The Puffer Forum

I know this probably isn't the right part of the forum but I didn't know which to post it in as i'm asking questions involving a puffer from each section.

I read that dwarf puffers are curious by nature and if you put your hand in the tank they will come and follow your hand to see what you are doing, which sounds ace to me and the idea of having a fish I can actually interact with and 'play' with is a win win. I was wondering however, would the F8 do the same? I have seen videos of the dwarfs showing this curious nature but it's hard to get a good video of a F8.

Thanks again and sorry if its in the wrong place.

This is a fine place to put this question.. Its just a discussion so your fine. On figure 8s personally i would rather get them because they are playful and they do get bigger. Dwarf puffers are fun, but they are small. But if you aren't very experienced in fish keeping, i would suggest a dwarf puffer

How do you mean playful? I'm used to looking after GT's and JD's, first time puffer.

+1 to hd but to add with f8 brackish water is required. Both have awesome personalities so what size tank you thinking?

Dwarf Puffer, F8's and GSPs are all playful puffers that will interact with you. However I would go for the F8 as they get bigger so you will enjoy one more, but as bertie said F8's need brackish water at a salt level of about 1.008. Which means you will have to rethink your stocking if you want to keep him with other fish! You could have balloon mollies in with em as they are brackish fish too...

HTH

It's a 42 us gallon tank. And it's gonna be a puffer only tank . Dunno how many will fit?

F8's need a minimum of 15 gallons. So I would suggest 2 with lots of deco in a 42 gallon tank...don't forget to account for water displacement of the deco. Also 1.008 is the highest SG you would want for F8s. They belong in an SG of 1.005 to 1.008 but many stores sell them as freshwater fish so make sure that when you buy the fish you know what SG it is kept in and you acclimatize it to the SG of your tank slowly. Here is a link the pufferpedia entry about F8s.
ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Brackish/T_Biocellatus/

I have both dwarfs and F8s, and find that their personalities are very very similar. Both come right to the front of the glass anytime I come near the tank, both eat eagerly (and viciously!) anytime they're fed, both watch me non-stop when I'm in the room.

Maintenance on my F8 tank is more challenging because it's brackish. I also have to ensure that I have lots and lots of crunchy foods (i.e. snails) available to give the F8s so that their beaks won't overgrow. Dwarf puffs don't have a problem with this and my dwarfs are fine with just frozen bloodworms, live blackworms, frozen mysis shrimp, etc., although I do give them a snail or two from time to time. But my F8s eat snails almost exclusively.

Personality-wise, though, I don't think you can go wrong with either type of puffer. They're both very interactive and very fun!

A lot of people have reported that their DPs aren't as interactive or people-oriented as their other puffers. Apparently, they were too busy plotting world domination, according to Myaj. I guess they're the cats of the puffer world - some are people-oriented, some could care less, whereas dogs are always like "PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE!!!"

I agree, my DPs hide when I got to look at them but they're really cute!

So I'd be able to hand feed and play with a F8 or group of F8's?
I have the choice between F8's and Amazons.

South Americans definitely aren't puffer-like. You'd best stick with a F8. To get a more interactive puffer you'd have to keep it alone however even a group should be pretty interactive.

PS: Never hand feed a puffer. They have teeth and it will hurt even when a small one gets you. If they learn that fingers mean food then you'll have one heck of a time every time you have to clean the tank!

SAPs aka Amazons are tricky. Their beaks grow much faster than other puffers, and they are nervous unless kept in a group. I have heard of a few people not having to trim their SAPs teeth, but most do from what I hear.

A lot of people also think that puffers tend to be more fun and personable when kept singly rather than in a group. I think if you want an interactive fish, one F8 is your best bet.

I pretty much agree with all of the above, except that a specific gravity of 1.008 is too high for F-8 IME. 1.003 to 1.005 is a good range. Higher may well shorten their lives.

F-8s have as much personality as any other puffer I have kept except for T. mbu, which is too big for most folk's homes and budgets.

But DPs can and do breed in captivity, which is not common in captive puffers. They are worth keeping for that alone, and they are curious and interactive. For such small fish, they have big personalities - they do not know that are small, so do not tell them.

None of these fish will settle in immediately. It takes longer for these fish to feel at home and secure than it does many other hobby fish. But they are curious and intelligent (for a fish. and actually not that far behind dogs, if at all) and will settle down and show their personalities soon enough.