Dwarf puffers!

[Calcifer10000]

Hello all!

It's been awhile since I've been here, it's nice to be back

Anyway, my tanks have been doing pretty well (for once ), been getting lots of guppy fry lately, and saw some zebra danio fry in there too; just hope some of them can survive...

Anyway, I bought two dwarf puffers yesterday; they were so cute and interesting I couldn't resist, and since I've got a pretty good snail population in my 10 gal, I'm not worried about food for them. I've got the puffers in my large tank, sectioned off from the rest of the population because the guy who was selling them said they're aggresive. However, they seem pretty docile to me, despite what I've read about them.

My population consists of (very large, mostly female) guppies, a glass catfish, zebra danios, neon and black tetras, an albino cory and a few feeder fish leftover from when my snake was still alive. If anyone out there has had dwarf (or normal puffers?) and can give me advice as to whether or not it's a good idea to let them mingle with the tank population, please let me know!

 

[Guest]

If anyone out there has had dwarf (or normal puffers?) and can give me advice as to whether or not it's a good idea to let them mingle with the tank population, please let me know!

It's not advised to keep them in a community tank. They are supposed to be notorious fin nippers, to the point of killing small fish, and very much stressing larger ones.

However:

I have 2 dwarf puffers, they live in a 25 with one Siamese Algae eater. They are tiny, he is close to 4 inches long. As best I can tell, they maybe nipped on his tail once. I check regularly and they seem to just ignore each other, fine by me! I haven't had the nerve or need to keep any other fish in there so never really attempted them in an actual community situation. Also, I have so many snails from various tanks, my puffs are always very well fed. Maybe that keeps the nipping down, but I can't say for certain.

 

[Xabien]

If you want to keep dwarf puffers in a community tank you have to keep them fed with blook worm otherwise they will become nippy. It's probably a good idea not to put them in with anything they will outgrow or equal in size. Don't know too much about them though. Good luck.

 

[iheartmyfish]

puffers as a species are quite nippy. they do tend to become a little more aggressive as they get older as well. i have a green spotted puffer with a columbian shark who is much larger and faster than he is, and he still manages to keep her on her toes, so to speak 10 gals does not give your other fish much room to get away, especially with 2 puffers.

 

[DRVNFAST]

I have a 29G lightly planted aquarium with 5 dwarf puffers, 5 adult female guppies, 1 CAE, 1 very nice clown loach and several ghost shrimp. I havn't noticed any nipping, but I do keep them well fed. They seem not to mind the bigger fish, and a couple times I've seen them schooling with the guppies.

Don't plan on many new fry surviving with puffers in the tank.

And 10G might me a little smallish for dwarf puffers in a community enviroment.

If you try it, let us now how it works out.