The Puffer Forum

I have a blackwater tank with 4 luciocephalus aura in it, I am going to upgrade to a 90 gallon or other 4 foot tank in the future, and I wanted to know if anyone has tried keeping carinotetraodon irrubesco or other red eye puffers in blackwater conditions.
I know that carinotetraodon salivator was first identified in a blackwater environment, and that carinotetraodon irrubesco is from the Batang Hari basin which is where the luciocephalus aura also come from.
I don't know if anyone has actually put red eye puffers in the conditions I keep the luciocephalus in- deionized water with a ph of 4.7.
The luciocephalus are usually very stationary or slow moving, I don't know if irrubescos attack slow moving gouramis- I personally have seen red eye puffers leave most fish alone other than conspecifics. Maybe that was just luck, or it's a matter of time before red eye puffers get the chance to attack their tankmates.
I would like to hear about anyone's experience keeping red eye puffers in low ph and low hardness water.

IDK about the blackwater issue but I would NOT add ANY puffer to a mixed tank. They are always best kept as species only. Even conspecifics may kill each other.

I would just like to know where you find them! When you do, please let me know.

I haven't seen irrubescos lately, though at fish stores I've seen them much more often than lortetis or any other red eye puffer.
There is possibly one male lorteti left on aquabid right now, from Jackson aquatics. I saw some from Bluegrass Aquatics recently, they are no longer advertised.
The way irrubescos are priced and the frequency that I've seen them in person and on people's youtube videos, I would think it's probably a matter of time before they're available.
Wetspot says puffers are seasonal, I think irrubescos are wild caught so there is probably some time of year they're most common.

+1 to Pufferpunk's comments above.

In something near 50 years of puffer-keeping, my experiences agree with hers. Captive puffers tend to be best as species tank critters.