This is my first post here!!! So yea, I just cycled my first brackish tank (10 gal), and have two questions. I want to get a puffer or maybe 2 (its a small tank). Im wondering what puffers are better for smaller tank, figure 8's or green spotted? I will eventually upgrade to a bigger tank, but who knows when. My other question is, is there any type of bottom feeder/algea eater that does well in brackish tanks? thanks alot..
New Brackish Tank
- Thread starter Embryo Electro
- Start date
u can keep a figure 8 or green spotted puffer in 10 gallon for the 1st year so till it reaches 2 in or 3 inches b/c they grow pretty slow than after that you'll need a bigger tank b/c they'll start growing fast as for alge eater not sure which does well in brackish maybe someone else have better knowledge on that field can reply
I think as far as algae eaters go there's not much to choose from. Mostly you just get Brown (rusty coloured) algae in Brackish tanks, which if I remember correctly, no fish really like to eat. But it generally comes off with a sponge on a stick or some other cleaning tool, so just wipe down the glass when you do your water changes.
Yea, I wanted to get one that gets a little bigger, thats why im not gettin a dwarf. I have a 20 gallon freshwater tank that Im gonna upgrade to a 45ish sometime within the next year or so, so Ill be moving the puffers to there... How would two figure 8s do in a 10 for a year or so, than moved into a 20?
thanks again!
thanks again!
figure 8 play nicer than green spotted but i wouldn't get even 1 in a 10 gal imo...they'll out grow that tank very fast considering both gets to be like 6 inches each....but if your planning on getting a bigger tank in a yr or so than 1 puffer would be okay...as regards to which puffer personally i like better is the green spotted but loses its coloration as its gets older while figure 8 still retains theirs....remember there is some fresh water puffers that can be kept in a that small of a tank..dwarf puffers which is only 1 inch max or the true red eyed puffers which is 2 inches max
Well, I now have 2 figure 8 puffers in my 10! I would have gotten just one, but the 2 there really seemed attached to each other. They were playing sort of like my clown loaches, rubbing on each other. I dropped in a ghost shrimp (slightly injured so he wouldn't get away) from my 1g feeder tank, and the 2 immediately tore it to pieces. They are currently chasing my rosy minnows a little. It is so cool how they sort of float around all loopy like!
All I have are some rosy red minnows with my figure 8 puffers. From what I've read, I wouldn't trust them (the puffers, not the minnows) with anything else (or more expensive...). They've already tried to eat one of the minnow, and it was 2"! They are both only 1". He grabbed the minnow right on the back and shook it around like a dog shaking a chew toy! I wouldn't keep them with other fish that aren't considered feeders or "disposable". They are way too smart, and way too nippy. Plus if the other fish bugged them, they would take it for a while, then snap and probably kill ALL the other fish... Plus 2 puffers in a 10g really is pushing it in terms of tank capacity, even if they only get like 2.5". I really have no experience with brackish fish, so I don't know about any puffer compatible brackish fish. I really have no salinity other than a teaspoon or 2 per gallon. Figure 8's are fresh to brackish, but as juveniles they are fresh, so I'm not really concerned about it right now.
yea your correct as juveniles fresh as get older accilmate to brackish but 2 spoons of salt per gallon is good enough for fig 8...out of all the puffers i kept total of 5 diffrent kinds i never kept a fig 8 from what i read they're suppose to be the nicer of the group but guess not...just wanted to know what fish people has kept in slightly salted water and had success w/ their puffers..i tried mollies but next morning the head was gone and my green spotted puffer laying next to it...so just keeping a open mind for possible tank mates
(books can tell you what suppose to happen but i find other peoples experience to be a much better source of information)
(books can tell you what suppose to happen but i find other peoples experience to be a much better source of information)
I've heard that mollies can even take marine saltwater, but figured they wouldn't be good with puffers. Zebra danios may work, they are pretty hardy and fast (I use them as dithers with my kenyis, and only lost 1, and it was to my gourami, lol) , not sure how much salt they can take though. My puffers seem to like each other, they just seemed curious what minnows taste like, lol. They are supposed to be hunters, after all. Maybe mine are just exceptions to the "nice" figure 8 thing. They were actively stalking those minnows though, lol. Maybe they sometimes catch them in the wild (dunno if they have rosy's there)? That is cool you've kept all those puffers! Have you kept any of the big marine ones?
My Figure 8 (that I got after the first post in this thread) is a beast. They had a tank at the store with 2 small green spotted, one bigger green spotted with a lot of fin injuries, and a huge (maybe full grown) figure 8. I think he took some hints from the green ones, cause he likes to kill. I got 2 feeder minnows to see if he would like them, and before I could even get the net out of the tank from putting the minnow in, all I could see was a tail sticking out of my puffers mouth, and I could hear like, crunching. So I put the other minnow in, puffer waited about 3 seconds, than grabbed it behind the neck and sucked him into his mouth and crunched away. I dont know how much I should be feeding this thing, but he seems to have quite the appitite. I usually feed him about 15 brine shrimp (very small) twice a day.
A few questions...
Bumble bee gobies (one or 2), will they get destroyed, or can they live in harmony?
And, my fig8 is about 2.5 inches long, is there a chance hes just big, or did I buy an older fish? is he going to get bigger?
A few questions...
Bumble bee gobies (one or 2), will they get destroyed, or can they live in harmony?
And, my fig8 is about 2.5 inches long, is there a chance hes just big, or did I buy an older fish? is he going to get bigger?