MaddieLynn

If I got a juvenile figure 8 puffer, how long could I keep it in a 10 gallon before I needed to move it to a 15 or 20? I'm wondering because I have an empty 10 gallon right now with no room for a 20, but we're planning on moving in several months so I'm thinking I could get a larger tank then.

midnightwolf

im sorry but i dont know, Pink should come along to help you soon.

pinkfloydpuffer

Depends on how many months we're talking here. I'm sure you know all about stunting. If you got a very very small one, say an inch long, then I think you'd be fine with it in a 10g for, I dunno, maybe like 3 months. But a bigger one I wouldn't put in anything less.

MaddieLynn

Uggh... I probably won't be able to get a larger tank that fast. But I want a F8 soooo bad...

Is there any puffer besides a dwarf that I could keep in a 10 gallon?

pinkfloydpuffer

Nope, dwarfs are the only ones. Any other puffers need 15+

jgon_

I'll have to respectfully disagree. Judging by the size of a full grown F8 and the size of a 10g, you don't need to work about stuntung. Swiming room may be issue though.

MaddieLynn

OK... I just did a TON of Googling, and about 1/2 of the caresheets I came across said 10 gallons minimum, while the other half mostly said 15 gallons minimum... I'm confused!

I'm wondering, what exactly about a tank causes a fish to be stunted?

midnightwolf

i think its when a fish can not move with ease because their is not eough room for it. but this is just a guess

pinkfloydpuffer

Fish release hormones into the water. When the concentration of the hormones gets too great, the fish's body will stop growing, because the hormones tell them there's not enough room.

That's the problem with puffers... they're not extremely common, and as such there is some info that isn't technically correct out there... for example calling the GSP T. fluvatilis instead of T. nigroviridis. (Fluvatilis is better known as Ceylon).

Jgon does have a point there though... perhaps I am trying to save you from my past mistakes? How many months are we talking here until you move?

MaddieLynn

Hmmm... I'm not sure. Probably around 6 months, maybe a little more, but that's just a guess. I'd have to ask my mom what she thinks. It all depends on when our house sells.

pinkfloydpuffer

I'd wait at least another month or two... you don't want to get stuck with a f8 in a 10g all its life.... Is there any way you could swap out your 10g for a 15g? They're not that much bigger. Definitely talk to your mom about it, tell her that this fish needs 15gs, and figure out what your options are.

MaddieLynn

There's no way I'm going to be able to get a bigger tank until we move... I guess I could get some Dwarf Puffies... I've been wondering, are they big anough that you can actually tell that they're puffers? Can I keep a male and 2 females in a 10 gallon?

pinkfloydpuffer

Haha, yeah you can tell that they're puffers. They're way cute. If you can sex them for certain, then 1 male to 2 females would do wonderful. Just be sure to not have more than one male. And plant the tank heavily. And when I say heavily, I mean heavily lol.

MaddieLynn

They are SO CUTE!!! I want to get some!

Just wondering, could I have 3 females instead of 1 male and 2 females?

pinkfloydpuffer

Yep, as long as there's one or less males they should be fine.

midnightwolf

all this talk of puffers makes me want to get some, maybe when my goldfish moves out of the 10g... Curse you Pink! lol JK.

Amanda

I want a puff, I just don't want to have a snail farm to go along with it.

pinkfloydpuffer

You know, you can buy clams and crabs instead of snails

jgon_

Hehe, I'd check any stream or rivers by you (especially off the Hudson). You're bound to find tons of zebra mussels.