Brackish Inverts?

[timmystood]

OK, so i've got a Brackish tank with only 1 resident in (Figure 8 Puffer) and I think his tank would look great with some inverts.. but i'm wandering - what inverts can live with Puffer fish in Brackish Conditions?

Cheers
TIMMYSTOOD

 

[Fella]

OK, so i've got a Brackish tank with only 1 resident in (Figure 8 Puffer) and I think his tank would look great with some inverts.. but i'm wandering - what inverts can live with Puffer fish in Brackish Conditions?

Cheers
TIMMYSTOOD

Tetraodon sp. puffers on the whole prey on invertebrates naturally in the wild so your options are very limited unfortunately. I would assume none., or possibly Olive Nerites at a push. Very hardy brackish snails.

 

[nmonks]

Malayan livebearing snails are another option. They're fine at anything up to ~50% seawater. Since they're nocturnal burrowers, they tend to avoid pufferfish, and the larger ones are too tough to be eaten anyway.

As Fella says, by definition puffers are predators on invertebrates, so you'll have a tough time mixing them. Puffer-proof species, like anemones, aren't really an option at a low SG (beadlet anemones are viable at SG 1.015 upwards). Anything big enough to handle itself, like a large crab, might well view the pufferfish as potential food.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[timmystood]

Are any Nerite Snails suitable? Like the ones featured here?

 

[nmonks]

Funny... we've been through this on the previous thread.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[BiffMalawi]

Malasian snails are not suitable for puffer tanks as they will try to eat them and have been know to seriously damage their teeth.

 

[andywg]

Malasian snails are not suitable for puffer tanks as they will try to eat them and have been know to seriously damage their teeth.

I often hear this, but never see any evidence of it. I have only heard one third/fourth hand account of what was thought to cause the problem,yet I know of many people who keep mts in with puffers to no ill effect, myself included.

I'm not sure a statement like "they have been known" is really safe. There are few things in the world which will actively try and pursue something that can cause them such damage. The only examples I can think of are frogfish and large lion fish ingesting prey that is too large that then causes problems leading to death (possibly due to the immense strain placed on the digestive system).

 

[nmonks]

I've heard this so many times, and while I'm willing to accept it coukd happen, I've never seen it. I have Malayan livebearing snails in both my pufferfish tanks, and in neither case has their been a problem. SAPs won't even touch them. Conversely, I haven't yet met or spoken to anyone who has actually seen it happen. Lots of people say "they've heard" but no-one yet has said "it's happened to me". So I remain open-minded but as yet unconvinced.

If you watch puffers in the wild, they attack stuff MUCH harder than a Malayan livebearing snail. We're talking oysters and bits of coral. Their beaks are easily up to the job, and are designed to grow back if damaged. Puffers have lots of nerves in their jaws and lips, and they aren't going to attack something they cannot break open. That's why they "nibble" -- to test potential prey, and figure out if they can eat it, and if it's worth eating.

Cheers,

Neale

Malasian snails are not suitable for puffer tanks as they will try to eat them and have been know to seriously damage their teeth.

 

[timmystood]

But i'm not on about Malaysian Snails.. i'm on about nerite snails... or are they the same thing?

 

[nmonks]

No, nerite snails are different. Go to the other thread I mentioned; there's much more about them there. Don't really want to repeat it all here!

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Fella]

I've fed all of my puffers on MTS snails and I've had no problems whatsoever. I've only heard of 1 single instance of an MTS snail injuring a puffer. For me that doesn't outweigh the ease of which I can get MTS snails.

 

[nmonks]

If you think about, surely puffers are, by definition, the fish suited to eating difficult prey. Cichlids, loaches, and dorad catfish all manage to eat pond snails and shrimps without the least trouble. So why evolve into something as specialised as a puffer if you're going to eat the same food? Makes more sense to me to assume puffers eat the prey cichlids and catfish and loaches can't manage, i.e., Malayan livebearing snails, etc.

The one time someone's puffer had problems is, to me, like the fact the Queen Mum was always getting fishbones stuck in her throat. Didn't stop me eating kippers!

Cheers,

Neale

I've fed all of my puffers on MTS snails and I've had no problems whatsoever. I've only heard of 1 single instance of an MTS snail injuring a puffer. For me that doesn't outweigh the ease of which I can get MTS snails.

 

[SLC Flyfishing]

Not to beat a dead horse but one of my GSP's always killed their snails from the bottom, even olive netires, he'd flip them over on their back and wait for the body to reemerge from it's shell, then he'd bite on and litterally pull the snail from it's shell.

Aren't these fish amazing? never seen another fish that can display that sort of intelligence!

SLC

 

[nmonks]

Agreed. But a GSP is rather bigger than figure-8. I *think* a nerite should be fine. The shell is very solid, and I can't see a fig-8 pulling one off the glass. But, as you say, puffers are very resourceful. Probably a good idea to try one for a couple of weeks, and then see how it goes.

Cheers,

Neale

Not to beat a dead horse but one of my GSP's always killed their snails from the bottom, even olive netires, he'd flip them over on their back and wait for the body to reemerge from it's shell, then he'd bite on and litterally pull the snail from it's shell.

 

[Boxermom]

I've seen someone post elsewhere that his puffer broke his beak on an MTS. I won't use them in any of my puffer tanks for that reason. Its not worth the risk to me, especially since there are other types that are readily available, as well as other hard-shelled foods they can have besides snails.