Will my 2 Dwarf Puffers be okay in a community freshwater tank?

Question

I have 28 gallon tank with 3 catfish, 3 zebra danio, 3 mickey platies and 1 large creme colored snail. I bought two dwarf puffers from Petsmart b/c they were in the freshwater section.

But after having them home for nearly three weeks and doing some online research on Freshwater Forum, I read that you are supposed to keep Dwarf Puffers isolated from catfish and platies b/c they are very territorial and are actually brackish water (translation: salt water ?) fish.

So I am in need of some clarification. Should I move the 2 dwarf puffers to my previous 10 gallon tank and put sand in the bottom and and 1 tablespoon of salt w/some plant coverage?

Or will they be fine with the community of fish I already have? I know they are territorial and like a sandbed beneath them b/c they can cut themselves on the edges of gravel (Freshwater Forum post indicated this). But no one at Petsmart told me any of this?

So now I am concerned. They are so cute and seem to get along fine. Help!

Can you be specific and tell me what I need in the 10 gallon for the 2 Dwarf Puffers?

And don't I need to cycle the 10 gallon tank first, before I put the Dwarf Puffers in it? I can't just throw them in an empty (no plants, no gravel, or sand) tank before I set it up and cycle it? Or does that not matter b/c of their small size?

So far they have not bothered any of the other fish.

Can someone *please* address the fact that I have to cycle my 10 gallon tank before I can put the 2 dwarf puffers in it?!

Yes. Online research indicates that the dwarf puffers are aggressive non-community fish. But that fact does not solve my problem, which is, if I transfer them both to my 10 gallon tank now before it even cycles, that will kill the dwarf puffers. If I let the 10 gallon tank cycle, it will take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks.

And sand or gravel substrate?

Their food is either brine shrimp or bloodworms, correct? I have been feeding them black romshorn snails I collect at Petsmart for free.

Answer 1

I too am looking at getting Dwarf Puffers, they are so cute. Here is what my research has taught me about setting them up.

They need a fully cycled tank as they are sensitive to ammonia and nitrates. Buy Biospira, this helps a tank cycle very fast.

Unlike most puffers, Dwarves can be kept in freshwater just fine.

They need sand as a substrate and fine plants that won't cut them, preferably live ones. Best to choose plants from their native habitat.

DP's need 3g of water per fish and its best to have all females or just 1 male in the tank.

They prefer live foods, worms, snails and sometimes shrimp. They can be convinced to take frozen foods and sometimes even flaked.

As for the ones in your community tank, watch them carefully and make sure none of your fish are showing up with nipped fins or bite marks on their bodies.

In the mean time I would start setting up a puffer only tank for them, everything I read says they are very aggressive to other fish and rarely make good community fish. If everything has gone well for weeks you may be in luck, but better safe than sorry.

Last but not least, never trust a sales person in a chain pet store and research any pet before you buy it.

Answer 2

They are not good community fish, and will chase and nip, as others have stated. Another problem is their toxicity. If another fish tries to eat them, for any reason (nipping, or the puffer has died) they will get poisoned. The puffer's defense mechanism is to poison enemies, which is why they shouldn't be kept with community fish.

If you're keeping multiple puffers, the general rule is 5 gallons per dwarf puffer. That way, they can establish territory and live (hopefully) in harmony. The dwarf puffer is a very aggressive fish, and will beat its tank mates to death. Dwarf puffer fish have been known to claim the entire tank as their own, especially males. It’s better if you keep the dwarf puffer in a one species tank, and don’t be surprised if they spar with each other if you keep more than one.

One dwarf puffer requires at least the 5 gallons of the aquarium to itself, and if it doesn’t have five gallons, it will try to take the other puffer’s 5 gallons, which can lead to a nasty fight, often fatal.

It is also suggested to feed them snails once a week, to prevent overgrowth of a constantly growing beak.

Last, they have strict water requirements. The slightest upset in water parameters can be fatal. They can handle fluctuations in temperatures, but not water quality. Since they have no scales, some say. And you are correct about sand, they have very sensitve skin, prone to cuts from rocks, so the sand is a must.

