The dietary requirements of figure 8 puffers are maybe among the more requiring elements of keeping this fish. Flake or dried foods do not meet their dietary needs. Instead, they need to be fed meaty and hard-shelled foods such as clams, crayfish, crickets, daphnia Daphnia, a genus of small planktonic crustaceans, are 0.2–5 millimetres in length. Daphnia are members of the order Cladocera, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because their saltatory swimming style resembles the movements of fle… Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian word krill, meaning "small fry of fish", which is also often attributed to species of fish.Daphnia
Krill
Full Answer
What do figure 8 puffer fish eat?
The dietary requirements of figure 8 puffers are maybe among the more requiring elements of keeping this fish. Flake or dried foods do not meet their dietary needs. Instead, they need to be fed meaty and hard-shelled foods such as clams, crayfish, crickets, daphnia, krill, mollusks, oysters, plankton, scallops, snails, shrimp, and worms.
How many puffer fish can you have in a tank?
You can keep 8 pufferfishes in a tank and they require a minimum of 15 gallons of water and there should be 10 gallons of water per pufferfish. How much does a figure 8 puffer eat?
How do you take care of a puffer fish?
Figure 8 Puffer Habitat and Care. Scientific data is lacking on the lifespan during captivity in fresh water. Figure 8 puffers prefer a neutral pH and tolerate soft to moderately hard water. Keep the water temperature on the warm side, around 78 F. The minimum tank size should be 15 gallons for a single specimen, more if possible.
What are the best puffer species for beginners?
The figure 8 puffer ( Tetraodon biocellatus) is the perfect puffer for beginner brackish pufferkeepers. It is one of the most colorful of the puffer species, keeping its beautiful markings into adulthood. The figure 8 puffer is friendly, personable and entertaining. And it stays small enough to keep a single specimen in a 15-gallon fish aquarium.
What do you feed a baby puffer fish?
0:062:52What to feed Dwarf Puffer Fish - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo I'm going to talk about their main diet their main diet consists of live aquarium snails bloodMoreSo I'm going to talk about their main diet their main diet consists of live aquarium snails blood worms brine shrimp anything of that matter these guys will eat.
What do you feed a figure 8 puffer?
Figure 8 pufferfish have two rows of teeth that allow them to crush hard shells to eat mollusks, krill, oysters, and other crustaceans. These teeth never stop growing, so the fish needs to grind them down by munching on hard-shelled foods.
How do you feed a baby puffer?
Baby pea puffers can be fed a diet of infusoria, daphnia, micro worms and vinegar eels. Puffers like to have a varied diet and it is important to feed different foods when keeping dwarf puffer fish in captivity.
How do you take care of a figure 8 puffer fish?
Figure 8 puffers are warm-water tropical fish, so a temperature of around 78 degrees Fahrenheit is best for them. A substrate of crushed coral or aragonite sand is recommended to keep the pH at a steady level of around 8.
How long do figure 8 puffers live?
With a salinity of between 1.005 and 1.008 specific gravity (S.G.), the lifespan of this species has been as long as 15 years. As with all puffer fish, they require a complex aquarium set up consisting of many nooks and crannies. This helps figure 8 puffers to behave as they would in nature, and reduce boredom.
Where can I buy figure 8 puffer food?
In the wild, they feed on clams and snails, which keeps tooth growth in check. In captivity, they must have shelled fish in the diet, or their teeth can grow out of control. The Figure 8 puffer size can be up to 3 inches. In captivity, they can live up to 18 years of age, longer than many four-legged pets.
How do you take care of a baby puffer fish?
6:219:49How to Care for Dwarf Puffer Fish - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo it usually becomes really beneficial to keep a well balance planted tank for these guys keepsMoreSo it usually becomes really beneficial to keep a well balance planted tank for these guys keeps them active.
What do you feed a baby dwarf puffer?
Feeding. Dwarf puffers should have a varied diet. I feed mine daily with an assortment of live foods like newly hatched brine shrimp, grindal worms, and occasionally larger worms like blackworms and whiteworms. They enjoy Daphnia and Moina, and they are able to eat adult brine shrimp if it is offered.
What can I feed my puffer fish?
What do puffer fish eat? Puffers should be fed a carnivorous diet of pellets and freeze-dried and frozen foods, along with chopped squid, clams, shrimp and krill. Larger puffers should be offered shelled foods, like mussels, to help wear down their continuously growing teeth.
