The Puffer Forum

I am not sure if my puffers are Irrubesco or Lorteti. I have two in a ten (temporarily) w a couple of guppies. The puffers fight w each other A LOT!!! So I am thinking Lorteti.

I tried to take pics






Also, i believe i need to separate them. I am looking for a 20g long, to then put a divider in. I can't move one into a different tank w. other fish can I? They leave the guppies alone... [/img][/url]

you probably wont need to separate them if you keep them in a 20 long, just put lots of plants in to break up lines of sight. I'm bot entirely sure but they look like Lorteti to me, could be wrong! do you know if they're male/female?

I am assuming they are female, since the male of both species looks different. BUT I do not know, and If that is true I don't know when/if coloration changes.

My bet is that both are female C. irrubesco (clue: the broken lines on their bellies).
The tank is much to small for them, hence the fighting.
Puffers (both male & female) tend to be territorial creatures.
I have 1 male and 2 female irrubesco in a 95 gallon community tank.
The male (a voracious killer in smaller tanks) has chilled out,
but the two females insists on having a go at each other quite frequently.

I concur with the resident expert: they look like 2 female irrubescos.

And Woland is also correct: generally irrubescos don't get along unless they have alot of space.

BUT there are always exceptions , and so far, things are very peaceful between 1 male/2 females in a planted 29g tank. I think it was part luck, and also the fact that they were about the same size and went into the tank together at the same time. They each have their own spot. And they are fed well so they don't get cranky.

I might also say that I thought for sure the irrubescos would kill the dwarf puffers in the tank that were already there. But they ignore them completely. They only seem to be aware of each other and not other fish. The stray guppy that was introduced with the ghost shrimp has not gotten eaten either. So it depends on each individual personality, a bit of luck, and timing.

abc

Be careful--I found bites on my SAPs from my DPs.

Yep, they look just like my female irrubesco When I had two female irrubescos one bullied the other so much I thought she was a gonner, she wouldn't eat and spent all her time squeezed between the back of the tank and the filter, and let herself get sucked in to the filter a couple of times too.
I moved her out of that tank and now she eats like a little pig, and is a completely different fish, full of personality and spark!

That's just my limited personal experience; puffers all seem to have extremely different personalities so some may be OK to be together. Just keep a close eye on them

Yay! I am glad ya'll think that they are irrubesco From what I have read (online diff sites, donno if its 100% but) they seem like really sweet puffs. What is your advice on tank size.
I would like to keep them together if possible is a 20 long to small? I cannot go over a 29.... (easily) But what would be the best?
Also for a temporary idea I could move them(1 or both) to one of my other tanks.

29g w 3 SAPs (+ 1 male Metriaclima greshakei, trying to re-home he is a punk!)

29g community : lot of wild guppies, 2 kuli loachs, 1 gold loach, 3 ADFrogs, 2 leopard dinos. (in process of guppy reduction ) I am a real fan of my loaches and wouldn't like them to get killed....

I also have another 10g but it is full of DP's and shrimp... which doesn't sound like a good combo.

The 20 gallon tank is big enough in terms of gallonage, but I'm not an expert on how much territory female irrubescos need!

If you provide plenty of cover and hiding places with plants and rocks you might get away with keeping them together in that tank (but just don't expect to see them all the time, in my experience they are pretty shy fish who are fans of vanishing for hours!).

I have two Irrubescos (1M/ 1F) in a 20g tall. I admit that the male was very aggressive at first, but the floor of this tank is very heavily planted and they don't have any problems now. I find that they are very lethargic (compared to DPs at least!), and they only notice each other at feeding times. As long as there is enough food for them both, they don't seem to care about the other. Admittedly I don't think it would work without such thick foliage at the substrate level...

So...How about trying one/ both in a different tank, say with the SAPs? Would that be to stressful for the irrubesco? I am wondering because I haven't gotten the 20 yet and then there is cycle time and planting time before it will be ready for them... maybe as long as a month+.

Keeping in mind I have only had them for 18days and I really dont know how tough they are.

Also a behavior question! How much time do they spend chilling on the bottom? I just fed mine and on kinda 'fell' to the bottom after feeding and sat there until i put the filter back on, then she sorta 'floated' back behind some driftwood. The other one is still buzzing around looking for MORE food even tho she is hugely full .
btw I haven't ever had so may worries/questions about the DPs or SAPs lol

Another Question btw thanks for putting up with me

What set up would I need to get a boy? My LFS has 3. Could i get two boys.............? Seems like a bad idea, maybe just one? Then what tank size would be best? 29? or could a 20gL still work?

These puffers are best kept as singletons or in pairs.

Jaglar wrote:So...How about trying one/ both in a different tank, say with the SAPs? Would that be to stressful for the irrubesco? I am wondering because I haven't gotten the 20 yet and then there is cycle time and planting time before it will be ready for them... maybe as long as a month+.

Keeping in mind I have only had them for 18days and I really dont know how tough they are.

Also a behavior question! How much time do they spend chilling on the bottom? I just fed mine and on kinda 'fell' to the bottom after feeding and sat there until i put the filter back on, then she sorta 'floated' back behind some driftwood. The other one is still buzzing around looking for MORE food even tho she is hugely full .
btw I haven't ever had so may worries/questions about the DPs or SAPs lol

I was shocked with my irrubescos in comparison with SAPs and DPs. They sat on the bottom a fair bit, and hid in rocks and wood (my female irrubesco has a spot in her driftwood).

To my knowledge from things I've read around the net, the only successful puffer combinations I've seen are

SAP + DP
SAP + Irrubesco
Irrubesco + DP

But, for every successful person, there is an unsucessful person. I would never encourage trying mixing puffers, unless you are willing to keep a close eye (more than just an occasional glance at the tank) on them, and had the facilities to seperate them on a whim should needs be.

Awesome.

I have decided on a tank shuffle that should require no puffer mixing, just a community tank w the irr.s Maybe a bad idea. Like Fella said above i will watch an separate if need be (even though i believe you were referring to puff matches, i am sure my other fish will appreciate this) .

Thanks so much guys, ill let you know how it goes