The Puffer Forum

Hi All

I have a 2ft tank that I'm currently cycling which has ADA aquasoil as the substrate and will eventually be putting in some plants and rocks to create hiding spaces.

My main goal is to keep a T.Schoutedeni or a Red Congo Puffer. Intending on just keeping one and probably a handful of really quick swimming fishes to keep my daughter happy.

The question I have is if a 2 ft tank is enough space for either of the 2 species? if not what would you suggest? I've already kept dwarf puffers before and am really looking for a change and keep a slightly larger puffer. I don't mind puffers that are not too active, considering that the tank is only 2 ft /29 Gallons.

I'm also going to be doing double OHF using Fluval C4.

Any feedback or suggestions welcome.

Cheers!

Schoutedenis are very active fish & like a lot of swimming room. I son't think a 2' tank would be large enough. It should be big enough for a Congo but your daughter won't be happy with this species, as it hides in the sand 99% of the time. What about some dwarf puffers? You could keep a pair in there & they are very active & personable. I don't suggest keeping other fish with most puffers.

Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:00 am
Schoutedenis are very active fish & like a lot of swimming room. I son't think a 2' tank would be large enough. It should be big enough for a Congo but your daughter won't be happy with this species, as it hides in the sand 99% of the time. What about some dwarf puffers? You could keep a pair in there & they are very active & personable. I don't suggest keeping other fish with most puffers.

Hey

Thanks for the suggestions! I've kept dwarf puffers before but am looking for slightly bigger ones now. I've seen tanks with congo puffers with some fast swimming fishes in them. Is there a technique to get this done? Or is it totally dependent on individual characters?

Consider them "food reserves" for the puffer.

vickyboi wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:24 am I've seen tanks with congo puffers with some fast swimming fishes in them. Is there a technique to get this done? Or is it totally dependent on individual characters?

this will result in inevitable slaughter, not the best thing for the fish, not the best thing for your daughter.
bear in mind that when a Congo goes after a fish, it might eat the whole thing instantly, or it might take out a chunk of gut only to leave the injured fish to die a slow painful death.

You could try an irrubesco (or another red eye specie, if you can get one: lorteti, borneensis or salivator)
1 male, or maybe 2 females (may be a bit tight). A couple will probably be too much, males are larger and they charge a lot even for the more peaceful redeye...lorteti is even bigger, but the less peaceful, there it would be 1 male only.
My experience with fast smimming small fishes has been good (red eyes lose interest quickly, the fishes are too fast to catch and not threatening), but others it has apparently ended badly so be careful. My problem was not aggression, it is to get puffer fed, as fast swimmer are bold enough to steal food under the puffer nose
Also it depend on tank footprint: the two tank I kept had large footprint for their volume, and were well planted...with a bare cube it may be a very different outcome...

1 male, or maybe 2 females (may be a bit tight).

I would only keep a singleton in there.

What exactly is the size of this 2' tank? 10g?

2ft/29 gal apparently...hence my impression it was quite cube-like. Maybe a micro reef: 1 feet deep, 2 feet square base...
Or 2 long, 1.4 deep and wide...but probably not a classical tank, which would be closer to 20 gal I think...

I like the idea of 1 red eye, they're a nice puffer.

29g is 30x18x12. I'm thinking you might have a 10g?

Sorry on the late reply, my tank measurements as follows
- Length60cm x Width36cm x Depth43cm

Would love to keep irrubecos but they're damn hard to find here in Singapore. The season now seems to be for Schoudetenis and Congo Puffers.

My daughter has seen how my older puffers have decimated fishes so she's ok with it. She just wants other fishes in the tank to make it "pretty"

Would ADA soil affect a congo puffer or is it totally ok?

Which Congo species are you referring to? If it is the miurus, then it will constantly dig in that soil to bury itself. NO fish will last even 1 minute with this puffer.

Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:04 am Which Congo species are you referring to? If it is the miurus, then it will constantly dig in that soil to bury itself. NO fish will last even 1 minute with this puffer.

Completely agree. A Miurus is not going to be a good fit for your tank. If you want other fish to survive in that tank, the only options that I believe to be viable are a group of Carinotetraodon Travancoricus OR a single Colomesus Ascellus. I always say that you should design your tank for a specific species of fish, not the other way around.

Colomesus ascellus are social fish & prefer to live in groups. What about a brackish species, like the figure 8?

Yup, I was referring to the miurus. Guess what I saw on youtube is misleading.

I'm leaning towards irrubescos since I've kept dwarves before. But as mentioned, it's tough to find them here in Singapore. Same with SAPs. The season here seems to be for Schoudetenis / MBUs / Fahakas. Figure 8s used to be popular here but now its more GSPs.

Correct me if I'm wrong though, don't F8s need a big swimming space? I've kept one before but not successfully. would a 2ft tank be enough?