Do figure 8 puffers eat snails?
0:065:37Figure 8 Puffer Eating Snails (Tetraodon Biocellatus) Brackish TankYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipFigure eight puffer feed on some snails.MoreFigure eight puffer feed on some snails.
Do figure 8 puffers puff up?
The figure 8 pufferfish can also puff up to two or three times their original size by inflating their stomach with air or water. Puffers typically do this when threatened, although they've been seen puffing up in home aquariums for seemingly no reason as well; still, this behavior should not be encouraged.
Do puffer fish need brackish water?
This puffer fish can be found throughout African and Asia in freshwater and brackish environments. In the home aquarium, this species does best in a brackish tank with plenty of plants and hiding places. When they are still juveniles, this species can tolerate freshwater but mature puffers need a brackish environment.
Do Figure 8 puffer fish need brackish water?
They originate in the fresh waters of Southeast Asia, and although they tolerate brackish or even full saltwater, they may fare better in freshwater.
How often do you feed a puffer fish?
Things to remember when feeding your puffer:Feed 1–2 times a day, no more than fish will eat in 1–2 minutes.Thaw frozen food before feeding.
What kind of snails do figure 8 puffers eat?
0:065:37Figure 8 Puffer Eating Snails (Tetraodon Biocellatus) Brackish TankYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipFigure eight puffer feed on some snails. I just through six medium to large pond snails in there andMoreFigure eight puffer feed on some snails. I just through six medium to large pond snails in there and he's already found them and gone to town on them. So I'm just going to ramble about whatever. While
Do puffer fish need brackish water?
This puffer fish can be found throughout African and Asia in freshwater and brackish environments. In the home aquarium, this species does best in a brackish tank with plenty of plants and hiding places. When they are still juveniles, this species can tolerate freshwater but mature puffers need a brackish environment.
How do you know if a puffer fish is a figure 8?
The name is derived from the markings on the back of the fish, many of which resemble the shape of a figure 8. Even when not startled, all figure 8 puffers have a roly-poly appearance; you can easily spot a well-fed puffer by its rounded belly.
What snails are good for a figure 8 puffer?
Because the nutcracker-like beak of the figure 8 puffer can become overgrown, it is important to include plenty of very hard-shelled foods in their diet to keep the teeth ground down. Tetraodon snails or pond snails are terrific for this purpose.
What do puffers eat?
The dietary needs of figure 8 puffers are perhaps one of the more demanding aspects of keeping this fish. In nature, they typically eat crustaceans and mollusks. Flake or dried foods do not meet their dietary needs.
Why are pufferfish called pufferfish?
Pufferfish derive their name from their ability to inflate themselves with water or air when startled . This is a very successful defensive mechanism because it's harder to swallow a fish that's ballooning in size!
What is the color of pufferfish?
They are deep brown in color on the upper portion of the body with white on the underside. Yellow spots and lines are sprinkled throughout the body.
Where do puffer fish come from?
The figure 8 puffer originates in the brackish (partial salinity) streams and estuaries of Southeast Asia, including Borneo, the Malaysian peninsula, Sumatra, and Thailand. Although these fish do not breed in captivity, they have not as yet been overfished for the trade and are not considered to be a threatened species.
Why do fish have hard shelled teeth?
These teeth grow throughout the life of the fish and must get ground down to keep them from being too long. For this reason, they need hard-shelled foods to help keep their teeth the proper length.
Figure 8 Puffer Fish
Figure 8 pufferfish is attractive, entertaining that’s the reason it is loved as loved by many plus it’s a freshwater fish. Most commonly these fishes are found in Southeast Asia, peninsular Malaysia, and Borneo.
Figure 8 Puffer Size
The figure 8 max size is about 3.1 inches or 8 cm long as an adult. These fishes grow very fast and even the baby puffers grow about ½ inch in just a period of two months.
Figure 8 Puffer Lifespan
The lifespan of figure 8 puffer salinity is surprisingly very long and can be up to 15 years. In captivity, their lifespan isn’t much and they need an attractive and engaging aquarium to keep them entertained and away from boredom. For the pufferfish to live longer you need to maintain proper conditions in the aquarium and take appropriate care.
