Dwarf Puffer, Eclipse 3 Gallon, could it work?

[ChakaRaka]

What about an Eclipse 3 System? It is still very small, the Puffer makes a lot of waste, I acknowledge this, but this is a 3-Stage filter (with a Bio-Wheel). The g/f bought this tank and I was just wondering if there were any alternatives to a species: Betta, Invert or Frog tank, such as one tiny Puffer? I see several people keep a single Dwarf Puffer in a 5 Gallon, with uncertain filtration; I do not want to be unkind and house this fish in something too small. But what do those of you that keep these fish think?

I will listen to intelligent feedback carefully and if all else fails, this tank will be a comfy condo for a single Betta...

Thanks,
ChakaRaka.

 

[Newman]

Betta is a great choice. 2 ADFS will work in there too. Shrimp would be happier in a 5 gal at least because they quickly overpopulate(depending on species). Snails will like that tank. 1-2 apple snails will be fine as long as you do weekly water changes...theyre all very messy.

Now Puffers. 1 Dwarf puffer can be housed in a 3 gallon. This is not ideal, but I can imagine it's possible with a good filter. Despite what kind of filter you have in there you still need to follow the puffer rule: 50% water changes EVERY WEEK. that's for a 5 gallon, so in the case of a 3 gallon I think 60% each week is a better choice. It will keep those nitrates in check, because puffers are much more messy than the above choices.

There is one more issue in a small tank like that. boredom. a puffer will get bored very quickly and will pace the glass sides all day long. to prevent this, You will need to plant the tank completely. Live, fake plants, the puffer wont care, but live generally offer better water parameters as they soak up a portion of the nitrates for growth.
This is a good example of a puffer nano tank:

 

[unwritten law]

single puffer should be fine... Ive had 2 in a 2.5 before but they didn't make it so well... They started to get neglected. You do have to realize that puffers are more difficult to keep and feed than a betta but I'd try the puffers if they are available to you.

 

[ChakaRaka]

Thanks for all the feedback, now to look into substrate and plants and get this tank up and cycling. I was just planning for a Betta or a couple Dwarf Frogs, but this seems so much more interesting. Thank you for showing that this is a possibility. Gotta go buy another heater too now.

 

[Newman]

keep us updated. we would love to see what kind of tank you can come up with for your puffer
I was actually thinking of converting my Betta breeding 5 gal tank to a puffer tank too...in the future. I have so many pest snails that are just going to waste in my snail jars