Gnaw Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Hi I'm Nick, almost been here for a week now. I have a some questions and some decisions to make about becoming an owner of a puffer fish. About a month ago I fell in love with a little smiling fish at BA's, a mbu puffer, which I nicknamed Marshmallow. Before I knew it, I was coming up with excuses to go there every weekend just to see him. I did some research on puffers and more specifically Tetraodon mbu in particular. Realistically I don't think I can accommodate such an animal which grows so large. But I would still like to own a puffer fish... ( this is where it starts ) Yesterday I acquired a used-older 100 gallon tank. This thing is in rough shape: Yes, thats rusted angle iron on the bottom of the tank. The glass has lots of nasty scratches, scale, algae and is 1/2" thick... well this will be for another post when I attempt to restore it. Anyways... I was considering using a 100 gallon tank as an environment for a fresh-water puffer. Than having a snail colony in a 10 gallon tank. But I have some questions before I do anything else. Questions: - I really like the shape and features of the Mbu puffer. Is there another similar which I can accommodate in this tank? - Will I always have to do 50% water changes weekly? or does that mostly depend on the type of puffer and size? - Can I incorporate live plants? with sand? Ah so many questions and ideas, help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loki Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 just a hint, be careful with the rusted angle iron, the rust can move the glass and possibly crack it. i have personally seen this with auto glass. 3 year old truck, cracked windshield due to rust on the pinch weld. so make sure the rust is not in between the iron and the glass!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 rusted angle iron Thanks for comment. I'll keep that in mind, I was thinking of removing it from the tank completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatpuffer Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Can you tell me more about the dimension of the tank. It looks like about 6 feet long. How wide is it? I think that would be a perfect tank for a fahaka puffer. They grow to about 18 inches long but also realize that they do have more circumference to them. They are highly aggressive and may not tolerate ANY tankmates so if you are okay with a solitary fish with LOTS of personality...fahaka is the fish for you. Some people have been successful with semi aggresive cichlids such as convicts, etc. Check out this site: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php...ter/T_Lineatus/ Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 (edited) Can you tell me more about the dimension of the tank. It looks like about 6 feet long. How wide is it? Jonah Ah, thanks for dropping by, wasn't sure if my pm reached you. I roughly measured the inside of the tank yesterday width is 17" Height is 22" and Length is 64", again these are the inner dimensions. Edited December 31, 2008 by Gnaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 Check out this site:http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php...ter/T_Lineatus/ Jonah I've had the site bookmarked for almost week. An excellent resource. The information given regarding the fahaka puffer suggests that the tank be a minimum 120 gallon, with an ideal turning radius of 24" I think it may be a little small. What do you think? The pattern of the fahaka puffer is interesting. Are most of their colors the same? Initially I intended to have only the puffer fish in the tank but it would be nice if I could have some live plants it that possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatpuffer Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 (edited) I have seen fahakas with plants but others don't tolerate it. Depends on the personality of the fish. . I think it looks big enough for one. Js EDIT: Sorry...did not see your dimensions. THe width of the tank is not big enough for full grown fahaka but it will be good for a year or so then you may have to upgrade. Check out the rest of the fw puffers. Most are lurkers but check out the south american puffers. They max at 3 inches and schooling type of puffers. A school of fw puffers would look pretty cool...but make sure to read up on the dentistry aspect of sa puffs. Also check out figure 8 puffs....requires light brackish but that is not too hard...same size as the sa puffers. Js Edited December 31, 2008 by fatpuffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted January 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Check out the rest of the fw puffers. Most are lurkers but check out the south american puffers. They max at 3 inches and schooling type of puffers. A school of fw puffers would look pretty cool...but make sure to read up on the dentistry aspect of sa puffs. Also check out figure 8 puffs....requires light brackish but that is not too hard...same size as the sa puffers.Js I have to be honest I'm a little heart-broken. I was looking for a larger fish that would have its own tank. But I'm willing to try something different or new, as long as I have a little guidance. The SA Puffers have brilliant colours, but I am a little concerned with their beak overgrowth. How expensive is it to get such crunchy food? I mean snails are cheap... but does this get a little pricey? The fact that SA puffers are peaceful community fish is appealing. However the rate of their beak grow makes me a little weary. I found some resources which are contradicting one another, one says brackish other says it naturally exists in pure freshwater. One says max size of 3" other says 6" Which is it? Also I don't really know anything about brackish water, I'll have to do some more research. Is it a lot more maintenance? Do I need more equipment? etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Well I appreciate everyone's help and suggestions. I think I got the Tommy-wants-a-new-puppy syndrome out of my head. The bottom-line is that I need to wait until I can get something large enough for the puffer I wanted and I think that's what I'm going to do. Besides I just got a reality check and it seems that my cichlids are in need of a new home. Thanks again for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatpuffer Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 good for you. just wait and you'll have a fahaka soon enough. now at least you know what type of tank it requires. \ regarding the sa puffers...they are pure fresh water. there is a puffer similar to sa puffs that gets bigger and requires brack water. colomesus asellus is sa puffer, c. pssitacus is brackish...but looks almost identical but very rare in the hobby. js Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.