# Figure 8 puffer help



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

So I am having issues. I don't have a the dang puffer fish yet and having issues! what the heck...

Anyway, I called around asking anyone about any info transferring a fry figure 8s to brackish water. I have read that fry stay in freshwater until they grow strong and then move to brackish. Even my sister and my LFS told me most of the time the fry's are in fresh water in fish stores. 

So I called one place and he said the fry they have are in brackish water and they should be in brackish at all times. He's not wrong in the fact that these types of puffers NEED brackish waters, but he's stating the fact that they don't need to be in fresh when they are fry! (Is he right or wrong?) 

I also asked, since he has them in stock, "Do the ones you have eat snails?" I asked this because I don't want to end up trimming their beaks. Instead of telling me "No they do not eat the snails we give them" He suggested other types of puffers they have that do... He was telling me other puffers for freshwater but the only one I know that would work for my 20 gallon long would be a pea puffer! I don't want that type in the 20 I have. I already have a pea puffer. 
I cannot remember the name of the puffer he said was freshwater but I'm sure it was too large for the tank I have. I told him I only have a 20 gallon and a figure 8 was the only puffer I could keep in that tank but that didn't seem to matter to him? Pfft

Any suggestions you all can give and who is right? I want to make sure if I do get this puffer, I want to make sure the tank is ready for him/her. Brackish starting off or freshwater then slowly change into brackish. NOTE that the puffer will be a fry starting off regardless.


----------



## Tardigrade (Apr 17, 2017)

Are the puffers suggested amazonian? I think 2 would be ok in a 20 gallon. They are strictly freshwater.

But it seems like you really want a figure 8. So, brackish water is pretty close to freshwater. If the figure 8's at the pet store keep them in brackish, then it is best to start brackish. 

Also, not wanting to trim their beak? That may be inevitable part of puffer keeping. You could always offer ghost shrimp, clams, other snails. 

Sometimes things don't match up to our expectations and either go with the flow or find another pet that is suitable. 

If you want to start freshwater, you could set up a freshwater now and slowly acclimate your plants so you'd be ready for puffers.


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

thanks for the reply! and I read about Amazon puffers and they get to be 5 inches and need to be in a group of three or more, at least that's what I read. but they would be a nice puffer to get indeed! Sadly wont fit in my 20 gallon long. =( 

I do remember what he told me to look up and it was an "Avocado Puffer" but those are not my cup of tea.


----------



## Tardigrade (Apr 17, 2017)

Ok, well I Hope everything works out!


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

thanks! me too =)


----------



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree

Okie, the Figure 8 puffer HIGHLY resembles the Green Spotted Puffer. As a KEPPER of Green spotted puffer, I can tell you that your local lps and sister MAY have gotten them confused:

Green spotted puffers live in the areas where rivers meet the sea. They go up river, (into freshwater) to spawn. The babies are born in freshwater, and live there, moving closer and closer to the ocean as they age, and often going to live in the sea as adults, only returning to fresh to spawn. SO the GPS life cycle goes Fresh==> Brakish==> salt. They grow to be LARGER then the Figure 8, but typically don't pass 4 inches in captivity. STILL, the can't go in any smaller then a 30 gallon. (I will also admit that I am breaking this VERY IMPORTANT RULE in a terrible way, but I also do very large waterchanges every other day, over filter my tank...etc. The landlords have banned me from getting anything larger then a 20 gal.) I do not know if what the other petstore said about figure 8s is true, but in general, a brakish puff will be happiest and healthies in light brakish to salt water.

However, puffs MUST have snails. Pea Puff teeth grows so slowly that it usually isn't as much a problem, but larger puffs NEED to keep those teeth DOWN.
Personally, I prefer Bladder Snails for baby puffs. They are VERY easy to get a culture started with, and grow to the PERFECT size for little puffs to nom whole!

Other then that...while very expensive, a Spotted Congo Puffer has a simular LOOK to both the Green Spotted Puffer AND the Figure 8 Puffer, but only grows to be 4 inches, (The perfect puff size for your 20 gal), and is one of the most PEACEFUL puffers! They can be houses with (SOME) other fish with no issues, and also have great personalities like Figure 8s and GPSs do! 
SO options are there.^^


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

Thanks for the info angeliza!=) I read a lot about how they go from fresh, brackish to full salt. I have bladder snails, red cherry shrimp and blood worms for my puffer, which I did end up buying the F8 puffer at the LFS. The person over the phone the second time was much more helpful than the first. LOL Right now my puffer is an inch long, a teen and I did acclimate him to the tank which is fresh right now. I just added salt into a bucket and waited a day to add it into his tank. Next week I will take out more water to add more of the salt water slowly for the bacteria and my puffer to get used to the change. 

any other food you think I should have for my puffer? 

I read all over the websites that a 15 to 20 gallon for a F8 was okay for them. but I do agree with a 30 gallon being better for these fish. I am going to be making sure I do plenty of water changes for him that's for sure. I might end up getting another back filter over the tank to help out with the mess these puffers make. haha that or get a very strong filter but need to make sure it will not push him around in the water. 

I was kinda saddened by the way the LFS was keeping the F8s. they were in with green spotted puffers and all the F8s were in bad shape and were nipped by the larger GSP. =( so I picked the healthiest one and Copter (my puffers name) is healing really nicely in his own tank. I will only be keeping him in this tank, nothing else so he will be happy alone for sure. lol but I did hear that bumblebee Gobies work well with F8s but meh, I'm happy with just him in the tank. 

here is a picture of his cuteness:


----------



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree

He is truly a precious baby <3

If he's anything like a GPS, his tummy will turn white when he's happy and healthy! (I'm proud to say my puff has a very white tum, aha).