They are fully freshwater, brackish water will shorten their lifespan and compromise their health. Lots of folks are confused about this, since their "ancestors" are saltwater.

Good luck with the puffers, hope this helps!

Answer 3

Unlikely. DP's are quite aggressive and will kill many of the other fish over time. Even without the puffer, it will be way overstocked. Cut out the puffer, platies, swordtails and neon's and you have a good tank. Do not forget to cycle the tank - read up on fishless cycling please. EDIT: if you're talking about Carinotetraodon travancoricus then, yes, it is a full freshwater puffer. There is a lot of confusion about which puffers are and are not brackish. You can try the betta in the 20G tank, just keep an eye on it. The colors of the male guppies may be enough to anger him.

Answer 4

Micky Mouse Platties tend to have a big tail, or at least bigger than some. Dwarf Puffers aren't really the nicest fish you can get. You reallly don't want to get one if you have guppies. The thing with them is that they like flowing things, not to look at, but to eat. They will rip and tear the Micky Mouse platties tails. They also don't like catfish because catfish tend to really get up in the interesting fish's faces (if you know what I mean). They aren't really mean, but they certainly aren't nice. Yes they are territorial and you should continue to keep an eye on them, maybe only have one puffer at a time (if any). I suggest at least 5 galloons per puffer , as mentioned. They can fight, but if you don't see this happening, it's probably ok. If they get along fine, I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't get any flowy tail fish like Guppies or Arandas or something like that.


Personality/Temperament: One of the more peaceful puffers, however, may nip fins of other fish or invertabrates.

Activity: Fairly active and territorial fish. Might be kept in pairs or groups, but such housing demands a complex enviroment. The tank should be heavily planted/decorated with lots of broken eyelines.

Max. Size: 1 inch (2.5cm)

Estimated Lifespan: 5 or more years

Sexual Dimorphism: Males are generally smaller and have a prominent brown stripe down their white belly.Males often have wrinkles behind their eyes.

Diet: Live and frozen foods, snails, freeze dried krill, frozen shrimp, black & bloodworms- live or frozen, ghost shrimp. Feed snails once a week to prevent overgrowth of constantly growing beak

Care: Pufferfish are extremly sensitive to nitrites and ammonia and should only be introduced into a fully cycled aquarium. Due to their messy eating habits, overfiltration is recommended.

Breeding: Dwarf Puffers have been known to breed without any external stimuli from the fishkeeper. It is advised to keep 2-3 females to 1 male, to prevent harrassment.

Minimum Tank Size: 5 US Gallons per puffer.




-hope this helped.

Answer 5

Dwarf puffers don't usually make good community fish for several reasons. One, they are slow moving and can have a hard time competing for food from fish like your danios and two, they are somewhat aggressive.

Here's an excellent site with all the info you could ever need on keeping these cute and cool little fish.

http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 6

Dwarf puffers need to be with their own kind. Ideally one male and 2-3 females. They need a large tank, even for 3 a 29 might be crowded with hiding places.

Answer 7

Brackish means slightly salty, but not yet saltwater. DPs will nip at the fins of other slow-moving fins. If it is hungry enough, it might try to eat your snail, but I doubt it can eat something that big. If you do want to put it in your community tank, add some more plants to break its line of sight. If you don't want to risk it with the community fish, then yes, putting it in the old 10 gallon tank would be ok. DPs also need to be fed live food. They will not accept dry food, and need to be fed shrimp/snails occasionally to wear down their beaks. For more info on DPs, visit this website-http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/

~ZTM

Answer 8

well yes and no the 2 dwarf puffers will eat the fins off of the other fish i wanted to get 1 to but they said it would eat the fins off my other fish so i did not get 1

Answer 9

Puffers in general are agressive and will eat or nip at the community fish. Move them ASAP, even if they are getting along fine now. BTW, they love tetras.

Answer 10

Puffers are Puffed with anger.it would be best if you give themtheir own tank and give each one 3 inches of aquairum rule.they nip and kill most fish.drawft puffers love snails thats why most people buy them, but they are not goodtank mates.