"NetMax" wrote:

When I opened the store, I ordered Archers, Scats, Monos and Puffers so
that I could set up a brackish tank. It was a bit of a mess. Scats are
the devil's spawn, Monos faint from transportation & water shock, Archers
grow too big and Puffers are diabolical (those sweet faces as they sneak
up on an unsuspecting fish).

The best local store near here had a brackish tank for awhile, but on
my last visit I noticed that it was no longer there. Perhaps they
found it to be more trouble than it was worth?

I also have a 60g with Mono argenteus and Mono sebaes in it. I wonder if
I can risk putting the puffers in there. It is only mildly brackish, the
monos might be quick enough to evade Puffer nips, and they are kept on a
high protein diet (shrimp, bloodworms, beefheart and community menu).
Any thoughts on whether this is a good idea, or do you think I'll be
netting all 120 of them later?

I'm utterly clueless, I'm afraid. My knowledge of Malabar puffers
comes from the experience of having four of them alone in a three
gallon tank. That's worlds away from having any bearing on what you're
considering.

I doubt that a small amount of salinity will affect them, even though
they're true freshwater fish. The Malabars stay very small and so
might resemble a tasty (and potentially toxic) treat to any larger
tankmates.

About the only advice I could give would be to give it a cautious try
with just a couple Malabars. They're cheap, after all.

What I'll probably do is start with a species tank, and when the puffers
are a bit bigger, I'll move a dozen over to the mono tank.

I've had my one remaining puffer for five days shy of a year now, and
he's never passed about 1/2" in size. Perhaps yours will grow better.



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