stayoceanminded
Aquarium Advice Newbie
They are quite cute. Are they easy to care for? Friendly? Thoughts, please! 
Has anyone ever owned a dwarf freshwater puffer?
- Thread starter stayoceanminded
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They stay very small so they can be kept in a 5 gallon tank their max size is 1 inch. But they are very aggressive and can be hard to care for. Your tank must be fully cycled before adding them and they really eat only live or fresh foods like snails, ghost shrimp, some small worms, sometimes they will eat frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp. But overall they are very picky. Also a general rule is you can have 1 for every 5 gallons of water.
Kimlafeiet
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2012
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- 680
I adored mine, but he was tough to care for. He was true to his puffer nature, and did not care for tankmates, except for a small school of ember tetras that he never bothered. He was a ravenous eater of snails and meaty foods, and cute as a button. Best personality ever. Unfortunately, I dont think they are very hardy though, my little guy passed away suddenly with no warning or reason. RIP little Chuck Norris!
That being said, I would not hesitate to get one again down the road.
That being said, I would not hesitate to get one again down the road.
Carlos_421
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
They are neither easy nor friendly. I added three to my community tank several years ago and it was a huge mistake!
I tried feeding them frozen bloodworms and they would sometimes eat them but not usually. I then went to petsmart and got a bunch of the tiny snails they get overrun with (they gave them to me for free just to get rid of some). The puffers would stalk the snails until the snail finally came out enough and then they would strike at them (usually successfully) but then they stopped paying attention to the snails.
They eventually starved to death because I couldn't get them to eat anything but in the meantime they did manage to nip the daylights out of my other fish. I once saw a fish darting through the tank with a puffer clamped onto its tail.
So at the end of the day I was left with beaten up fish, no puffers and a bunch of uneaten snails overtaking my tank.
I tried feeding them frozen bloodworms and they would sometimes eat them but not usually. I then went to petsmart and got a bunch of the tiny snails they get overrun with (they gave them to me for free just to get rid of some). The puffers would stalk the snails until the snail finally came out enough and then they would strike at them (usually successfully) but then they stopped paying attention to the snails.
They eventually starved to death because I couldn't get them to eat anything but in the meantime they did manage to nip the daylights out of my other fish. I once saw a fish darting through the tank with a puffer clamped onto its tail.
So at the end of the day I was left with beaten up fish, no puffers and a bunch of uneaten snails overtaking my tank.
Fibsog
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I had one in my 10 gallon. Cutest thing ever! He would come right up to the glass and smile! He was best friends with my red spot goby and my gourami.
wildroseofky
Aquarium Advice Addict
Dwarf Puffers are a little hard to care for at first but are well worth the effort. Here is a great forum on all things puffer. thepufferforum.com
All dwarf puffers are wild caught as babies and it is hard for them to adjust. Tank must be very well cycled. O ammonia, O nitrite, and low nitrates. They may tolerate tank mates as juveniles but get aggressive as they mature. You sometimes get lucky and find one willing to live with a few other fish but not often. Best kept alone. Some will tolerate ottos and ghost shrimp. Shrimp may get eaten and are a good live food source. Ghost shrimp are not that hard to breed. Puffers need to be wormed when purchased because almost all have internal parasites. Frozen bloodworms and snails are the food staples. Raw shrimp can be used sparingly. Raise snails like ramshorns for them. Easy to do. They are very smart and interactive and need a well planted tank wit decor they can explore. