The Puffer Forum

Hi everyone my name is Zack and I'm new here. I got into the aquarium thing while shopping at petco for my fiancee's dog a couple months ago, and I have been insatiably hooked since. Bettas are seemingly a gateway drug! After I had my betta for a couple weeks I started looking for interesting freshwater fish to keep in small tanks (since I didn't have any aquarium supplies besides a 2.5 gallon tank for my betta) and stumbled on the dwarf puffer. After planning out a 5 gallon marineland planted tank, I stumbled on the green spotted puffer. Their care seemed a little complicated with transitioning from freshwater to brackish to marine depending on life stage and size, and they required a somewhat larger tank than the 15 gallon high that I was able to steal away from a friend of mine, so I looked up the other puffer listed on the tank at my lfs, the figure 8 puffer. It was love at first sight! They are the coolest looking puffers and having a brackish tank seemed like enough of a challenge without being overwhelming for a beginner. Hours upon hours of research later, I felt like I had a grasp on what they needed (and also how so many people have so many differing "facts" on the f8). I got the tank cycling with some messy black molly's and when that lfs finally got f8's in stock, I brought one home. Now to be part of the community of other puffer addicts!

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Wonder if we should start placing bets when Zack will get a 120g+ for a Fahaka .

Welcome. I have running nose and my hand shivers just by not touching my puffer tank for a day..

Bettas are seemingly a gateway drug!

Love that!!!

Just in case you haven't found them:
library/puffers-in-focus/fig8/
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19348
library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/

F8s are my very favorite puffer. They're endlessly entertaining. Welcome, and enjoy!

Tim wrote:

Wonder if we should start placing bets when Zack will get a 120g+ for a Fahaka .

6 months max.



Welcome to puffer addiction! Endless hours of planing the next tank and searching the internet for the puffer you want and cannot find!

Puffers are mischievous little blimps with enchanting powers. Beware. lol

All it takes is one puffer and you are left wanting more lol. Everytime I see a puffer I consider taking it home, it's so hard not to buy when you have so many tanks to put them in. Though to be honest I am like that with all fish, I nearly purchased a zebra plec for £140 today cos I thought he looked cool

Be sure to feed it meaty foods.

bertie 83 wrote:All it takes is one puffer and you are left wanting more lol. Everytime I see a puffer I consider taking it home, it's so hard not to buy when you have so many tanks to put them in. Though to be honest I am like that with all fish, I nearly purchased a zebra plec for £140 today cos I thought he looked cool

Hey bertie where did you see that zebra plec?

Pufferpunk wrote:

Bettas are seemingly a gateway drug!

Love that!!!

I've never seen the appeal of bettas.Too many times I see them in teeny tiny glasses and then LFS selling unfiltered unheated "betta"tanks with reading lights attached..shudders.

bertie 83 wrote:All it takes is one puffer and you are left wanting more lol. Everytime I see a puffer I consider taking it home, it's so hard not to buy when you have so many tanks to put them in.

And this, my dear Bertie is why I have over 12 cycled tanks awaiting thier puffer overlords ...

Master of Puffers wrote: I've never seen the appeal of bettas.

Same, though mostly I just think it's a very ugly fish.

Master of Puffers wrote:

Pufferpunk wrote:

Bettas are seemingly a gateway drug!

Love that!!!

I've never seen the appeal of bettas.Too many times I see them in teeny tiny glasses and then LFS selling unfiltered unheated "betta"tanks with reading lights attached..shudders.

I dont agree with their small enclosures either...i think a minimum of 10g is at least something a betta deserves. but as in filtration, I heard they dont need oxygen from the water, they can also breath out of it through their mouths. So if water changes are frequent, im okay with it. I think they populate shallow stagnant water in nature around rice patties in Asia and have learned to adapt in those conditions by learning to breath above water, very neat little critters