The Puffer Forum

Hey everyone,

I got back into fishkeeping in March 2012 after a long break from fish (none since I was 8 or 9).

The spark that rekindled my interest was my wife's suggestion of a fish-themed birthday for our son who was turning two around that time.

Not happy to just dive in and set up the tank, I started doing a bunch of research about tank sizes and realized we weren't set up for a goldfish. The bowl wouldn't really cut it. Then I found a guy on CraigsList selling a sort of paludarium setup in a 20 long, and since my wife loves frogs (two firebelly toads were included), we went for it. There was one lonely neon tetra included as well. Fast forward a week or two, and after adding more neon tetras that died I did more research and found out about nitrifying bacteria and all that, and began having some success.

Things really took off when I joined the MCA and GLA forums, both based here in Michigan where I live. Over time I went from that first 20 long and a 10g at work up to around 20 tanks, the largest being a 90g, with a total around 500 gallons by the end of last year. Now I've calmed down a bit and have a more manageable 8 FW tanks and 1 SW nano (plus a few 2-3g growouts for snails and shrimp), around 200 gallons.

Clearly it became mostly my hobby...my son never got his goldfish (other than some pond comets we held briefly for friends) but has seen lots of other species in the past 18 months. My favorite fish became cichlids (especially Central American Archocentrus genus - convicts and their relatives) and West African oddballs - Senegal bichir, leaf fish, brown knife, etc. But I also have tried African cichlids, various loaches, freshwater shrimp/crayfish, and a lot of the standard tetras/barbs/similar fish.

Currently my 'big' tank is a 50 long with the oddballs and catfish, a small 20 long oddball growout, three 20 highs with three types of cichlids (orange chromides, pink convicts, angelfish), and then the puffer tanks. In those, I have a GSP that the kids named Mr Putter (after a series of kid's books), a Figure 8 named 'Puff' (by the 1 year old) and then a few dwarf puffers in a 16 bowfront (soon to be just a pair once they get a little bigger and I can tell m/f on them).

I got into puffers about five or six weeks back. I was scared to try them for a long time because of the term 'brackish'. But after having decent success with SW nano reefs since earlier this year, I warmed up to the idea. The SW experience helped a lot with the two types of brackish puffers but I'm still working on getting my refractometer calibrated more accurately for the low salinity. I've had one misstep already - I got too aggressive raising the salinity for my first Figure 8, or else fed it the wrong size malaysian trumpet snail, and it died. The new one seems quite healthy. Since then I've been sticking to pond snails, thawed mysis, and the occasional pellets as staple foods for all the puffers.

The kids love the puffers, especially the Figure 8. My three year old helps me feed snails, and the one year old pops over to watch most of the time. It's nice to have fish they really like again instead of it being completely Dad's thing.

My next puffer species I'd like to pick up is an irrubesco pair or single to go in a 20 long.

Hello, welcome to TPF!!!

congrats on your hobby, its very addicting especially these puffers...they have their own personalities and are very rewarding to see them grow. careful though, try not to bite more than you can chew, Puffers are very high maintenance, and seeing one die is very sad. It might halvto to do with their girth or big ol eyes that makes you feel worse about ones passing. many members here have seen one go and will agree that its a hard thing, but we have learned many lessons along the way and helped many Puffers live long healthy lives and also overcome illness... I know its helped mine. Don't be scared to ask beyond Puffers when you wander round here, wether its FW, SW or BW... Its an art and someone here has been there and done that too.

Thanks for the advice. I think the number I have now is manageable...but will watch things closely especially here at the beginning. I thini the worst fish deaths for me were my tuxedo urchin, my jawfish (both due to a salinity spike in my SW tank a while back) and that fig 8 puffer. Hoping to avoid that going forward.