Figure Eight Puffers

[CrayolaViolence]

I realize these are brackish water fish but I was wondering, like the green spotted puffer, can they be acclimated to a marine environment.

 

[ThRoewer]

Yes, they do quite well and will grow quickly with proper feedings.
Though they are anything but reef safe.

 

[CrayolaViolence]

Funny. One of the things that caught my curiosity about them was the fact that they were very docile and several prepare claimed to have no issues with them in a reef tank with inverts. Right now I have a green spotted in a nano tank. He barely an inch but he hasn't had any issues so far with the link coral I've put in there as well as hermit crabs, ghost shrimp, a peppermint shrimp. Of course even the smallest hermit is bigger than he is and the shrimp have been chased but have also done some shading. He also hasn't bothered the wild tube worms or tube snails on the live rock. Maybe I am feeding him too well. I tried giving him snails but he ignored them unless I crushed them first. I realize it's probably his age but I've seen a few posts about green puffers in reef tanks too. If they kill anything it's usually the inverts but seem to ignore coral which I am fine with. Only inverts I use in my main tank now are ghost shrimp which can double as food. Reason I'm intereated in the figure 8 is that they are supposed to be far more docile.

 

[ThRoewer]

Corals should be safe from these guys. Shrimp, crabs, snails and worms are what they're after.

 

[eastlake]

They definitely acclimate over, I had a green spotted and a figure 8 in my 75. While they were cool with the GIANT turbo snails they developed a taste for the chocolate chip starfish. I observed them removing the nubs from the stars.

 

[Paul B]

My first "salt water" fish was a figure 8 puffer. I bought it in fresh water in about 1971 and after a few weeks gradually increased the salt in the tank until it became full salt. Then as salt water fish started to become available I bought more salt water fish. That puffer developed a large tumor inside it's belly. I operated on him to remove it and that fish lived another 8 years. Very nice fish and I wish I could put one in my reef.