Tag: brackish

Figure 8 Pufferfish – Complete Care Guide
Figure 8 Puffer Information
Pufferfish are an incredibly unique fish and sometimes called the puppies of the aquatic world. They interact with their keepers and also have unique and curious personalities. The Figure 8 Puffer is a species of puffer that spends its time in brackish waters. Because of the brackish water requirements it is a little tougher to keep happy in captivity. It will most likely feel stressed and may not show its true nature when living in constant freshwater. Figure 8 Puffers are aggressive fish that sometimes even shows aggression to its own species. It will grow to be about 3 inches in length so it is a good size for many fish keepers. Just like all other puffers the Figure 8 has a poison that is dangerous to people when eaten. This article will go over the requirements needed to keep a Figure 8 Pufferfish.
Aquarium Requirements
Due to its size, the Figure 8 Pufferfish should be kept in aquariums that are 30 gallons or larger. Two puffers should do well together in a 30 gallon tank if it is filled with plants and other decorations. This will provide them with a natural environment and to give them places to hide in times of stress. Add an extra 15 gallons of water for each additional pufferfish in the aquarium. Aquariums prepared for Figure 8 Puffers usually start off as freshwater. They are then cycled and decorated with compatible plants (Java Fern, Anubias, Pondweed and Crypts). Lastly, slowly convert the aquarium into brackish water. Use marine salt such as Red Sea Salt Mix and a refractometer to test the salinity level of the brackish aquarium. The Figure 8 Puffer will do best in the following water parameters:
- Temperature 75 – 82 degrees Fahrenheit
- KH 8 – 15
- pH 7.0 – 8.0
- Salinity between 1.005 and 1.010 sg.
These water conditions will help provide a natural environment and assist in keeping your puffer healthy.
Food & Diet
Figure 8 Pufferfish are carnivorous animals so they require a very meaty diet. Mysis, brine shrimp, and mollusks will be perfect for them when they are small but will enjoy the addition of krill into their diet. Occasionally earthworms can be fed to your Figure 8 for some variety in diet.
Image by Till Kresslein on wikiMedia
Just like most pufferfish, Figure 8’s teeth grow and continue growing. They require food that will grind their teeth down. Foods with hard shells will be a necessity for your Figure 8. Snails can be purchased and sacrificed to puffers. Some hobbyists go into fish stores and ask to collect the store’s supply of nuisance snails off the glass. Clams on the half shell are great foods given to help grind down the teeth of Figure 8 Pufferfish. Some aquarists suggest scraping off most of the meat from the clam and giving the puffer 10 or 15 minutes to scrape and play with the shell and after the time elapses, feed the meaty remains.
Tank Mates
Due to their aggressive nature and water parameter requirements, Figure 8 Puffer do not do well with many other fish. Under good circumstances, Figure 8 puffers can be kept with more Figure 8s. The aquarium size, amount of decor, and personality of the specific puffer in the aquarium will determine that. Pufferfish are housed with:
- Mollies
- Bumblebee Gobies
- Knight Gobies
On the other hand, Figure 8 Puffers should not be kept with invertebrates or slow moving fish that are intolerant to brackish water. Invertebrates will become lunch and the puffer may pick on fish. They will also succumb to the incompatible brackish waters. Add Nerite Snails into the aquarium as algae eaters only because they tolerate saline water. Unfortunately, they inevitably become lunch.
Breeding
There isn’t too much information on how to breed Figure 8 Puffers. It is mostly by sheer luck that a pair will successfully breed. When breeding occurs, the female will lay her eggs on a flat surface, such as substrate, and the male will fertilize the eggs. Once fertilized the male will guard the eggs until they hatch and become water born. The fry will need to be fed baby brine shrimp and potentially high protein flakes & pellet food that can be crushed into really small pieces.
Final Notes
Figure 8 Puffers are mostly kept in a single species aquarium and still enjoyed! Devoting a whole aquarium to one species may be a turn off for some, but for others its a very rewarding experience. They are very interesting animals and really consider keeping them as pets!
