puffer fish in 12 gallon tank, can i put anything else in?

[gfk]

Update: I got the tank, the fish is super tiny, and she said it has been in there 2 years, it just doesnt get very big. the tank is filthy however. the filter is running right now and its lookin a lot better already. the light however is broken, and its an eclipse 12 and eclipse wants almost what it costs for a new tank to get the light. i paid her 60 bucks for the tank, its a little scratched up, but what gets me is how dirty it is. she didnt want to upset the fish anymore so she didnt clean it so i have to do it tomorrow as well as get some more salt water.
i think once i get the tank clean and stuff im going to try and trade in that fish and get some corals and some more live rock, because i dont just want one agressive dinky fish and not have anything else in the tank. anything i should know aside from going to the local fish store and getting help there?
I made a post about this in the newbie forum, but i also wanted to post here figuring some of the members dont go in there but frequent here.
my friend is giving me a 12 gallon tank, its already cycled and up and running, she is moving though. she is gonna teach me how to take care of it but when i asked her if i could put more fish in she said yes, as long as they are agressive like the puffer.
my first thought was that a puffer shouldnt be in a 12 gallon tank, will it be ok? she said its only like an inch and a half long, but i figured it would be growing.
also, can i put anything else in the tank with it? she has some live rock in there too, but im not sure how much. what would my options be here. iwas thinking maybe one or 2 more small fish, and then just get some stuff to grow on the live rock.

 

[moto757]

i am not a puffer expert but it is an aggresive fish and needs some room to move and i am pretty sure a 12 gal tank wont be enough i am sure someone else will chim in but i would re think my fish for that tank

 

[gfk]

yea i am thinking its not big enough as well. like i said, if it was up to me, thats not what would be in there. but im taking it off her hands as a favor to her and as one to me for getting it cheap and a good starting setup. i will find out what kind it is, and post up here after.
if its too small of a tank, will some fish store let me bring it in or what? i dont want the poor thing to die but i dont really know what id do with it

 

[pufferman]

i used to keep figure 8 and leopard puffers in eclipse 12. they're freshwater/brackish puffers, but they could be converted to full marine. i think they did considerably better in full marine because they're less prone to ick. i had no problem keeping them in 12 in terms of water quality, territoriality...etc. but, you cannot keep real saltwater puffers in 12. hopefully this answers your question in some way.

 

[gfk]

its a sharp nosed puffer, if that helps

 

[leopard_babe]

I had my puffer in my 46 for 4 months. He went from 2 inches to 5, in a matter of 4 months. He was to big for my 46, so he had to be moved to my 180. There is one at my LFS that is about 10 inches long. He blows up every day before dinner, I don't know why he is the only thing in the tank. He is about the size of a volleyball when fully blown up. A 12g is WAY to small. A puffer probably wouldn't eat in a 12gallon, and would cause him to become weak, and die within a few weeks. I have noticed with lions, and puffers along with other big fish, that when in a tank to small they refuse to eat, causing them to die. You would need at least a tank of 120 gallons for a puffer. That could even become to small.
HTH
Leopard
I posted this in the fish discussion forum today. This person is refering to a porky. I feel this goes for any of the larger puffers: dog face, mappa, golden, panda and so on.

 

[gfk]

its a sharp nosed puffer, she has had it in there for 2 years so i guess itll be ok, i dunno, ill have to wait til i see it

 

[squidd]

Sorry, does not compute...:nope:
"She's had a Sharp nosed Puffer in a 12 gallon tank for TWO Years and it's only 1 1/2" long"...? :nope: :nope: :nope:

 

[gfk]

yea, i dunno, like i said, thats waht she told me, over aim. when she brings it up to me ill post more on the situation. i dont think its as bad as it sounds, but it could be i dunno really. ill just have to make a new post once i get the tank

 

[asbury030]

Hey GFK u want to make it reef adventually right?

 

[chandler04]

She could be meaning a valentini, and if so, then a valentini should be fine in a 12. They are cool, they stay small, and theyre hardy. Im getting a puffer in a 30 gallon soon.

 

[conogre]

Most of the sharp nosed puffers, aka Tobies only reach 4"-5" max. and could probably do OK in the Eclipse, although it's less than perfect.
Adding another fish could be difficult as the little tobies are usuall pretty darned nippy.
Some of you folks ought to do just a tad more reading as a "puffer" covers a lot of ground from 3 inch species to 4 foot species, just as do angels, tangs and wrasses.
Puffers aren't just one fish, but rather a whole family.
Look at cats, as an example..you have house cats and you have Bengal tigers, but they're both "cats".

 

[leopard_babe]

I have one much research on puffers. I am just giving her my opinion. She can agree, or disgree. I am telling her as a fellow hobbyist that I have killed fish, by not following advice, or by researching. Puffers of all nature are messy eater, and have a lot of waste. So do to problems I had with a puffer in a small tank, I know how unhealthy it is for a fih to sit in a tank with high nitrates, phospates, and other wastes. In saltwater it is 1 inch to 4 gallons. A puffer whose grown size is 4 inches, times 4 gallons equals at least a 16 gallon tank. This is assuming the puffer is the only thing in this tank. All of us on this board are just trying to help. We are not saying are way is the right way, we are just saying that we speak from experience. I have kept a puffer in a small tank, and do to MANY circumstances, it died 4 months later. So IMHO, I think any small puffer should have AT LEAST a 30 gallon, that gives it room to swim, and some extra room for some friends.
I am not trying to sound mean, or that I am right. i speak from puffer experience. I have a val. in my 46, and he is very happy. I am just telling you what I know.
Leopard

 

[conogre]

Truce! Truce!
If I had my way a 100 gal. tank would be the smallest they offered for marine fish.
Many newbies get confused, not realizing each family usually has dwarfs and giants, not realizing that here are hundreds of different kinds of puffers.
As I understood it, the eclipse they're bing given already has a toby in it.

 

[leopard_babe]

I think you are right. I believe there is a toby in it. So the answer to your question is, you cannot put anymore fish in with the puffer.
Leopard

 

[gfk]

ok, im back online finally after the move. i still dont have the tank yet, she hasnt said when she is coming up with it.
leopord, dont worry, i realize you all are just trying to give me advice. i am not gonna argue back, i just wanted to mention everything i knew in case i had left out any info. i also realize there are tooooooons of puffers, and i realized this after doings some research on here.
i think what im going to do is get the tank from her, keep that fish in there for a little while. post some pictures on here, see if the fish will be ok alone. then im gonna try and add some more live rock to it, and probably take out the puffer and put in a couple other tiny fish or something.
and to whomever asked if i was gonna make it a reef tank, its only 12 gallons, im just gonna keep it nano and keep some corals and other stuff in it until i have an understanding of what it would take to start up a tank from scratch. thanks everyone for the advice ill keep you posted.

 

[conogre]

Just be prepared, gfk....once you get the saltwater in your veins the ocean calls to you day and night.
It's the ultimate addiction!!!!!

 

[leopard_babe]

agreed it is an addiction. I just turned my fowlr into a reef. I was not trying to sound like what you are doing is wrong. I just wanted you to know they can get big.
Your plan sounds good. We love pix here

 

[gfk]

i know its addicting, i dont even have one, and i post on here and have been lookin around for like 6 months now. i wanna call her and yell at her to hurry up cause i am getting ansy waiting

 

[leopard_babe]

hahahaha.. I know that feeling