The Puffer Forum

Would it be acceptable to keep a Fahaka in a 55 gallon? I will be moving (or getting a job and therefore a larger tank) 2 years from now. Will it be harmful to keep a Fahaka alone in a 55 for that long if it is currently 1.5 inches long.
If so, are there any suggestions for active freshwater puffers that would be fine in a 55.
Thanks in advance

Mine grew from 1"-10" within 2 years & was moved into his 125g at 9". You might also want to check out the cost of a 125g tank, stand, filtration, etc. before committing.

I would advise against it strongly. My Fahaka is 16+", and grew at an alarming rate. Look in South American Puffers (SAP's).

A nice school of SAPs would be nice but that's a lot of teeth trimming ahead!

Thanks for the feedback. One queston on SAPs though. Some places say they will do fine in a higher pH and some say then like it acidic. I have a pH of 7.8-8.0 (crushed coral sand substrate but the water is that alkaline with out the substrate).
Would the SAPs be okay if there was some bogwood in the water to lower the pH a bit?
Also do you think 4 of them for a 55 or is that too crowded?

You could probably fit 3 SAPs in your 55 gallon.

I thought it was 15 gallons for the first fish and 10 gallons for each additonal, so wouldnt that be 5 SAPs for a 55?

Understocking is generally preferred... and of course she may also want a bristle nose or some other clean up type of fish in there, which has to be figured in.

5 would probably work too, but when keeping multiple puffers, you always need to be prepared to separate them into individual tanks in case of aggression. So that would mean being prepared for up to 4 additional 15 gallon tanks. SAPs generally mingle well, but you never know.

The Fisherman wrote:I thought it was 15 gallons for the first fish and 10 gallons for each additonal, so wouldnt that be 5 SAPs for a 55?

I was going according to the puffer list.

Personally, I think 5 would be fine in a 55. One of the few "schooling" puffers. Very mild-manered among conspecifics.

I suspect that PP is correct on this. I would not do more than 3 myself, but I have in the past had 4 in a 50 without problems. That setup started with 5, but one was aggressive and removed to a singleton tank. If you are willing to pull misfits (the aggressor, not the picked-on fish), you may bring it off. But there are never any promises on co-housing puffers.

Well the LFS just told me that they would be getting some SAPs in next week. I think I'm gonna go with 4 and if there is a problem move one in to my 20 (snail breeder) and maybe get a AGA 7 for the snails.
So this weekend I'm off to find something to over filter the tank (I'm thinking canister) and hopefully enjoy mardi gras a little bit.