The Puffer Forum

I'm planning a future project based around a heavily planted tank with pressurized co2 and are considering two different setups where a school of SAPs would be the centerpiece in one of them (where the other would include plenty of invertebrates, not an option here though). Lots of driftwood, a few stones but pretty much a jungle with some free swimming space and sand in the far right/left hand side.

Tank mates would at least include a big school of cardinal tetras (40+) which should have a high chance of success or am I wrong?

My other concerns are primarily those of a cleanup crew and how much snails the SAPs would need to consume each day to avoid dental problems. Breeding snails at home will not be very practical and I would probably have a hard time selling the idea to my wife

In a perfect world I would be able to include a number of L catfish and dwarf cichlids but since I'm not aiming for the cheepest of fish I'm not willing to gamble much. I'm . I'm guessing here the SAPs would have to be added after all the other fish have acclimatized.


On a side note, are there any salt water puffers that works with tank mates and doesn't shreed the corals?

puffer wrote:... and how much snails the SAPs would need to consume each day to avoid dental problems.

My understanding from my reading on this site is that dentistry (i.e. trimming the beak/teeth) is nearly unavoidable with SAPs. That's the reason I don't have any -- they're adorable FW puffers and I'd love to have a small school of them, if it didn't require knocking them out every 6 months or so.

95% of their diet.

For most hobbyists, incisor trimming is a must. On what is almost entirely a snail diet, I only rarely have to trim SAP incisor plates. But if you co-house them with other fish and thus have to use other foods, they will eat those and not wear down their incisor plates. I do very few mixed tanks anyway, so it is not an issue for me. I have never housed anything with SAPs but some dwarf nocturnal suckermouth cats.

in a 190, I'd limit the number of SAPs to 6.

Trying to catch them in a tank that size and heavily planted will certainly be a learning experience for you

RTR wrote:But if you co-house them with other fish and thus have to use other foods, they will eat those and not wear down their incisor plates.

I was hoping to get around this by having the SAPs occupied by snails when I feed the other fish on the other end, the tank is 6 feet long. Will puffers compete with cats when it come to sinking tablets? Also, I found out the anesthesia MS-222 is prescription only in my country and hard to get. Have to check how difficult it is to order online so I don't have to resort to clove oil. Wouldn't want that. Does anyone know how available it is in northern europe?

J-P wrote:in a 190, I'd limit the number of SAPs to 6.
Trying to catch them in a tank that size and heavily planted will certainly be a learning experience for you

I was thinking 6 myself and a population more in the level of a 150G tank. In the tank I'm running now, a 90G with plenty of plants and driftwood, I had to take out 20 tetras which was an exercise in both patience and frustration Originally my intention had been to keep SAPs in this tank but since I was new to fishkeeping and all my sources said all puffers without exception must be kept solo I never did. I'm glad I didn't as now I've done most of the newbie mistakes

order the MS-222 out of the USA and you won't need a prescription (finquel).

in regards to feeding .. all bets are off. SAPs WILL eat what they can get. I had 2 of mine go for the algae disks I reserved for my plecos. Little piggies they are.

I fed the SAP tanks in the dark. The snails spread out through the planting, and the (largely nocturnal anyway) cats ate theirs before lights on. It also gives the SAPs more exercise, hunting for their food. I'm sure they considered that the snail fairy visited (almost) every night while they were immature, but got a bit more stingy as they matured. SAPs will try to eat anything. With tablets they are especially messy - about like F-8s and GSPs - fines everywhere\, blown out through the gills. NIMFT (Not In My Fish Tanks), that is a massive bioload you do not need.

Great replies, thanks. I feed cats after lights out anyway, even have to put a blanket on most of the tank to prevent other fish from stealing the tablets so I don't anticipate a problem there. Granulates and flake food however will.