The Puffer Forum

I have a 90 gallon freshwater tank with a 10" common pleco, 6" L200, and 5" Royal pleco. Also have 1 jewel cichlid. I have 3 South American Puffers in a 10 gallon quarantine tank, and I plan on keeping them there for another week. I guess I assumed that larger, armored catfish would be fine with these guys, but I am reading stuff about SAP's attacking the fins and eyes of slower species. Is this true? I don't want to chance it if I may end up with a mutilated, blind L200.

Hi

I am no expert but I have 2 SAPs in with a couple of pitbull plecs and they are fine. These guys are all a similar size where as your plecs are bigger.

See what the other more experienced people say but I certainly haven't had any trouble with mine and they have been together for about 6 months.

Good Luck

I tried to keep a rubber-lip with my saps... It did not last long though. It was not as large as yours, and I have found that my common plecos can handle themselves pretty well against other aggressive fish. It really depends on the temperment of your SAPs and your willingness to risk having injury or death in your tank. Just with any other puffer, putting any kind of tankmate is a risk and could just as easily be successful as not. If you do choose to place them together, keep a VERY close eye. I have also found that puffs tend to nip at a plecos fins, but I have never seen any bite at the eye of another fish. Your tank could be fine if you give them puffs their own space and add a lot of decor to break up any lines of site that might cause them to get aggressive. Keep in mind though, just because they have been together for a few months does not mean you can relax... puffs can kill tankmates they have been with for years out of the blue...

I Have a SAP with a bristlenose and a coupple other fish in a 65. The bristle nose chases the SAP as he swims relentlessly up and down the glass. In my case my pleco is more agressive than my puff. They have been together now for a year and a half, no problems yet, but you never know. Any thing could happen.

i was hoping to be able to keep a school of oto's with SAP's in the future. I assumed if the oto's were fine with DP's they would work with SAP's...

I wouldn't think the SAPs would have a problem with otos, but ya never know. My evil DPs that have munched and/or killed everything else I've tried with them totally ignore the otos.

which would lead me to believe that the sap's would too, not to mention oto's are really fast when they want to be.

Actually, it was otos that I had read about having their eyes bit off by SAPs. I read it here on this persons account:

http://web.mit.edu/lovell/www/aquaria/puffer/

This article is what prompted me to start this post. I wonder if a bulging pleco eye would look tempting.

6 saps in a 55g seems al ittle crowded( in that link) not including the other fish in there.


The author may be right. My otos like "play dead" when something touches it rather than swim away.