Featured image by: Till Kresslein on wikiMedia
December 5, 2020
Fiddler Crab – Complete Care Guide
Fiddler Crabs are some of the more common crab species kept in captivity. The males have an incredibly large claw that they use for calling out to females and also for sparring. The female does not have a claw this large but instead has two really small ones. Under the proper conditions, the Fiddler Crab is a pretty hardy invertebrate.
This beautiful invertebrate will grow to be roughly 2 inches in length when it is full size. This crab and many others are interesting to watch when they are searching for food in their habitat. The Fiddler Crab is not too picky when looking for a meal but we will go over that more later in this article.
Aquarium Requirements
Keeping Fiddler Crabs alive and thriving is not incredibly hard. They do not get incredibly large but enjoy living in groups. They should not be kept in anything smaller than a 10-gallon aquarium and it is not recommended to keep more than one male in an enclosure due to the high possibility of aggression between males. In the wild, they spend most of their time in inter-tidal flats or lagoons. Because of this, it is important to provide a land area for the crab because they are not fully aquatic crustaceans.
Mimicking an ocean beach habitat is ideal for this crab. It normally lives in brackish water so providing a little bit of marine salt in its enclosure is ideal. Use a refractometer, like this one from Amazon to check the salinity levels in the water. To maximize the health of your crabs keep a filter, pump, or something similar to move the water around. Also, using aragonite sand to help keep increased pH levels is recommended. The crab will also use this substrate as a calcium supplement!
The Fiddler Crab requires the following water parameters:
- Water Temperatures 74°-84° degrees Fahrenheit
- KH between 12 and 30
- pH: 8.0 & 8.2
- Salinity levels between 1.005 and 1.012 sg.
The enclosure should also be full of rocks and other decor to provide places for this crab to climb and hide. Be sure to leave enough space to allow your Fiddler Crab to burrow. Crabs are notorious escape artists so a tight-fit lid is a must-have. The sealed aquarium will also help to keep humidity levels higher.
Food & Diet
Fiddler Crabs are omnivores and are not picky eaters. They will happily eat algae that grow in the aquarium’s waters but will also eat pellets, flakes, bloodworms, and small shrimp! It is important to provide them with a well-rounded diet. I feed mine all sorts of food. I will treat them to small pieces of carrots, apples, lettuce, pellet food, and flake food.
Tank Mates
Finding tank mates for Fiddler Crabs is hard because they enjoy being in brackish water and the design of the enclosure does not usually provide enough water for fish. If your setup has enough water, fish such as platys, mollies, swordtails, and guppies are good choices. They enjoy living in brackish water, unlike many other species. Be mindful that Fiddler Crabs will occasionally try to take a snag at the fish so the fish may become lunch for the crab. Nerite snails should be a fine addition to a brackish water enclosure as well.
Other than that, as stated above, unless the enclosure is incredibly large only one male should be kept with an assortment of females. The males have a higher chance of fighting and possibly injuring/killing each other while sparring for females.
Breeding
Breeding Fidler Crabs is incredibly difficult. They require a deep sand bed so the female can burrow into it. Once mated, the female will stay in the burrow for roughly two weeks with her batch of eggs. Once that is completed she will expel the eggs into the water but it can only be successful if the water is marine water. This will require a higher salinity level. If this is possible the baby crabs need to be fed rotifers and live baby brine shrimp until they are large enough to eat different types of food. I have had a female successfully hold eggs, but nothing ever comes of it because I cannot replicate the requirements needed to get them to hatch.
Final Notes
Fiddler Crabs are an interesting and unique animal that can be kept at home, provided the enclosure is right for them They have beautiful colorations and a very cool shape to them. They’re fairly active and a joy to observe. Unfortunately, they require a very niche habitat that is not suitable for many other animals but if you can provide the correct setup for them, they will be wonderful pets. If you love crabs, but Fiddler Crabs are not for you, check out 9 Unique Terrestrial, Semi-Terrestrial, Brackish & Freshwater Crabs to learn about other types of crabs available!
Featured image by Wilfredor on wikiMedia
November 26, 2020