# Experience with figure 8 puffers?



## butter_fly382 (Feb 24, 2009)

My main concern for now is the minimum sized tank for a pair...

Does anyone have that info?


----------



## dspranger (Feb 17, 2009)

you can not have a paair you can have one in a brackish setup in a 20 gallon if you have a pair thats certain death and they need to eat live snails or they will croak


----------



## butter_fly382 (Feb 24, 2009)

that doesnt seem right.

From what *** read they shouldnt be kept with other species.... and I cant imagine that a fish (thats only 3in long) and has to be kept completely alone when it HAS to be kept in a tank (unlike a betta) with specific water requirements ect ect... would be so popular.

So... can they really not be kept with their own species? Or can they not be kept with other species?

and one 3in fish in 20G? that seems a little excessive

so... can someone with a little more experience keeping them please give me answers from your experience?


----------



## dspranger (Feb 17, 2009)

butter_fly382 said:


> that doesnt seem right.
> 
> From what I've read they shouldnt be kept with other species.... and I cant imagine that a fish (thats only 3in long) and has to be kept completely alone when it HAS to be kept in a tank (unlike a betta) with specific water requirements ect ect... would be so popular.
> 
> ...


trust me i had one die on me and they cant be kept with anything really or they will kill it you can put it in a 10 but it still have to be by itself


----------



## PaulineMi (Apr 3, 2008)

This might be of help to you. http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/

After checking out everything about these cute little devils I decided not to get fish who needed dental care. :lol:


----------



## dspranger (Feb 17, 2009)

Common Name: Figure Eight Puffer

Other Common Names: F8 Puffer; Eyespot Puffer

Family: Tetraodontidae

Distribution: S.E. Asia & India: Asia: Indochina, Malaysia and Indonesia. Brackish estuaries and streams

Water Parameters: Low-end brackish water (SG = 1.005 - 1.008); Temp:24-28C (76-84F) ; pH: 7.8-8.3

Personality/Temperament: Somewhat agressive, although less likely to predate tankmates than T. Nigroviridis. An active fin nipper that hunts for food.

Max. Size: 3 inches (8 cm)

Estimated Lifespan: 15 years

Sexual Dimorphism: Unknown. Cannot tell genders apart by eye.

Diet: Feed a varied diet of mollusks and crustaceans. Hard-shelled food is important to prevent beak overgrowth. Feeding and Diet article

Care: Despite other reports to the contrary, this species requires brackish water for good health. Introduce to a fully cycled aquarium, and maintain and a low-to-medium salinity. Strong filtration is recommended. A tank size of 15 gallons for one Figure 8 and

Breeding: While reports do exist of breeding in aquaria, it has not been properly documented and is extremely unlikely.

Minimum Tank Size: 15 US Gallons (50 liters)


----------



## butter_fly382 (Feb 24, 2009)

> Care: Despite other reports to the contrary, this species requires brackish water for good health. Introduce to a fully cycled aquarium, and maintain and a low-to-medium salinity. Strong filtration is recommended. A tank size of 15 gallons for one Figure 8 *and*


and...? whats missing? [/quote]


----------



## PaulineMi (Apr 3, 2008)

The sentence ending in "and..." is how it appears in the Figure 8 puffer link I provided. :wink:


----------



## dspranger (Feb 17, 2009)

i would see if they can even go together there is less agressive puffers that may be able to and figure 8s are brackish i would order freshwater ones


----------



## Lesley (Sep 20, 2003)

I had one, it was so cute I named it Kermit... but it was without a doubt the meanest little ******* ever.


----------



## irishblitz (Jun 25, 2008)

butter_fly382,

If I were you I would go for the Green Spotted Puffer versus the figure eight. Everyone on this forum will disagree with one another and hey thats just the nature of the game, however. The green spotted puffer would be a good brackish fish which if careful could be introduced at the "same time" with some hardy but more aggressive malawi cichlids. For myself I've kept the two speices in a 95gal. for years now. Three green spotted and a mixture of some cichlids. I'm not supporting the idea of not doing the research but some times new innovated measures can be taken to achieve the desired goal.


----------

