Figure Of Eight Puffers

[lozronz]

Hey, I'm trying my hand at a brackish tank for the first time and I decided upon a figure of eight puffer, I was watching him this morning and it occurred to me, how the hell did they evolve like that!

Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful fish with loads of character but design wise they are rubbish! They are poor swimmers (for a fish that can't be good) I have had to face my filter against the glass because he couldn't handle the flow. They are as aerodynamic as a brick. they need their teeth filing apparently, they are picky eaters, no dorsal fin and their best defence mec is playing dead... I think they got a rough deal.

Out of interest, can he be kept with anything? most of the reading I have done says its a no no but I was just wondering if anyone has any success stories.

 

[jayjay]

There's quite a few things that can be kept with F8's i'm planning on keeping one with bumble bee gobies or knight gobies. As it's not that big a tank.

 

[lozronz]

Really? they are so small, really cute though, I would love to have a few of them but I figured they would get nipped or worse.

 

[jayjay]

Yep, will most likely be using a 20g, with plenty of rocks for hiding places.

 

[Fella]

Hey, I'm trying my hand at a brackish tank for the first time and I decided upon a figure of eight puffer, I was watching him this morning and it occurred to me, how the hell did they evolve like that!

Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful fish with loads of character but design wise they are rubbish! They are poor swimmers (for a fish that can't be good) I have had to face my filter against the glass because he couldn't handle the flow. They are as aerodynamic as a brick. they need their teeth filing apparently, they are picky eaters, no dorsal fin and their best defence mec is playing dead... I think they got a rough deal.

Out of interest, can he be kept with anything? most of the reading I have done says its a no no but I was just wondering if anyone has any success stories.

Figure 8 puffers have evolved to become fantastic swimmers; the way they can control their fins is unlike that of other fish, they can hover motionless and can pinpoint themselves at prey.

If there is too much flow in your aquarium, aim the power at one of the sides. SAPs (which aren't unlike Figure 8 puffers) are open river fish, and swim against current constantly in the wild (and in tanks). To say a Figure 8 is "poorly designed" is hardly fair, they've evolved a specialised swimming design for their needs.

They don't "play dead" as a defence mechanism, they inflate! It's quite different. Also, Tetraodon biocellatus in the wild obviously don't need their teeth filing (rarely in aquaria too), so try and replicate their wild diet if you can of molluscs.

As you can see, they do have a dorsal fin.



As for what they can be kept with, you can house them with more figure 8 puffers, bumblebee gobies, knight gobies and all manner of low end brackish fish.

 

[Flumpus]

I've got one, and I think he's a wonderful swimmer. If you wanna see a horrible swimmer, check out knight gobies, which some people have mentioned. And like Fella said, they inflate, they don't play dead, and most likely, if given the right diet, their teeth won't need trimming.

As far as what to keep with them, I keep knight gobies and a molly, no problems.

 

[lozronz]

Hey, I'm not slagging them off! I think they are cool otherwise I wouldn't have one.

They do play dead, I used to work at an aquatics shop and the YTS kids used to have to be told not to take them out, they kind of loose their colour and lie on the bottom then the next min they are fine. Before we get on our soap boxes, the water was always good and it wasn't just because we had new stock, it was a really fish conscious shop and I have seen some bad ones. Clown loach do the same thing.

I have never seen one inflate although I'm sure they do if put under enough duress (hence the name I guess). I just meant, they are not really built for speed, the energy they seem to put into swimming is not really reflected in performance, they seem a bit frantic even when still! I'm sure they are built very well for their environment its just after looking at, for instance, an African Knifefish who seem agile and sleak as anything, they look more knackered from moving.

A bit like comparing a quad bike to a Jag!

 

[andywg]

Puffers are part of the Order Tetraodontiforme and are considered the most advanced in "design" of fish. Their close relatives, the boxfish, are considered the most hydrodynamic of fish. They must be able to swim well, or else how would so many live on reefs without being swept away by the current rushing over it?

Puffers are known to sleep by resting in the bottom of a tank or an ornament/plant with the tail curled around.

I would say that puffers have far more control of their swimming than a knife, and will probably be able to swim quicker by dint of still retaining the caudal fin. A knife fish controls all its movement by a single fin.

 

[lozronz]

I remember, there was a car inspired by the box fish shape wasn't there? (although I seem to remember it was a bit rubbish)

Fair enough then I'm on my own thinkin that they are a little goofy in the swimming department, maybe I have a particularily bad swimmer, his armbands should have put me off. But I would definately say a knifefish would win in a race! Hey! and they can both swim backwards thats pretty unusual for a fish.