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F8 tank mates?

5K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  daisycutter 
#1 ·
I asked about spotted puffer compatibility last week - in other forums I've heard people have some success with bumblebee gobies - but boy, those spotteds do have a reputation for being little terrors of the seas - and transitioning to a full marine aquarium for one fish that can't get along with anything is a big step...

So what about figure eights? Folks don't seem to love them as much for some reason, but I've heard they're more docile and require lower salinity. Would my dream of keeping bumblebee gobies (or mollies or tiger barbs) with a figure 8 be any more realistic?

Thanks,

Jonathan
 
#2 ·
Definitely more realistic than the green spotted puffer, although personality can really vary from fish to fish so care should still be taken. They like low-end brackish (1.002-1.005 SG), and if you introduced tankmates like mollies at a young age, I believe you would be more successful in keeping the puffer with other fish. Even if they don't outright kill their tankmates, they might do a lot of nipping so watch out for that. Some puffers have been known to go from really passive to killing machines practically overnight.

The size this fish grows to seems like a controversial topic. Some sources say they'll get up to 8", while others say 3". I think a standard 29g tank would be good unless it broke, say, 6".
 
#3 ·
Thanks - yeah there is all sorts of puffer controversy - when I first started looking into it everyone seemed to be saying different things...

Well so my follow up question is - how will bumblebee gobies do with that level of salinity?
 
#4 ·
I'm sold on the idea that bumblebees do better in high end brackish. I've got two bumblebees in a tank with an SG of about .011 and they are much more active than any other I have seen.

I'm of the opinion that puffers and tankmates don't do well in general. However, there are some more docial spcies. Why not look at some of the freshwater puffers?
 
#5 ·
i got some f8 puffers this weekend and put them in my community tank and thier doing fine however since i put them in some of my fish which are noramlly very peacefull are going after the puffers. Has anyone ever seen platys and mollies go after puffers. The puffers have been spending alot of time toward the bottom and ive seen them swiming with my emeralrd green corys and yes i have added salt to my water and the reast of my parameters are good
 
#6 ·
some of the freshwater puffers can be very aggressive thogh dwarf puffers can be kept with other species the most docile of puffers is supposed to be the huge mbu i may get f8s in the future so i would be interested to see how this pans out
 
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