# ''Puffer fish''



## Becki&Daisy (Oct 22, 2009)

(because i can't spell the proper name  ) haha

are they suitable for a tropical tank or marine??
I've never had fish before.
Im getting quite a big tropical tank for christmas and would love one or some of the smaller ones but obviously only if they are suitable for tropical tank...

I've asked around and im getting mixed answers so i thought i'd ask you guys so i don't look like a complete idiot when i go to buy some waterbabies in the new year .


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## nic101 (Jun 8, 2009)

i had 4.... they are horrible to feed.... live or frozen /pellets etc 
(they eventually died as turned out they were brackish fish and inexperienced at the time....they lived in fresh and refused to eat :/ )

not suitbable for mixed tanks of fish - should really be species only


i woudlnt reccomend maine for a first tank....very expensive and first tanks are hard enough as it is.....

puffers should be kept in mature tanks as well - have you read up about cycling??? nitrite and nitrate..PH,???


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2009)

There's a mixture between marine, frehwater and brackish species. Amongst the freshwater species, the South American puffer (_Colomesus asellus_) and the Dwarf puffer (_Carinotetraodon travancoricus_) are the most common and grow to 10cm/4" and 2.5cm/1" respectively, however the latter are fairly prone to whitespot.

Other species are also available, including the Abe's puffer (_Tetraodon abei_) and the Fahaka puffer (_Tetraodon lineatus/fahaka_), however they do vary in terms of temperament and so should ideally be avoided until you are more experienced. One particular species, _Tetraodon mbu_, should certainly be avoided as it can quite easily grow to 76cm/30" in length.

The first two species will thrive in a pH of between 6.5 and 7.4. Ideally they should either be kept in a species tank or with fast-moving fish such as tetras or danios, as puffers are notorious fin-nippers and any slow-moving species will have its fins shredded.

Finally, a constant supply of snails (usually apple snails) must be provided in order to wear down the puffers' teeth, as they grow continuously. If the teeth are allowed to grow too long, then the fish will refuse food and the teeth will have to be trimmed by a specialist.


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## belleboris (Oct 8, 2009)

I keep marine fish and have had a puffer and they are great once settled into a tank .
Do grow quite big and need a fish only tank as they will eat corals and inverts .

I have seen tropical pufer fish in shops before and think they only grow small but like others have said they can be a pain to feed .

Marine tanks take up quite alot of time and monie but are worth it but 100% read up and ask all you can about them as setting up a tank wrong from th start can cost a fortune to sort out in the long run and alot of heartake .

I have a longhorn cowfish and a valintieni puffer at the moment in one of my fish only tanks with live rock and large hardy soft corals they are both eating and doing very well .


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## Becki&Daisy (Oct 22, 2009)

Thanks for your quick replies.
i won't be getting a marine tank, i know little but i know how much hard work they are!!

the dwarf puffer would seem to be the one i was after.... 

re: snails...am i right in thinkin the snails are brilliant for the tank but when they die they are poisonous to the fish? so must be removed asap?? 

im so excited  but sounds like i will have to give my puffer fish idea alot of thought until i commit to it.
hopefully it will work out though


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## nic101 (Jun 8, 2009)

just remember to cycle your tank which could take upto 5 weeks - this is before you put fish in (or you can do a fish-in cycle but not reccomended by some)


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## Becki&Daisy (Oct 22, 2009)

nic101 said:


> just remember to cycle your tank which could take upto 5 weeks - this is before you put fish in (or you can do a fish-in cycle but not reccomended by some)


yeah OH (who's getting me the tank and things i need) has told me i have to get the tank all settled which takes ages so won't be getting any until the near year :thumbup1:

anyone reccommend any good plants/ weeds??


