The Puffer Forum

I am considering getting a Figure 8 puffer for my new tank. I know they are a brackish species, but upon reaching maturity do they need to go to full marine conditions?

Also, are there any good tank mates for a figure 8? Thank you.

keep fig8s at 1.005 its whole life, it doesnt need to go any higher than that. and i have mine with bumblebee gobies and a rhinohorn goby and they get along fine, but for some people, the puffer ends up killing the gobies.

Thanks for answering. Yeah I was hoping it was that. I think my tank would be too small for a puffer to live peacefully with a goby.

what size tank is it?

6 gal

6 gal is a bit small for the figure 8 himself

That's too small for a figure 8 to live in.

6 gallons would be a little too small for the F8, you will find him pacing all day. I keep my F8 with 10 balloon mollies and the Puffer seems a little bit timid of the big fat mollies. mine are in about 1.005 salinity.

need at least 15g's for 1 F8

yeah at least a 20g like i have with figgy and 2 bbgs

thanks for the help guys.

In regards to the size of the fish to tank ratio, wouldn't the F8 be a perfect fit? I believe they grow ~3" when fully mature, and I keep seeing this "1 inch of fish per 1 gallon" everywhere I go. Would it be more of a problem of keeping him occupied than actual space issues?

i wouldnt even want to keep a betta in that long term... too small... i cant wait to get a 10g set up for mine

The 1" of fish per 1 gallon rule does not apply to puffers, at all. That rule does not apply to almost any fish besides some tropical, community fish. Puffers need A LOT more space because they produce a lot of waste. Your 6 gal would be good to breed snails in for your puffer to eat. However, you should look into getting a much bigger tank. The minimum is 15 gallons, but I'd recommend a 20 honestly.

ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Biocellatus/ Read that.

And before you go getting any puffers please read and research more. Puffers require a lot of care. You need a much bigger tank and you have to be willing to do 50% water changes once a week. They also need a heavy snail diet and lots of meaty foods. You need to cycle your tank completely before adding any fish because puffer fish are extremely sensitive to bad water.

library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/

Here's a quick list of things you will need: Bigger tank, snails (Ramshorn or pond. Do not feed him trumpet snails), a substrate (Aragonite sand is recommended for brackish tanks), lots of decorations, loads and loads of filtration (Aquaclear is recommended), cleaning supplies like gravel vac, water conditioner (Prime is recommended), a liquid water testing kit, Marine salt (Not aquarium), a hydrometer, lots of patience and time to care for the puffer, and all the right foods. Also, be prepared to have to medicate him. Puffers almost always come from the store sick. Most likely with internal parasites so you'll probably want to buy this too.Basically everyone here uses the Jungle brand for meds. Also, taking care of a puffer is not the cheapest thing in the world so be sure you can afford it.

Also read this article too: library/puffer-care/alone-but-not-lonel ... fers-solo/


Best of luck and have fun! =]

You want 15 Gallons per F8 puffer, 1 gallon per inch is complete crap. No fish like a puffer can live in 3 Gallons of Water!

p.s. in this hobby Common Sense goes along away

Great answer Nuclear_Glitter