Like dis.^^
(Photo was taken right after I fed him a big meal. Mine eats freezedried krill, bladder snails, and the occasional freeze dried bloodworm. I'm working on getting some live cultures going...but those are betta-only, since I prefer giving him more shelled, crunchy foods.)


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

awww what a cutie! I'm glad to see another person on here that has a puffer! and yup his tummy grows large. I might need to fast him tomorrow due to giving him a bit to many snails. LOL that shot above was taken before he was fed anything. =) I have had him for a week now. and his personality is wonderful! He's so interested in everything in my room and watches my dogs play ball at times. When I open up the top hes right there waiting for what food I will give him next. I'm just nervous about adding the salinity to the tank I don't want to hurt him or the bacteria.

this was the first time I fed him:


----------



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree
He's gonna be so pretty once he's a healthy boy!^^
Lol, we should form a puff-club! I actually have been debating posting pictures of my boy somewhere here, and seeing if anyone else was a puff-keeper. Mine's named "Poofy", and bubbles are his very favorite thing, and he's is quickly approaching 3 inches in size. (The need to get him into a bigger tank is getting more and more desperate).

Poofy came from walmart, and was very grey when I first got him, but not nearly as bad as his fellow puffs at walmart are currently. (It's so sad).

Don't worry about fasting him since he's a baby, pratically a puff fry. He needs that food to grow, and once that tum is down, it's empty again. I kinda approach Poofy like a fry, and feed him twice a day, (except for Sundays. Those are one-meal days), which maaaay be why he's growing so fast. X'D
(I also keep my tank fairly warm...so his metabolism may be sped up due to that).

When he was a new puff:









Now:


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

oh my gosh yours is so CUTE! there was a puffer thread but it was back in 2011 and did not want to update it ^^; but YES I would love to have a puffer thread. I have a pea puffer and a F8 puffer now. they remind me of bettas with their personality. and good to know about the no fasting. =) 

I'm happy that I kept my snails and live shrimp for him. a five gallon for the snails and five gallon for the shrimp (even though there are snails in their tank as well) the snails grow super fast and easy which I love!


----------



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree Thank you! Your baby poof is also precious and I wish him the best and a quick recovery from the stressful situation you found him in! (We should TOTALLY make a Puffer forum my goodness).

Yeeeeees. Puffers swim up to great you, and do the happy-wiggle thing just like bettas do! But in their floopy puff way! OvO

(Poofy even jumps at the food I feed him like my old betta Chumani used to OVQ)

I read a blog that recomends feeding GSP once a day in very tiny amounts with a fast day once a week, but I'm like; It's a BABY.
Why you think it took you 5 years to get your puff 6 inches when GS puffs can reach full size in a year in the wild?
I've had my puff 40 day's and he's grown an inch. XD
Each to their own though. In my personal, unprofessional opinion: babies must grow. If baby does not grow, or grows very slowly, then something is wrong. (Actually, he also get's constant water changes like fry do and stuff too...so really, to me, it's just a matter of treating babies like babies. X'D)

Once more, however, this is my opinion.
I am 40 days a puff mama, and am by no means an expert.
He may die of type 2 diabetes later in life because I made him fat.
So take it with a grain of salt.^^


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

Even though we are new to puffers, at least we both saved ours from a bad place and helping one another out. 

Any advice on how long you let the sea salt soak in a bucket? I use a 5 gallon and leave it over night but I still see some left over salt. And how much salinity do you keep in the tank? Since the GSPs and F8s were living in the same tank at the fish store I'm sure they have the same housing and warmth.


----------



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree My boy grew up in fresh as far as I can tell, so I've been slowly getting him used to salt. Currently, he's at 3/4s a tps per gallon. I believe (could be wrong) 1 tablespoon per gallon is the lower levels of brakish water. His tank has fake plants since brakish plants are hard to find and hard to grow.

His tank is WAAAAAAAAY too tiny and I do 1/3 water changes every other day. Since his tank is very small, I don't need as much salt, and it dissolves overnight.
However, heat helps things dissolve, and I live in a hot area, and get cold easily so my house is kept as 75 degrees or so, so that ma also be affecting it. I suggest dissolving the marine salt at least mostly vi stirring (You are using marine salt, right? Not the sea-sea salt that you cook with? Sorry for asking I just wanna make sure). In hot water, then putting that in with the other water overnight to age it a bit so it is puff-safe.

Speaking of water changes...I need to give Poof one before I go to bed! (I normally do it in the morning but I was at work from 9:00am to 7m and had to wake up earl to get read early etc).


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

Ah gotcha. And yeah my tank has fake plants as well. Not going to bother with live plants either. I have a pump for the bucket to mix the salt to help it along. I might have to end up getting a heater for it cause the water was quite chilly after a day of sitting. 

lol! Yeah Marine salt I use and no worries. 

have fun with your water change and say hello to Poof for me. =)


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

also here is what his tank looks like. I'm at least happy that the plants look real. =)


----------



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

@Tree
















Poof says hi back. XD
(These pictures were taken when he was younger, aha)

Also waterchange went well! Now he wants dinner, aha. X'D
I have the morning shift tomarrow so I'd best be headed to bed but it is WONDERFUL to be able to talk puffs with someone and share pictures!
And that tank is LOVELY! I'm sure he loves it.^^


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

D'awww he's so adorable! 

you take care and have a goodnight! also thank you =)


----------



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

I have slept on it, and having a puff thread STILL sounds like the best thing ever.
I shall collect all my puff pictures, And create the thread.


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

yess! let me know when you add the thread =) unless you already have. *checks*


----------



## angeliza (Sep 5, 2015)

It has been done.
The puff base has been built! 
@Tree


----------

