Most people know about the puffer fish, and many of them would love to have the opportunity to keep this fun fish for themselves. Although many of these fish are salt water fish, there are also many species that do not require any salt in their water.
Setting Up a Fish Tank for a Puffer Fish
Do your research before you buy anything. Some puffers stay small, and some get very large, so knowing what you want will help you know what size tank to buy. The giant freshwater puffer, Tetraodon mbu is the largest freshwater puffer and can grow to 2.5 feet! This puffer needs at least 500 gallons to live comfortably.
The dwarf puffer, Carinotetraodon travancoricus only grows to 1.5 inches, so it can easily live in a much smaller tank. Even a five gallon tank can be appropriate for this puffer fish. In between the Mbu and the dwarf puffer are many other puffers that grow to various sizes, so if your local pet store sells a specific type of puffer, find out how large it will grow before choosing a tank size.
Tank Mates for Puffer Fish
Most of the freshwater puffers need to be kept alone or with other puffers of the same species. There may be exceptions to this rule, but in general the tank mates may become an expensive lunch for the puffer. In particular, the Fahaka Puffer is very aggressive. This puffer will kill anything placed in the tank with it most of the time. Although there are always exceptions to this generality, you will be taking a huge risk by placing other fish in with the Fahaka.
What to Feed the Puffer Fish
The vast majority of puffers do not eat commercially prepared fish food. Smaller puffers will enjoy bloodworms, mysis shrimp, blackworms, smaller krill and other similar frozen foods. Larger puffers will enjoy shrimp, crab legs, prawns, large krill, crickets, mussels and other similar foods. Feed the smaller puffers once or maybe twice a day, while the larger puffers should only be fed about three times a week.
Setting up a tank for a puffer fish can be a fun and exciting hobby to get into. Puffer fish can be personable fish that will be sure to thrill your visitors. There are also many fresh water puffer fish that you can keep. Beware, though, of the Figure Eight Puffer (Tetraodon biocellatus), and the Green Spotted Puffer (Tetraodon nigroviridis), which are frequently sold as freshwater puffers. These fish are actually brackish water fish and require some salt in their water.
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