Dwarf Puffers

[mr86mister]

Now i've had a 3 gal tank for a while and i finally got the 10 to move all my fish over and they are very happy(yay) anyways, my 3 gallon is empty and i need to put something in it.....would Dwarf Puffers work, i only want a pair of them and it will be well planted....any suggestions or comments or advice?

 

[krap101]

im sure it'll work. just that they mostly only eat frozen foods. if that isnt a problem i dont see why not

 

[lannen]

That tank is really to small for a pair of puffers. They are very messy fish and leave a lot of food waste in the tank. Check out http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/
Three gallons would be good for one puffer, but a pair would be tough. You would probably have to vacuum and change the water very couple of days.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

I agree a tank that size is too small for two, but would be okay with just one and alot of water changes.

 

[krap101]

hrm... im sure 1 would be okay with normal water changed. a average dwarf puffere needs 2.5 gallons

 

[rubysoho]

I personally think 3 gallons is too small for just about any creature. Now, with that said I help my boyfriend keep a betta in a 1 gallon (he was in a bowl, so I've made improvement!) but I've put in a live plant and keep the tank VERY clean. I don't even let my boyfriend feed his betta because he doesn't undertand the fact that uneaten food spoils the water. Since puffers are so messy, you'd probably need to do light cleaning every day or every other day. Just my opinion though.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

They only reach 1 inch, and 1 can be kept in 3 gallons. They are indeed messy and thats why I suggested a lot of water changes because 3 gal isn't that big and nitrates can increase quickly. Besides, a 50% water change is only 1.5 gal, not too big of a deal.

 

[Biotoper]

I've have 3 dwarf puffers in a 10g for about 5 months, with a Fluval 202 internal filter and some vallisneria, java moss, and ceratopteris. I have not found them to be particularly messy (they don't really produce any visible waste and I have never vacuumed the substrate), but I try to do weekly 20% water changes, which keeps nitrates <5 ppm. I did have algae problems for a while with long green filamentous stuff growing off the rocks and vallis, but now the tank has stabilized and is very clean-looking. There are some trumpet snails in the tank as well, which the DPs leave alone.

Mine are picky eaters, and generally stare at each piece of food before eating it. Mine reject frozen bloodworms, will eat some live white worms, but mainly live on live blackworms. The nice thing with live worms is that uneaten ones will burrow into the substrate and actually probably improve water quality a bit. The puffers eventually find them and eat them. If you have another tank with pond or ramshorn snails flourishing, they're great to give to the puffers as well. Supposedly they need hard foods like snails to keep their beak in good shape, but mine just pick out the snails, rather than crushing the shells.

 

[greenmaji]

If you give your dwarf puffers baby snails they will be forced to chew up the shell and that is what they need, to maintain there teeth, otherwise there teeth grow out of control and need trimmed.. I really wouldnt want to have to trim teeth on such a little puffer! ROFL!!!!