Can Pufferfish Go With Tetras?

[walltalker]

im tinking of ading a few pufferfish with my neo tetras is it ok?

 

[akudewan]

You mean "neon" tetras? Well, many pufferfish species are brackish water fish, and most of them are known to be fin nippers. So I think they won't go together.

But I've never kept puffers, so wait for some more experienced users to reply

 

[KimA]

Hi,

If you're talking Dwarf Puffer's, which are freshwater, then they wouldn't be suitable with Tetras/other fish as they are fin nippers of anything.

Afraid I can't advise on other types of Puffer's.

Kim

 

[Phantom Thief]

Any puffer bigger than a dwarf would most probably eat the tetra. And as akudewan mentioned, brackish fish.

So pufferfish would not work out with tetras.

P.T.

 

[walltalker]

hmm ill think about my tetras but pufferfish are sooooo cute well the one i saw was small but it doesnt seem to nip fins as there are oter cleanerfish in the tank maybe ill check with the shopkeeper

 

[nmonks]

I have three South American puffers in a 180 litre community tank alongside cardinal, diamond, and bleeding heart tetras, among other things. One of the puffers has been there for a year now, and has shown not aggression at all, and only rarely nips at very slow moving things, such as platies (which I removed) and Corydoras (which hide in the plants now!).

While I can't make any guarantees, and some aquarists have had bad luck with South American puffers, in my experience, they make acceptable (if not perfect) community fish. They like to be in groups for one thing, and they also like a tank with a lot of plants and places to explore. Sand seems to help, as they forage in the sand quite a bit, and besides giving them something to do, this also seems to wear down their teeth.

I have more info on this setup, as well as a QuickTime movie, on this thread.

There is a very peaceful African species, Tetraodon schoutedeni, but as far as I know it is never imported. Most of the other African and Asian species are either poor community fish or simply overtly hostile. If you intend to keep puffers, it's important to identify which species are for sale in your neighbourhood, and read up on those fishes before purchasing.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Phantom Thief]

Plecos (the most probable candidate for the cleanerfish you mentioned), are one of the few fishes that pufferfish wont nip. And even then, its only if you get lucky.

I've personally seen a tank full of pufferfish nip a pleco to death and were nibbling at it at the LFS (local fish store).

P.T.

 

[thai]

I put a ceylon puffer in with a severum and couple of rainbows with view to putting him in a brackish tank that was cycling. After 2 days he started to nip the others BADLY and had to be put in a holdng net until the tank was ready.
When he was in his brackish tank, i bought 6 bumblebee gobis as i had been told they would be ok with him.He ate them in about 3 minutes!!!!!

 

[nmonks]

Bumblebee gobies are safe with figure-8 puffers, Tetraodon biocellatus, a much smaller, low-end brackish fish. As you have seen, the Ceylon puffer, Tetraodon fluviatilis, will simply view them as food if nothing else is on offer. It's probable that your retailer, or whoever recommended the gobies, got the two species confused. It's not that hard to do if you're not familiar with the species involved.

Ceylon puffers are generally not considered reliable community fish. This varies. Some people have specimens that get along perfectly well with other fish, but a significant number of specimens seem to be at least fairly aggressive. Often they can be kept with their own kind, and sometimes with fast moving fish such as monos and scats as well. But there are consistent reports of nasty specimens that have to be kept alone.

Cheers,

Neale

I put a ceylon puffer in with a severum and couple of rainbows with view to putting him in a brackish tank that was cycling. After 2 days he started to nip the others BADLY and had to be put in a holdng net until the tank was ready. When he was in his brackish tank, i bought 6 bumblebee gobis as i had been told they would be ok with him.He ate them in about 3 minutes!!!!!

Depends on the puffer, and depends on the plec. The dwarf species, Carinotetraodon spp., are generally considered by aquarists who have kept them (including myself) to be safe with Otocinclus spp., which are, after all, merely miniature plecs. My South American puffers, Colomesus asellus, totally ignore a 15 cm Panaque catfish in with them. It is quite likely the figure-8s and Ceylon puffers might nip at a plec, just as you describe, but neither should be kept with a freshwater catfish since they both need brackish water.

Plecos (the most probable candidate for the cleanerfish you mentioned), are one of the few fishes that pufferfish wont nip. And even then, its only if you get lucky. I've personally seen a tank full of pufferfish nip a pleco to death and were nibbling at it at the LFS (local fish store).

The whole "puffers in with community fish" is a complex issue, made so by the fact that there are a good couple of dozen species of freshwater and brackish water pufferfish traded more or less frequently. That's why it's important to identify which species are available in your neighbourhood, and then do the research. The Oddballs forum here is perhaps the best place to ask specific questions; there are quite a few people there with substantial experience of the various pufferfish species. I have never kept either Ceylon puffers or figure-8s, so can't quote from experience.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[walltalker]

thx

 

[andywg]

The best advice I have heard with keeping puffers in tanks with other fish is to either not be overly worried about losing the other fish, or have some spare room where you can move fish to if it does get a bit unpleasant.