The Puffer Forum

Hi!

I've got a few questions that I'm wondering about?

1. How fast does a puffer grow? ( palembangensis, suvatti, miurus)

2. I've heard that if you have a large tank, you cud have a couple of
arrowheads together. Or even a palembangensis and a arrowhead too.
Can't you have miurus together with others? Why is that? Is it more
aggressive?

3. Have anyone had any other fish successfully in the same tank as any
of these puffers?

Oh yeah! I forgot one.

4. Does the miurus change it color after the color on the bottom
substrate? Or will an red one always be red, and a brown always be
brown?

1. All the medium sized puffers should reach at least 1/2 or more of their maximum sixe in a year and a half to two years, The smaller ones are faster. After that the growth slows a bit.

2. I don't mix puffers, so cannit address that part.

The lurkers From SE Asia cna be kept with conspecifics provided that the tank footprint is large enough and the set up properly done. The Congo needs to be solitary.

3. I have Cherry Barbs and Dwarf Neon Rainbow fry in with my Palmbang's. If they get eaten it no big deal, but they seem to do okay. I would consider any fish kept with a lurker to be a potential meal.

4. Most puffers do respond to substrate color and lighting to some degree. but Reds are that, and browns are brown. The intensity can vary though.

IME and IMO I couldn't add any more than RTR has said.Exception being 2 . Read my article in the library.

Thanks for good answers, and the article. Does anybody know why the Congo needs too be in solitary? It seems so like the others otherwise.

Wich one of the three would you recomend? And LFS can get the congo or the arrowhead for me. And another one has a palembang in store. I can't make up my mind

What size is your tank?

The congo is just more aggressive/less tolerant of con-specifics.

Congo, Fahaka, some Targets - certain species in captivity in conventional tanks (extremely large tanks may be different) just do not usually allow tankmates. We have little or no info on their distribution, population density, etc. in the wild. It may be the way they live in the wild.

Tank size is definately a consideration--palems grow larger, need bigger tanks. If you like the odd sort of fish, then the humpback is your fish. I really like the look of the pignose--cool-looking face. One of my favorite puffers though, has to be my red miurus, Punkster!

Hey pufferpunk, how much did that miurus cost?

It's been a while, but I think $50. Got it on Aquabid.

The tan miurus I bought cost $69 dollars. The same LFS (a few months later) got my little red miurus for $49... they said that's the price their distributor sold it to them (plus standard mark up, of course). They rarely saw the red variety, but they price was lower. I was just happy to find one.

PP, your pictures of Punkster made me want one... He's just about the cutest fish I ever saw! I love my little guy, even if he is my pickiest eater.

It took me 4 years to find a nice bright red like that. I added 1/4 red gravel to 3/4 black sand, in hopes she'd keep the color. She was 1" when I got her. I bought her from: oluwatoyinojo@yahoo.com. He's out of Texas, I believe.

My tank is 50 gallons. It think It has to be either the Congo or a palembang. Not really sure yet. Afraid It will be a bit boring with only one Congo in it. Maybe I'm wrong.

I guess i can't have more than one puffer in it anyway

50g is kind of a waste for 1 Congo, that burrows in the sand most of the time. A 20L would be good for them.