Can I add fresh water puffiers?

Question

I recently posted a message regarding what I thought was a fresh water puffer that passed suddenly, thanks for all the responses - it was appreciated and I learned a lot. I also learned that I was badly informed. I am hoping someone here can confirm that it would be okay to add some dwarf fresh water puffers into my tank with a mixed population. In the past I have had pretty good luck in adding fish. My tank is well established. I have set up a separate tank for my more aggressive fish like my balas, tiger, albino, and green barbs. In this tank I have 3 gouramis, 3 long fin barbs, two platys. Can I add some fresh water dwarf puffers to the mix? I am having a hard time finding anything on anything but the brackish water puffers. The pet store said it should be fine, what do you experts think?

My tank is 65 gallons. I have a LOT of plants for cover, always have had. PH is 6.6, temp is 78, ZERO ammonia, NItrate, and Nitrate. I had my water tested when my last one died and usually test it myself before adding anything. I also do a 50% water change about once every six weeks or so and change my charcoal filters about every 3 weeks or so.

THANKS EVERYONE, LOTS OF GREAT INFO!! I am going to set up a separate tank for my interest in these cute little fish. :o))

Answer 1

These are highly active and intelligent fish. They enjoy a heavily planted tank to engage in and explore. Like all other species of puffer, they should only be kept in a species tank. While they may and do nip at other fish, the problem is more often the puffers not getting enough food because they are slow swimmers. These have been kept with C. asellus, but compatibility varies greatly between species and individuals. Great care should be taken if this is to be attempted and should only be done in a large tank. Be prepared to relocate fish should incompatibilities develop. (From pufferresources.com)
But they only grow to 1 1/2 inches and only need to be in 5 gallons per (planted). You could put 2 - 3 in a little 10 gallon tank if you wanted to have a small grouping of them.

Answer 2

Most people will tell you it is a bad idea because puffers are notorious fin nippers, etc. I have one in a heavily planted 1 gallon desk tank. Heavily is about 6 pieces of anacharis, 6 pieces of cabomba, a moss ball, crystal riccia, and dwarf chain swords, and some other plant that has leaves similar to anacharis. I have about 6 pieces of this unidentified plant. There are lots of places to hide, even in a tank that small. I have a Barbus hulstaerti and a stone catfish and about 25 large black gravel snails, plus a bunch that you don't see because the puffer eats them as soon as they come out of the gravel. I also put a wad of live blackworms (about the size of a ping pong ball) and the worms have lived for months down in the gravel. The puffer, cat, and barb all munch on the worms, and the only other food I add to the tank is the occasional brine shrimp or three. The tank is almost self sustaining. I do a 50% water change about once every two weeks. I have had ZERO problems with aggression with this combo. I am thinking about adding another, but haven't gone that far yet. I am not sure if there will be aggression or not.

Answer 3

Here's another site, just for the dwarf puffers...

http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/

These puffers are a true freshwater puffer, not brackish.

Like the others have said, they can be vicious little buggers. They can easily kill a much larger fish.

You'll want to either raise snails, or some petstores will give them to you if you ask. Petsmart here always gives me funny looks when I ask them for snails, but they're free. :)

That being said, depending on the size of your tank, and decorations in the tank, they may do ok. I have two of them in my 45 gallon tank. It's heavily planted, and I make sure there are plenty of snails in it for them to munch on. I haven't had any problems with them bothering any of the other fish (neons, corys, ottos, plattys, etc) in this tank.

The key is to keep them occupied and the more distractions (snails and decorations/plants) you have, the better.

You can try it, but it's at your own risk. Keep an eye on them for the first few days and watch for signs of bullying on the other fish.

Answer 4

I would say no. Dwarf puffs will antagonize and nip the fins of the other fish. They also can be pretty intolerant of themselves, especially the males. I had 4 at one time, they quickly dwindled down to one....not a good community type fish. Here's a great link with lots of info on all kinds of puffers. Click on the freshwater picture, then the photo in the middle is a dwarf puff with some basic info on them:

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/

.

Answer 5

All Dwarf Puffers are extremely aggressive. They will tear through any fish in your "peaceful" tank. They wouldn't work in your "aggressive" tank either. Puffers are best kept in their own tank or with Otto Cats. They are solely freshwater fish though (Dwarf Puffers, not other Puffers). Good luck!

Nosoop4u

Answer 6

They're feisty, nippy creatures that can work in a community tank if it's big enough, but generally isn't recommended otherwise. You haven't mentioned anything about tank size so no definite answer can be given. Better safe then sorry I say.

Never will trust the word of a store employee - I've seen them steer too many people wrong (including myself when I first started)

Answer 7

I actually just looked at some today and asked a few questions about them
What they told me was that they get pretty good along with any kind of cichlid and angels, I don't know if they would do well with long finned fish because they are really aggressive


Here is some info on them
http://users.tns.net/~tazzy/spotted_puffer.htm
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/puf-nigr.htm
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/McKane_Dwarf_Puffers.html
http://www.aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=77
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Kaiwa_Dwarf_Puffers.html


Hope that helped
Good luck



EB

Answer 8

All the "fresh" water puffers are brackish water fish. but do well in fresh water. watch adding them to a tank with fish that cant hide or fight back while they are not as mean as there brothers from salt water there still puffers.