Pea Puffer Tank

[paularchibald8]

I have recently decided to purchase a pair of Pea Puffer fish also Known as Dwarf puffers the ones that only gett 1" in size. I have owned many type of tanks in the past guppies, gouramis, bettas, killifish, loaches,cichlids, axolotls and i have bred alot of fish too but this is my first time with these small puffers and I currentyl have them in a 10 gallon and will probably move them to a 20 gallon, but i am looking for some suggestions for tank mates for them. I know some people have said just leave them in a species tank but i am gonna give it a try with some others and keep a close eye on them, so I was looking if anyone had any suggestions for some cool fish that arent very large and have a little bit of an aggresive temperment so they dont get picked on. Thank you

 

[lindenthaler.9]

Many people seem to have luck with Otocinclus, personally I don't care for them, but they're the most popular option. I usually keep mine with ghost shrimp without issues.
Also, I prefer odd numbers with the dwarf puffers. If you have enough lines to break up sight I'd add a third, preferably female. In a 20 I'd keep 5.
Keeping any other fish as tank mates is a gamble. It all depends on their personality as you've probably heard. The more puffers you get, the more risk you run of having that one jerk though that hates tank mates.

 

[paularchibald8]

yea i have heard that it does depend on their personality, i have only had them a few days and i am having a hard time sexing them but the 2 i have to this point have been very curious and not done anything, i forgot to mention i also have a very small pleco, (some odd type that doesnt grow large that i picked up because it was a bright orange and i was told it would be fine with them) and they have rarely even gone near him so i think i might have gotten a couple of nice ones, but i want to try something else with them. I agree with you the ottos kinda are too boring for me, so i want something else with some personality, if no other suggestions come about i may just get more of the pea puffers but i figured id ask the community for advice.

 

[sinibotia]

I wouldn't put anything in there without a contingency plan- a store that accepts returns, or a spare tank big enough for whatever you add.

Dwarf puffers can be hard because their attitude for their size is hard to match with other fish. There are much more aggressive small fish (like my multifasciatus) and of course lots of much more peaceful small fish. Your best bet is some fast and/or inconspicuous small fish like glowlight tetras or zebra danios.

 

[paularchibald8]

i have quiete a few extra tanks in case and all stores near me usually accept returns, and i appreciate the advise im just tryin to find something a little different danios are cool but a bit plain for me even the glofish

 

[cgthebeast]

Hmm, maybe a type of freshwater goby or a type of halfbeaks. I relive I read somewhere about a species of them that stay relatively small


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[sinibotia]

Pea puffers really are best in a species only tank, in my opinion. I think most people share that opinion. Kuhli loaches are an option as they stay out of the way enough to avoid most issues. Ottos are possible as well. But most fish are just going to be problematic with the puffer's aggression.

 

[jonathan aqtank]

I have 3 dwarfpufferfish in a 15g tank. They are living with 9 corys and 11 neon tetra. They never attack each other. They dont even care about there tankmates. Tbh they pretty much ignore each other lol.
So you can get cory and tetras with peapuffers.

 

[paularchibald8]

to CG that sounds cool gobys and halfbeaks are pretty cool fish to have i guess i just need to find a small species and to jonathan thats pretty amazing considering you're tank is chalk full of fish and they have no problems! did you get them when they were young?

 

[jonathan aqtank]

I had the tetra and the corys in my 30g earlier but put them in the 15g. The pufferfish where about 6weeks young as i bought them.
I hope that answers your question.

 

[paularchibald8]

yea it does thats cool that it worked out so well

 

[jonathan aqtank]

Yes it is?

 

[jonathan aqtank]

If you got any questions about peapuffers, feel free to ask me. Ill try to answer.

 

[Nils]

Okay well let's see. In a 10 gallon right now, you could do a pair of dwarf crayfish. That's what I keep mine with and they pretty much ignore each other. As mentioned before, otto's are another option and are also ignored. These fish can go ballistic in a matter of days. I had 2 in my 2.5 (I know that was the very beginning) and they were fine for a couple of days before one went total nuts over territory. Needless to say I returned him and had a happy, single puffer from then on. You really don't want to keep flashy, colorful fish with long tails with these guys. I put a single puffer in with 3 cory's in a 10 gallon once, and WW3 broke out (it was pretty one sided though) I do suggest putting the puffers and the pleco in a 20 long and keeping them there. Oh yea one more thing, halfbeaks are aggressive fish and will probably end up fighting with the puffers. That's like putting a full grown oscar with a needle nose gar. Yeah, not good. I'd personally do just puffers, the pleco and 2-3 dwarf crayfish in a 20 long. That's probably what will cause the least aggression and fighting. If You have any more questions just let me know, I can answer them.

 

[sinibotia]

Unless they are pygmy corydoras, 11 neons and 9 corys and 3 puffers in a 15 gallon is way overstocked.

Puffers are very individual fish. Some get along with other fish no problem, some are mean and vicious, and these attitudes can change any time.

Your best shot is to put lots and lots of plants and decorations, and to have inconspicuous fish like ottos and kuhli loaches. Outside of that, tankmates are a crapshoot, so I wish you luck finding more amicable puffers.

 

[lindenthaler.9]

Just to add to that, puffers become more aggressive with age. It can work out for a few months, and then one day they snap. Long term success with other fish isn't likely.

 

[jonathan aqtank]

I already noticed that and ive got 2tanks for the alother fish. So if its not working out for ever they can dodge they puffers by getting a new home .

 

[lindenthaler.9]

Back up tanks are best when keeping puffers with other fish. Hope it works out. If you decide you want more puffers after these guys I'm happy to help. A single dwarf in a 5 gallon is where I started the obsession. Their personalities are amazing.

 

[paularchibald8]

thanks again for the advice guys i ended up going to the store to look around and decided to try out a single Peacock Gundgeon very colorful little guy and am gonna see what happens. Also anyone have suggestions for what type of plants to put in to give alot of cover? i want to plant the tank alot but i dont wanna drop a bunch of money just on plants

 

[lindenthaler.9]

Gorgeous fish. I don't know what they go for there but they're pricey here so I'd definitely keep a close eye on them- especially check for any damage in the mornings.