Got some bad info on Green spotted puffers

Hey guys, new on the forum! Been a long time lurker. Learnt a lot here with setting up my first tank, cycling, DIY etc.

Been at this hobby for just under a year now. Learnt a lot, done a lot of research. Iv gone from a 10L to 60L, 100L and 150L. Currently running the 60L (Guppies) and 100L (community Cory, Danio, Shrimp, Peacock eel) and just received a 150L as a gift, on condition that I keep the 6-7 inch pleco (think common). Think he/she might be too big already.

Anyway...I was at a new pet shop getting some neon tetra for the 150L and saw a green puffer (or at least I think it is. Greenish, big black circles with gold rings around) for the first time. I had to have him/her. Generally I do extensive research before just buying but silly me trusted the store worker. He assured me they were freshwater compatible, that my 150L tank is sufficient and that he would go fine in the tank with the pleco and 6 new neon tetras.

After I had introduced him into the tank with the tetras I went to go Google a few things about puffer fish, only to find that they need brakish water, and that they need snails to wear their teeth down

Not impressed I phoned the store up to ask to return them, and just like every other shop they declined. So now I have to make life comfortable for the poor bugger.

Questions
1. Will it be hard to turn my tank into brakish and maintain it (financially and ease?)
2. Will my pleco and tetras survive in the brakish water?
3. Will the puffer be compatible with my pleco and tetras?
4. What snails do I need for the puffer to wear down his teeth?

I am a little stumped at this point, that's why I came to the forums for some assistance.
Looking forward to posting some experiences, pictures, tips and contribute to the community.

Regards
Alex

 

Picture of him

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HI there,

I'm not 100%, so hopefully someone else can jump in and clarify, but I think that's a figure 8 puffer. . . . @MJDutI ? Green spotted puffers don't have yellow rings around their spots, I believe.

Regardless, this fish will still require a brackish setup. I have no experience with if your neons and pleco will be okay with this, but I don't think that's going to work out anyways since puffers are notoriously aggressive. I think he's going to want to munch on pest snails, which your local pet store might be looking to give away.

I'm glad you're doing your research now, but a pufferfish is definitely not a good impulse buy, unfortunately. Best of luck! Keep us updated

 

Thanks for the info.

Yes I am kicking myself now. Lesson learnt, never trust the guy at the store, no matter how trustworthy they seem.

I had a feeling he was a figure 8, but was labeled Green Spotted.
Anyway, looks like I will have to look at setting him up for adoption

Dont know what I am going to do if nobody wants to take him.

Off-topic. Will my pleco be happy in the 150L tank? Ill try get a pic of him (very shy and skittish)

 

A common pleco will not be happy in a 150 L tank. They need ponds. You should rehome him.

And you can keep the puffer in your 150 L, and turn it into a brackish tank? Most puffers are aggressive and shouldn't be kept with other species (plus plecos and neons would not survive brackish water). If it's a figure 8, he'll be quite happy in a 150 L by himself, and puffers are very personable, rewarding fish to keep. You can often get live pest snails for free from Petsmart, Petco, or your local LFS to feed them.

 

Appreciate the input. Will see if I can put up either the puffer of Pleco for adoption and then take action from there.

Honestly id prefer not to do brakish as I am still learning about freshwater and will eventually in the future get seawater.

If I can get both adopted then I have a 150L tank to fill! Any ideas? was thinking maybe a rainbow shark?

 

Brackish tanks aren't as difficult as saltwater tanks. My understanding is that the only difference in maintenance between fresh and brackish is adding a certain amount of salt to the water when you do water changes - the water needs to maintain a certain salinity (measured by specific gravity).

I hope you're able to rehome him!

Once you do, you have many options for stocking. What are the dimensions? Your tank may not be large enough for a rainbow shark.

 

Cool I might do some research tonight/tomorrow about brakish water and see if it is a viable option. Problem I have is I'd like to keep community tanks, and it seems brakish+puffer doesn't work well with community. I'll go measure up quickly and let you know

Edit: tank dimensions are 17 x 31 x 18.

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No, unfortunately most puffers don't do well in community tanks.

 

Just to give my 2 cents. . . I am a huge fan of puffers. I completely understand that if you were looking to setup a community then they're definitely not for you, but puffers are AWESOME! They have such amazing, individual personalities. I have a dwarf puffer and I'm absolutely in love with her. She's a spoiled princess and it's hilarious to watch her show off for my friends. If I had the space to be able to keep a figure 8 puffer or a spotted green puffer, I 100% would, lol.

