I know I did something stupid but....

[NJmom2002]

I couldnt resist. I went to Petsmart today to get some plant food and I saw some dwarf puffers. I know better than to buy on impulse but I did. So now I have 2 dwarf puffers in the 29 gallon. They are so cute and tiny and seem pretty curious. One is hanging out in the castle and the other one hid in some of the plants. The guy at the store said to keep them out of the betta tank and I told him what I had in the 29 gallon. He said they should be fine in there since I dont have any aggresive fish. Does anyone know how big they get? I remember someone recommending them for snails so I know theres an expert out there. Can you give me some advice on them please?
Thanks

 

[Lotus]

Unfortunately, puffers don't make good community fish. They'll either nip at the tankmates (now, or in the future), or will get outcompeted for food.

The info over at Dwarf Puffers : Home on feeding and care is excellent.

 

[Grumpy_Marine]

oh njmom you broke the golden rule... how dare you... lol

I do that alot just buy on impulse... i have made trips to fish store with one goal buy a new fish but don't know what kind till i get there...lol

I have thought about puffers but i have aggressive barb and gourmai so i dont have one. I know they are better suited in a tank with slow fish so they can escape situations and such.

But always keep an eye out what one says shouldn't work could work for you.

Meaning i have two Paradise blue gourmai.. not supposed to be together, but they are getting along now seemed to have mellowed out a little bit.

Hope they survive and thrive in your tank.

 

[MemnochsKat]

I've seen these and REALLY wanted one! But was scared that it wouldn't go very well in my community tank. Here is a bit of information that I picked up on them. If you have more than one puffer in a tank, they do better if there is at least one section that is heavily planted. Should they become aggressive toward one another, those plants will give them a place to hide, and give them a space to hang out where they don't have to "look" at each other. My LFS has a beautiful 60 gallon hex community display tank, they have one of these dwarf puffers in it. When I asked they said they'd never had a problem with him in there. They also suggested that if I get a puffer, that I should only have one in my 29g.

 

[MissFishy]

Those guys are meaner than they appear. The fish in your community are fast though, so they may be alright. They like to sneak up and take a bite out of other fish. Usually they are kept in species only tanks. Your issue will be feeding them, so you'll have to figure out how to do that quickly.

 

[iamcowboy]

I thought puffers demanded brackish conditions. Does anyone know if that is true?

 

[MOsborne05]

Some puffers require brackish water, but not all. There are saltwater puffers too, but dp's are 100% freshwater.

You may be able to keep dp's in a community tank for a little while, but like others have said, they will get more aggressive as they get older and will most likely attack your other fish. They really are best kept in a species only tank.

I've got three of them in a heavily planted 7 gallon tank with some cherry shrimp. So far everyone gets along pretty well, but with puffers there is no guarantees.

 

[NJmom2002]

So far they are scared of the other fish and when they see one coming close they go to the other side of the tank. They tend to hide in the castles or in the camboda.. Im thinking about getting another tank for the betta and moving them (puffers) into the 5 gallon. Next thing you know Im going to have a tank in every room. Ugh. lol They were just soooo cute and tiny I couldnt resist. And then my daughter was begging me to get them. I have a 4yr old and she loves her fish. (One is Puff Daddy and the other is Mrs Puff) I couldnt say no. Please dont spank me with the ruler. lol

 

[Lotus]

They'd be better off in a 5g tank of their own.

I can't imagine what you'd say to your daughter if they kill their "friends" one night.

I have heard a lot of reports of puffers doing OK in a community tank for a while, then they snap one day and kill a bunch of fish.

 

[NJmom2002]

Thanks everyone for your input. Im going to end up with a billion tanks in this place..

 

[fish_chic]

i would make sure that the puffer you where sold is truely a dwarf puffer. the petco here tells puffers but they are brackish water. and i was told by one of the employees there that they where fw and not brackish water. if they are the dwarf puffers then they would be alot happier in the 5 gal by themselves.

 

[NJmom2002]

I got these at petsmart. The guy said it was freshwater.. This one actually seemed to know his stuff because I asked him a ton of questions about other types of fish. I kinda tested him with the stuff I have learned here. I did find this site though. 10 Things to Know About Puffers: Dwarf Puffers This had some good info on them as well.

 

[Lotus]

I'd disagree with that article about the live foods and the substrate. My DPs have never buried in the substrate, and most don't -- so, a gravel substrate is fine. Many DPs will eat frozen bloodworms from the day you get them back from the store, but I haven't found any other frozen foods mine are interested in. I don't think any will eat flake, but some will eat freeze-dried (and soaked) bloodworms or frozen brine shrimp. They really love small snails.

 

[NJmom2002]

Thanks Lotus. Today I moved the Betta out and put him back into the 1/2 gallon. Its temporary until I get something bigger. Will he be ok in that? The puffers are now in the 5 gallon. I added a cave and some artificial plants along with the live plants that were already in there so that there are alot of hiding places. They seem happier and their tales arent bent like they were in the other tank. They do seem picky they wont touch the Tetra nuggets or the brine shrimp I have so I am going to go get some bloodworms tomorrow. Im starting to wish the loaches didnt clean all those snails out the tank. haha

 

[Lotus]

The betta will be fine in a 1/2 gallon for a while. Just make sure you do 100% water changes weekly. Of course, bettas seem happiest in a nice filtered tank that's 2 to 5 gallons with a small heater.

Mine have been happy with frozen bloodworms, and snails once or twice a week as a snack/treat. It's possible you'll still find a snail here or there in the other tank that you can throw in for them.

 

[NJmom2002]

Awesome. Thanks.. Im reading the post about brackish water right now. I had no idea what that was to be honest. Do you think I should put salt in thetank for them? I have aquarium salt just sitting in the closet. Would it be better for them to have some in there?

 

[FreddyJ]

I wouldn't add salt unless you are one hundred percent positive that they are brackish puffers (like Green Spotteds.) If they are DPs I don't think they will enjoy the salt and being scale-less fish they might be overly sensitive to the addition of something like that.

 

[NJmom2002]

I believe they are green spotted. I saw them on a picture from the site Lotus had put up. Here is a pic of the ones I have. For now they are Puff Daddy and Mrs Puff. Of course that may change when I am able to figure out the sex.

 

[Lotus]

They look like dwarf puffers to me, but the pic isn't that clear. I know those guys are hard to photograph.

If they are DPs, definitely don't put salt in the water.

 

[jessey]

i noticed that your signature says "green spotted dwarf puffers," but there's no such thing.. if they were labeled dwarf puffers they are probably just that, which means they don't need salt. (when someone said earlier that the lfs label them freshwater, i think they meant that they're labeled as green spotted puffers but as freshwater fish.) if it is a green spotted puffer, you're gonna need a bigger tank! (can you tell i've done my research? lol they're so cute but i don't have any tank space for puffers...)