thinking of getting a puffer, but what kind?

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paytertot

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Ok I have a 5 gallon tank and I was thinking maybe a dwarf puffer would be good in that tank..? Correct me if I'm wrong though, please. Do I have any other options? And is the dwarf puffer really freshwater? I'd like to know of any fresh or brackish water puffers that would be compatible with a 5 gallon tank, if any. I don't know much about puffers obviously but I'm researching.
 
Pretty much only pea puffers (aka dwarf puffers) would be good for a 5 gallon. In my experience you can keep a group of them in a 5 gallon with no problems. They are pretty messy though, and it's generally reccommended to do about a 40% water change every week. They're so cute and fun to watch!! The only problem I've had with mine is getting them to eat. Mine went on a hunger strike for the first week! I tried everything from flakes to bloodworms to live guppy fry, but finally they decided they like chopped up freeze dried krill and frozen mysis shrimp. And yes, they are completely freshwater!
 
5 gallons is pretty small for more than one. I'd just stick to one IMO. Also, yes, they are completely freshwater and the only puffer that would work in that size tank. Terrance has a good profile on them in the fish profiles section.
 
my green spotted puffer hand feeding

Puffers aren't really a good choice for a 5g. They are generally brackish at the very least to be happy, even pea puffs need a tiny bit of salt, and the genetic engineering is questionable. My Puffy eats EVERYTHING that moves and I really wouldn't suggest keeping more than 1 puffer, they are high strung, snooty and can be very mean. Here's a link to me hand feeding my gsp



Puffy snacking on freeze dried krill | Facebook
 
I second the mention of Terrance. I know he's pretty well educated on puffers.

you could do a single in a 5 gallon. I'm not 100% on the fresh water to salt water aspect. It's pretty debated it seems. I've read, and it makes sense to me, that people often believe they are fresh water because they are often caught in fresh water areas but they actually travel to fresh water to spawn and actually live most of their life in brackish waters.

I've also read a lot of peoples experiences where they swear there is no difference in the life span of them whether kept in brackish or fresh water and others that say brackish will extend their life. I think it's going to be really hard to ever find out for sure but if you could add some salt then it certainly wouldn't hurt.

The only other puffer I'm aware of that is often thought of as fresh water is a figure 8 but they are larger and need a much larger tank. Pretty overaggressive little turds too I believe.

If you do decide on one I hope you post pictures!
 
I may be wrong but don't the puffers secret a substance when they die that can kill the entire fish population? Just something to think about!
 
I've actually read some places where they say that the lifespan of the dwarf puffers are actually shorter when in brackish water.

I only recommend one in a 5 gallon, with heavy filtration. They are pretty messy.
 
So I'm thinking of doing the same thing.

The research indicates that only the Dwarf puffers are suitable to maturity with fresh water. Every other puffers needs brackish to heavy salt water eventually or they'll be unhealthy as they grow.

The dwarf puffers also seem to be able to live as a group in a tank as small as 5g. Probably not a good idea to get more than 3 or 4.
 
I know the whole "3gallons per dwarf puff" rule, but honestly I've had mine in a 5 gal, 100% freshwater setup for years, with 4 puffs, and they haven't had any problems. They also don't have heavy filtration or water changes as large as are normally suggested, yet every single week their water test results are 0.0 ammonia, 0.0 nitrite, and 5 ppm nitrate. All of their parameters are the most stable and ideal of all my tanks, despite being "overstocked and under filtered". But that's just my two cents
 
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