small brackish puffers

[fish_keeper2]

are there any really small brackish puffers....say 4inches or less maybe up to 5.

if so what is the minimum tank requirements for each. if not how big to bumble bee gobbies get and what is thier minimum tank requirement.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Your best bet would be figure 8 puffers. They grow to 3" need a 10g tank min & low-end BW (SG 1.005). They should be ok w/other BW gobies. BBGs grow to about 1".

 

[fish_keeper2]

ok cool. sorry i didnt reply earlier, i havent had time to even get online. anyway can you give me info on figure 8s and bumble bee gobbies please.

 

[Pufferpunk]

What else do you want to know?

 

[fish_keeper2]

what do they prefer to eat, are they similar at all to dwarf puffers?

is it possible to have a figure 8 and 2 bumble bee gobbies in a 10 gal with a filter made for a 20 gal?

do they have any special requirements other than brackish water?

thats all the quentions i can think of now.

 

[Pufferpunk]

They are not quite as aggressive as DPs. The puffer may or may not eat the gobies. Mine like crickets & ghost shrimp (both gut-loaded), krill, plankton, black/bloodworms, small pieces of scallops, shrimp or anything else you can buy in the fish section of your grocery store (except fish).

Extra filtration is always good. A substrate of aragonite or crushed coral to keep the pH around a steady 8.

 

[fish_keeper2]

crushed coral and aragonite is very available so thats no problem.

do the gobbies eat the same stuff as the F8s?

do i need lots of little caves and such? is drift wood ok in a brackish tank? what types of live plants do ok in brackish water?

what are some good sites to lern more about brackish and these 2 fish.....besides TFF of course

thanks for all the help

 

[Pufferpunk]

The gobies should clean up the puffer's scraps. Driftwood will lower the pH & is not recommended in BW tank. The best plants for low-end BW sould be java fern or java moss. Anything else will "melt" & make a mess of your tank.

 

[fish_keeper2]

thanks. so far i got that i need sand with fake plants or lots of java fern and moss and that they like meaty foods.

do these fish need lots of hidding places?

are fake driftwood and fake rock ok in brackish water?

what kinds of real rock are easily available and safe for bracksih water?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Petsmart sells really nice fake mangrove roots for the puffers to swim in & out of.

 

[fish_keeper2]

yes i saw those last night. they do look really nice. oh i cant wait till i can get this tank set up....but first i must upgrade my other tanks of course