Maybe Silly Questions But I Want To Find Out

[soph_betta]

Right my mum loves the box fish (marine) shes seen in the local fish shop
but i know marines can be very difficult and this wouldnt be to her ability (or mine) and also price range!!
So I wanted to know how easy or difficult puffers are or are there easier and more difficult species of puffer?
if so what are the easiest??
What is the general consencus on minimum tank sizes???

Please help
What to know all i can before starting a tank

Thanks all

xx

 

[aly_starh]

Puffers can be marine fish aswell, like the one in shark tale.

do you mean dwarf puffers?

 

[nmonks]

Puffers are not especially difficult to keep, and assuming a reasonable standard of water quality and the right sort of water chemistry, they're actually quite hardy fish. However, the mistake most people make is to ignore what it is they need. If you can provide what they need right from the start, they're quite easy to keep.

Among the issues to consider are the following:

[a] Diet. These animals don't eat flake and freeze-dried foods are of minimal value. They need crunchy food, typically wet-frozen things like krill, bloodworms, and seafood. Snails are often an important part of their diet in the wild, and help keep their teeth worn down. You can cut their teeth manually, and in some cases, you may need to do this anyway (see here).

Water chemistry. Many of the species traded come from brackish water habitats, and these will need to be kept in brackish water, typically 3-15 grammes marine salt mix per litre depending on the species. While this isn't difficult to do, it means an investment in boxes of marine salt mix (typically £5 for a 1.2 kg box) and quite likely a hydrometer of some sort (from about £5).

[c] Social behaviour. Most puffers are solitary, and some are highly aggressive. The only gregarious species that is best kept in groups if the South American puffer. Most others need to be kept singly or in tanks big enough that territoriality isn't an issue.

[d] Tankmates. Generally, you can't keep them with other species. So you're buying a tank for just one species, often just one specimen.

Puffers are good value fish, and I enjoy keeping them. But you do need to think about what they need before you buy them.

Cheers, Neale

 

[soph_betta]

Thank you for the replys i just had it in my head that there was a fresh water variety !!
thanks again

 

[jennybugs]

There are freshwater varieties of puffer Neale has given a very good overview of the things to think about before rushing out and buying a pufferfish. There's a bit more to think about than your general commmunity fish.

Have a look HERE for more info about the different types of puffers