Puffers.....

[ian_lawton]

where can i find info on setting a tank up for them as i have recently maddly got the urge o own one! whats the best one to start with

[Esfa]

I would say dwarf puffers are the best to start with. They only grow to 1" and are 100% freshwater.

Dwarf Puffers arn't community fish, and are best kept singularly or in a group with 3-5gallons per fish. The tank should be heavily filtered and densely planted (either fake or real) as puffers are intelligent and need to be stimulated. They should be fed on bloodworm. Never let your puffer inflate on air.

[mike515]

depends on the supplier, shop care etc to which is the best. Dwarf puffers can be delicate if not treated correctly.

General rule for puffers is an appropriately sized meaty food (chopped mussel, cockle, bloodworm etc is good). Also regular feeding of something with a shell (eg cockle, aquatic snails). Then a nice sized tank depending on what species. And clean water. Other than that nothing too advanced really. The amazon puffers seem to do better in slightly softer water with a lower pH. Wherea the giant puffer (T. Mbu) needs conditions similar to malawis as they come from lake Tanganyika.

If you want an impressive show fish, then red eyes and figure 8s are cool. But nothing compares to a full grown Mbu if you have the space.

[Esfa]

i wouldn't say MBU's were a good starter puffer

[njp]

I wouldn't say mbu's were difficult, They just need very large tanks.

[mike515]

why wouldn't you say Mbus aren't a good starter? They aren't hard to look after, they feed well. They can be tamed to an extent and are stunning. Sounds like a bloody good fish to start with to me.

If they were delicate (they aren't) or the water chemistry was hard to achieve (it isn't) and they were rare (they aren't) then fair enough. But the only real requirements are well filtered water, a decent food supply and a large tank.

[Esfa]

Well I wouldnt say that a starter fishkeeper would want to have a 500gal tank.

[cam cap]

i agree with mike515 they are fine just need a large tank and good filter

[njp]

Why wouldn't a newbie have a big tank?

My very first tank was 7x2x2

[mike515]

my first tank was a 6footer and was brilliant. Ill think you'll find a lot of 'newbies' would love a 500gallon tank but a lot of them don't have the space etc.