Figure 8 Puffer Compatibilty

[Matty P]

Are these fish compatible with F8 puffers?

1) Scats (Scatophagus spp.) (how quickly do these this grow)
2) Mono Sebae (Monodactylus sebae (how quickly do these this grow)
3) Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher)
4) Celebes rainbowfish (Telmatherina ladigesi)
5) Nandus (Nandus nandus)

The tank will be a 25 gallon, I would buy the fish as babies then may lfs have offered to bring them back once they have grown a bit.

Also do the gobies sift sand (bumblebee, knight, dragon...)?

Cheers

 

[nmonks]

Are these fish compatible with F8 puffers?
1) Scats (Scatophagus spp.) (how quickly do these this grow)

Yes, though scats are normally kept at SG 1.010 whereas figure-8s are fine at SG 1.005. Scats of all types grow rapidly, and you should expect near-adult size (~20 cm) within a couple of years.

2) Mono Sebae (Monodactylus sebae (how quickly do these this grow)

Identical to scats.

3) Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher)

Only up to a point. Kribs are "salt tolerant" rather than true brackish water fish. While they will thrive at SG 1.010, they do better in neutral, moderately hard freshwater, especially if you want to breed them. There are much better brackish water cichlids out there. Not just chromides, but various tilapia, Hemichromis, "Cichlasoma", etc.

4) Celebes rainbowfish (Telmatherina ladigesi)

No, these are really freshwater fish. Neutral to slightly alkaline moderately hard water is what they want. Like kribs, they are salt tolerant up to a point, but hardly ideal brackish water fish. Incidentally, they are now Marosatherina ladigesi.

5) Nandus (Nandus nandus)

Likewise, more a salt-tolerant fish than a truly estuarine one. Also, an adult will simply view a figure-8 as food.

The tank will be a 25 gallon, I would buy the fish as babies then may lfs have offered to bring them back once they have grown a bit.

OK. But even juvenile scats and monos need at least a "long" 30 gallon tank. I'd not keep them in anything less than 1 metre in length.

Also do the gobies sift sand (bumblebee, knight, dragon...)?

Most gobies dig. Knight gobies are more predatory than the others you mention though, and forage more in the midwater than at the bottom.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Matty P]

Cheers, that helped a lot. Any fish you'd reccommend?

 

[pandacichlid]

exactly what I thought when I saw kribensis