# Figure 8 Puffer



## muskyman (Jan 1, 2010)

Hello, 
I recently got a 6 gallon nano cube and i was thinking about getting a Figure 8 puffer and an otto cat or a Red Crystal Shrimp. First of all I'd keep it freshwater not brackish because someone told me they do better in freshwater. Does this sound like a good plan......

Any help is appreciated..... I'm new to the planted tank idea too lol


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Figure 8 puffers do need brackish and also would need a tank about 2x the size of your current tank. You might consider a Pea Puffer instead, as they're truly FW shrimp and stay much smaller. Though I wouldn't put an Oto in a tank with any puffer, it's likely to be bitten. And the shrimp may or may not end up food as well.


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## fishscale (May 29, 2007)

Keep in mind that most puffers are vicious little creatures. Figure 8's get pretty big, although not as massive as its true salt relatives. Dwarf puffers (pea puffers) are the right size for your tank, but they are nasty biters. You might be able to get away with an otto because they tend to blend in and stay out of sight. I would say no to any kind of shrimp with a puffer. Just about any fish will eat shrimp, and puffers are especially fond of them. 

I have a 10" nano with just one puffer. I thought I could pour some of my endless supply of RCS in there and at least some would establish a breeding colony, but he found all of them.


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## idontknow (May 9, 2008)

Figure 8 puffers get to be around 2-3 inches. Recommended tank size is 30 gallons give or take. You do need brackish water for these puffers to live well. I have heard of people keeping them in fresh but it will hurt there overall health. As far as tank mates from what I have read bumblebee gobies are a good choice. The specific gravity needs to be around 1.005 - 1.010 for the puffer. IF you want to keep plants its recommended not to go above 1.005 specific gravity. 

Couple freshwater choices for you would be the pea puffer as mentioned above and yes they are nippy little beasts but a perfect puffer for a tank your size. If you are thinking about a bigger tank the South American Puffer is an excellent choice. It goes by a couple different common names but Colomesus asellus is the scientific name. I have had a hard time finding this one in stores though.

Hope this helps.

One other thing I just thought to mention is puffers need a crunchy diet. They need to be fed snails a couple times a week to keep there teeth or "beaks" trimmed down. If you dont the teeth will grow to big to allow the puffer to eat. At which point you have to sedate the puffer and clip his teeth.


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## AkCrimson (Dec 17, 2009)

You would have a really hard time balancing the right salinity for the plants and the puffer in a tank that size. 

Plus, 6gal is nowhere near big enough for a figure 8. I'd say it's pushing it for one dwarf puffer, but it's do-able.


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