Figure 8 Puffer Diet
One of the most difficult tasks of keeping this fish is maintaining its diet.
Figure 8 Puffer Fish Care
Figure 8 puffer care is not that typical but it is certainly very important for the fish to survive longer.
Figure 8 Puffer Fish Tankmates
Figure 8 Puffer fishes can be kept with many tank mates but keeping it in community tank is not recommended. They should either be kept alone or with similar other pufferfishes. If you want, you can keep a few other fishes that live in the same partial saline water with them.
Figure 8 Puffer Fish Tank Size
Let us know about the tank specifications and how you should keep the pufferfishes in it below.
How many gallons of water should I give my puffer fish?
The first rule to remember: larger is always better when it comes to aquariums for these puffers—remember, they like to swim! I recommend 10 gallons for every extra puffer you may want to add. Also, a longer tank will give them more swimming room than a tall tank.
What plants can you swim through for a figure 8 puffer?
Plants, caves, rockwork and even plastic tubes that are similar to Habitrail’s are quite fun for figure 8 puffers to swim through. You can also try your hand at some of the available brackish plants. At the top of that list are Java fern and Java moss.
How old is the longest lived puffer?
The longest-lived figure 8 puffer kept in brackish water was documented at more than 18 years old! Tetraodon biocellatus specimens are found in slowly moving or standing freshwater habitats from Borneo to Thailand.
What is a figure 8 puffer?
It is one of the most colorful of the puffer species, keeping its beautiful markings into adulthood. The figure 8 puffer is friendly, personable and entertaining. And it stays small enough to keep a single specimen in a 15-gallon fish aquarium.
What temperature should puffer fish be?
Figure 8 puffers are warm-water tropical fish, so a temperature of around 78 degrees Fahrenheit is best for them. A substrate of crushed coral or aragonite sand is recommended to keep the pH at a steady level of around 8.
Can you keep a figure 8 puffer tank together?
Most will get along with conspecifics and other smaller brackish tankmates, such as gobies and small species of mollies (I’ve seen figure 8 puffers bullied by sailfin mollies). If keeping multiple figure 8 puffers together, it would be best to start them out together as juveniles and let them grow up together.
Where are the eyespots on a puffer?
The most common identifying marks on the figure 8 puffer are the black ocelli or two eyespots at each side of the puffer—one is in front of the caudal fin and one is below the dorsal. Eyespots have developed in many animals to fool predators into thinking the wrong end is facing them.
Reviews
Distribution and habitat
Appearance
Behavior
- Puffers are not well suited to a community tank because they tend to be aggressive. Even puffers that have previously been docile can become aggressive as they age, or if they are not well fed. A puffer can turn on its tankmates and chew them to pieces. On the other hand, most owners have found figure 8 puffers more peaceful than any other puffers and some have successfully kept th…
Habitat
- Ideally, figure 8 puffers should be kept alone or in a large aquarium with only a few other fish that thrive in the same habitat. Owners who have kept them in brackish water find that bumblebee gobies, knight gobies, and mollies are suitable companions. Owners keeping them in freshwater aquariums have reported keeping them with fish such as barbs, sharks, and tetras. In these case…
Symptoms
- Unlike most fish, Figure 8 puffers are able to recognize and respond to their owners, but they can also get bored. As a result, they require ample open space to swim, but also need places to hide and explore. They can be hard on plants, due to aggressively attacking their food, which often falls on plants and other aquarium décor. Decorate the tank with sturdy plants, and be aware that yo…
Diet
- The dietary needs of figure 8 puffers are perhaps one of the more demanding aspects of keeping this fish. Flake or dried foods do not meet their dietary needs. Instead, they must be fed meaty and hard-shelled foods such as clams, crayfish, crickets, daphnia, krill, mollusks, oysters, plankton, scallops, snails, shrimp, and worms. Because the beak o...
Reproduction
- Even for experts, it is nearly impossible to sex figure 8 puffers. The most certain way to sex them is to see the female lay eggs, which is an extremely rare occurrence. Only a few cases of spawning in captivity have been reported.
Breeding
- Little is known about how to breed figure 8 puffers. In the rare occasions they have spawned in captivity, they have laid eggs on a flat surface, such as the substrate. The male guards the fish for approximately a week until the fry are free-swimming.