However, I completely understand if you don't want to keep your puffer. No one should be under the illusion that puffers are easy, they're a high maintenance fish for sure.

Whatever you decide, good luck, and welcome to Fishlore, by the way

 

I do love my little guy already! I'm going to read through everything to know about puffer and brakish water tonight and hopefully make my decision. BTW has anybody been able to identify it? Is it green spotted or F8?

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I'm pretty positive he's a figure 8 but yeah, anyone else?

 

Looks like a figure 8 to me.

Also agreed with thinkpink94 - I have a 15 gal with 3 dwarf puffers, and they are so much fun to watch. They have so much personality!

 

Thanks for all the input guys! I'm really contemplating keeping the puffer, giving away the pleco and moving the tetras to either one of my other tanks.

Another question: will my filter suffice for the puffer and brakish water? It's a tetratec ex700 (I think) that came with the tank.

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I'm not sure about your filter, hopefully someone else can answer the question, but I do know that puffers need good filtration because they are messy little buggers!

 

OK cool, will see if I can find anything on the net. Can't afford another filter, so hopefully this one will do.

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Keep the puffer! Figure 8s are low-end brackish and are used to minor fluctuations in their water so you don't have to be precise with your salt. Plus you won't be using that much. Brackish may limit you on plants and species but the species available are typically unique and highly rewarding, especially puffers!

There are a few of us puffer keepers on here now so just keep asking questions and we'll help you out. They just take a little more care, but aren't as hard to keep as some may say. Once established and eating well they are quite hardy fish.

 

OK I have decided to keep him! I found a home for my pleco! I am very attentive to my tanks. I have a job where I get to come home midday. So my fish see me 3x per day and love the attention of me just sitting in front of the tank.

OK so to keep the little guy I need to get a few things. Before I go to the store and browse prices can someone tell me if my tetratec ex 700 filter will be sufficient for the 150l with the messy puffer in?

While I'm at it, I currently have a mixture of big(8mm) gravel and small(beach sand) in the tank. Will this be OK for him/her or should I take the plunge and get substrate?(very pricey at the pet stores).

Appreciate all the advice guys, glad I came to the right place!

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Yayyy! I'm so happy you're going to keep him!! Enjoy your new friend!

 

Ok so I made a trip to the pet store today.

I picked up some Marine gravel (aragonite), marine salt and a refractor for measuring the salinity.

After the pleco gets fetched I am going to dump the water, clean out, and start cycling.

Should I already start adding salt or should I wait until my puffer is a little bigger first?

 

Substrate isn't that important in this situation, however I was going to mention aragonite because these fish come from hard alkaline waters, and this will look nice plus keep your water very stable.

If the tank is already running and cycled please just keep it as is (running), outside of doing an extensive cleaning. No sense in recycling it again. When you start adding salt do it in small increments weekly and the beneficial bacteria will adjust. Since the puffer has been in Freshwater start this as soon as you put him in. They will be much happier and the salt helps their immune systems.

As for the filter, more is always better in puffer situations. No point in getting a whole new one. Plus you have a canister, which is great, because you can put whatever you want in it! IMO, go heavy with the bio filtration and start off with different course sponges for mechanical. The sponges WILL get messy. You can always add a sponge filter and hide it behind something. They come in different shapes, sizes, etc and don't cost much. They are perfect as backup filters if needed as well. Plus they add some mild surface agitation with their bubbles. I find if there isn't enough surface agitation in a puffer's tank you can get an oily film on top from their high protein diet/waste.

There is actually a Brackish subforum on this site under "more freshwater aquarium topics" that should be able to answer some questions for you.

I'm pumped to see this tank. Your fish is going to love a big tank like this, esp. being solo. Without getting too ahead of ourselves here, if you find you want other fish with your puffer the 'best' option, which may or may not work depending on your puffer, is to add some bumblebee gobies. Or you could even get another figure 8 with a 40G. But I digress. This is a whole new topic of conversation that should wait. I just get excited when I talk about puffers.

 

Thanks MJ!
Unfortunately I will have to start again. There was seriously messy mixture of gravel that came with this tank, some powdery... started fresh. Luckily we have a heavy duty water filter that I will use to fill the tank up that I have access to that will jump-start the cycle. Filter is running with rough ceramic rings, thick black sponge, smaller white sponge and plastic balls. added all the necessary treatments. Going to mix my first Marine salt batch tomorrow and add. So keen to get him in the tank eventually.

Will start a new thread tomorrow when I get to work!
Feeling confident thanks to all of you.


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