up for him i would be hugely appreciative
thank u

Is it possible to return the puff until u learn more about him?

apparently not ive asked the shop and they refused they also said he was a freshwater puffer too

Sounds like that fish shop wanted rid of him or, he is a brackish puffer, you should read the setting up a brackish tank topic in the brackish puffers section. That other tank doesnt sound big enough to house him for life but its better than him being in a community tank.

Well, you did find the right place to talk about your F8 puffer. It certainly is a brackish species, as you now know and might destroy your community fish if you just put him in there (which is not a good idea - a new fish should be quarantined first). Can you measure your empty tank or measure the water it takes to fill? The conversion for US gals is tank internal dimensions: LxWxH in inches/231. From there we can convert to liters or Imp. gals. Hilly is right - the other tank, though not ideal, would be better than adding him to your community tank. Do you have another filter? A lid? (the F8 is a jumper). You can start in freshwater and gradually increase salinity when you do weekly water changes, using marine salt. And of course, try to cycle the tank - use bacteria from your established tank.

i will measure it first thing in the morning the thing is
this little guy doesnt use his tail at all :s hes in a quaranteen net as we speak. i havent seen him nip anyhting either which has confused me too :S is there a reason why he doesnt use his tail at all to swim

Do you mean that he is in a net pen type device in your established tank?

Puffers are a bit "different" as you've seen. They rely more on their pectoral fins, dorsal and anal fin for routine swimming. Have you noticed there are no pelvic fins? They can use their tails - but this one may not have enough room to really let go.

the net pen itself is quite big for his size at the min its only temporary until i can sort out this other tank. but i mean he never ever uses his tail at all

I totally agree with CPSF, I wouldnt worry about him not using his tail at the moment, they dont use it like other fish plus hes in a new envoronment and will need time to adjust. I would concentrate on sorting him out with the proper tank setup. You dont want him unleashing the puffer fury on your community tank fish.

Its so hard to say without seeing him. Do you know anyone near you who has kept one to check & make sure your fish is OK?

He may also be scared and/or stressed.

I think having him in a breeding net in your community tank is a great place for him while you get the other tank set up. That way he has good water, but doesn't destroy your fish. Don't be too worried about the fact that he's not in brackish. That is much less important than the fact that he has good water quality. He'll live for quite awhile in freshwater.
That being said, I'd still like to see you get that other tank up and running for him ASAP. If you've got another filter and lid around and can get it seeded with bacteria from your community tank, you should be able to get it up to speed pretty quickly.
If the tank is really 2' by 1 1/2' it's probably big enough for him. Aren't 10g 20x10? So this would be bigger, maybe a 15 (which is what they need, no?) Assuming it's at least as tall as a 10g (12in) it would be about a 20g tank. But if you could get the measurements, that'd be best.
Keep us posted on your progress and what you decided on. If you do manage to keep him in a happy home, I think you'll find he's your favorite fish. Puffers are way cooler than the average community fish.

I never recommend adding an unquarantined fish to an established tank as there is too much potential for disease transmission. Do get back to us with the other tanks dimensions, it may turn out to be just what your new guy needs.

i will asap. thank u all for ur help

this is a pic i got of him earlier

I do be live you are the proud owner of a Tetraodon Nigroviridis..GSP. Needs a minimum of 30 gals and full SW as an adult. You should read THIS.