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## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

Becki&Daisy said:


> Thanks for your quick replies.
> i won't be getting a marine tank, i know little but i know how much hard work they are!!
> 
> the dwarf puffer would seem to be the one i was after....
> ...


just wanted to add, dont' let the 'work' side of things put you off having a marine tank, as long as you do your research and are patient, they are infinately rewarding. it can take months to set up and need regular checks but if you get the right kit, get a routine going it's not as hard as people say. keep with easy fish to begin with until you know what your doing and who can live with who etc and it's easy peasy.

we got our first tank a few months ago and so far we have cleaner crew, 2 tomato clowns and a tang (Jeune as he's knows is the newest member of 'clown corner' and has only been in the tank just under a week.)

you should remove anything that dies as quickly as possible as it well mess up your tank chem and can produce effluent, which if you have sensitive inhabitants can kill/damage them.

the best thing you can do before committing to any kind of tank is read as many books as you can on it (library if your abit hard up) and visit specific forums for what you want to do, speak to as many fish shops as you can also as the more info you get (right AND wrong) will give you a better chance of getting it right. People have different ways of doing everything so reading up on things by different authors helps you weed out the idiots from the intelligent forum members (not saying we have any idiots on here like but other forums have folk that just dunno what they're on about).

don't let people saying marine is hard put you off, specially if they don't and never have had one themselves. It's not hard it's just more intensive. You really need to read up on who likes to play with who and who's just a complete bugger to you or your other tank-dwellers (unfortunately all the REALLY cool stuff is either hard to keep or poisonous to you or your dwellers :"( sucky). but there are plenty of great stuff out there to keep you happy until you have the experience needed to handle the harder stuff.

good luck with whatever you choose


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## Guest (Jan 14, 2010)

owieprone said:


> just wanted to add, dont' let the 'work' side of things put you off having a marine tank, as long as you do your research and are patient, they are infinately rewarding. it can take months to set up and need regular checks but if you get the right kit, get a routine going it's not as hard as people say. keep with easy fish to begin with until you know what your doing and who can live with who etc and it's easy peasy.
> 
> we got our first tank a few months ago and so far we have cleaner crew, 2 tomato clowns and a tang (Jeune as he's knows is the newest member of 'clown corner' and has only been in the tank just under a week.)
> 
> ...


Marine fishkeeping certainly has never been easier, and all that's really required is a deep wallet and some patience, couple this with plenty of research and anyone can recreate a beautiful coral reef or a specific biotope (i.e reef crest, reef flat) in their own home. However too many beginners lack the patience required to run a marine tank successfully, and what is a fairly large investment can soon go downhill due to neglect and making mistakes.

The possibilities for running a marine tank are endless, relatively new methods such as the Leng Sy Ecosystem methodology has effectively done away with expensive and cumbersome equipment such as protein skimmers and phosphate reactors, cutting down the costs, and the opportunity for customizing your owns system is huge. Some people have several tanks plumbed into one system, with the spare tanks being used to boost the total volume in order to make the system more stable, or to hold coral frags and young fish until they are big enough to be released into the main tank.

In terms of gathering information, most books are still pretty much in-date, unlike literature aimed at the freshwater side of things. However forums are the most reliable sources of advice. You can receive all sorts of help from technical problems (common amongst the growing amount of aquarium technology, such as control and monitoring computers) to tank design.

My philosophy is: The possibilities for anything are endless!


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## owieprone (Nov 6, 2008)

yup yup! 

our 280L tank is our first tank every.. well i say mine but it's actually the husbands.. i just name the inhabitants. I only give him help when he asks for it, it's his project.. he knew nothing about fish or husbandry until he decided it was an interesting hobby to get into and read up for it for months before deciding what tank, how big and what to do with it and who to stick in it.

so far few mishaps, mostly due to a red-leg crab that EATS or OUSTS his tank-mates.. (rip eastwood and unnamed snail).

marine tanks are expensive but in our view soooo much better than our mates tropical ones  (who is pretty jealous and now wants a marine tank lol)

cost is the most important factor.. figure out what size tank you can afford to run then stock accordingly and let the fun commence.


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