[Lariat02F150]

So I have had 2 tanks for about 3 months now.

I went to the local aquarium store and bought 2 figure 8 puffers that i fell in love with... but! never thought about aggression or diet... I put them in my tank and they wont leave my gouramis alone... read up and it says they eat snails worms etc... quick pulled them out and put them in a bag to decide what to do...

Will they kill my gouramis and other fish? or are they just like that at first?

Please help.

 

[ladyonyx]

As a general rule, puffers are all aggressive fish. Some of them aren't as bad as others or their aggression tapers off, but gouramis are a little too docile for fig8 puffers. Too many flowy fins to nip at. They might not kill your fish directly, but they will stress your fish out A LOT and as you know, that's bad. They can coexist with other fish that are a little bit more aggressive too, so their temperments are matched better. Keep them apart for now, if you have somewhere to put the puffers...if not...plexiglass divider?? If you have a different tank, do that. Plus, they do much better in brackish water

 

[Lariat02F150]

i have another tank with like guppies 2 angels and 2 mollys... would that work? the angels fins are real big though....

 

[ladyonyx]

Ok, if I were you this is what I would do. I have a major soft spot for puffers and would buy every species I could find if I had the funds and the space (and time) to do so, so I understand the fig8 impulse buy. But...they are not very good communal fish and they don't do well long term in fresh water. Option 1: You have two freshwater tanks-- what sizes are they? If the tanks are big enough, put your angels in with the gouramis and turn the molly/guppy/puffer tank into a brackish tank. The puffers need about 10g of water per fish to be happy, so the smallest the tank could be is 20g. Smallest. Your tanks may not be big enough for this. If not...Option 2: buy a 20g tank, set it up as a brackish tank and start cycling it now. In the meantime, you'll have to move your angels or they'll have no fins left in a week. You'll be happier with this option in the long run because all your fish will be happy and healthy and not stressed out. Then you can put your engels back in their original tank after the pufer have their own home.
Option 3: if neither of these options work, bring the fish back until you have somewhere better to keep them. Brackish tanks are really cool and there are other fish like scats and bumblebee gobies that can be kept with fig8 puffers. If you do wind up setting up a brackish tank, you should just stick to having the 2 puffers in it. Make sure you give them plenty of hiding spaces so they don't have to see eachother all the time. Breaking up their line of sight can reduce aggression significantly. Please let us know what you wind up doing. I'd highly suggest Option 2 though

 

[ladyonyx]

Mollys and guppies can easily be acclimated to brackish water. Just add salt slowly

 

[Shotgun]

as a general rule of thumb, puffers are nototious fin-nippers. they're seme-agressive and are best left in a species-only tank

 

[Lariat02F150]

UPDATE! went and bought some bloodworms and meal worms as i read on a couple sites they love those... puffers havent bothered any of my fish in hours... even when they are right next to each other... will keep you guys posted... if it starts up again I will give them to my friend

 

[Lariat02F150]

well it hasnt started yet but after rethinking... my friends picking them up tomorrow... lol

 

[petlover516]

figure 8's aren't true brackish, there the only 1 of 2 puffers that can survive in FW for a long term(the other being the Dwarf Puffer), but yet they still benefit in having salt in their water, and figure 8's are also 2nd place most peaceful FW puffer(first being the dwarf puffer). they grow to be 4 inches(pretty small for a puffer, but when i see dwarf-puffers, there smaller than a neon tetra!). despite it being 2nd place, puffers are still an aggressive species and, because of their needs, they should be treated like African Cichlids-being kept in tanks with just their species, similar species, or species that can live in the same condition and won't be bothered by constant aggression.

 

[James0816]

I like puffers....they have a lot of charm. But...as you found out....they aren't very sociable towards others....and themselves at that. If it were me...I would get a 10g tank for them. Put in alot of plants. Tell your fellow fish keepers and LFS to give you some pond snails....and you're all set.

 

[James0816]

Here's the equasion:

Puffers + Long Fins = TROUBLE *pc

 

[Lariat02F150]

*y2*y2*y2guess no one read what i put right after.... lol its ok... i dont always read before i write either.

 

[Lariat02F150]

friend of mine has a spare 20 gallon that she set up about a week ago... and she wanted them. for now they are by there lonesom. with much hiding spots.

 

[James0816]

*y2*y2*y2guess no one read what i put right after.... lol its ok... i dont always read before i write either.

poo! i think you should still get you a 10g so you can keep these little guys.

and yes....we (or at least i...don't want to speak for anyone else) read the post. the replies are just for informational purposes only.

 

[garfreak526]

You should get dwarf puffers they are really small but they will still nip at the other fish. You can get a tank divider and use that to seperate them if you want.
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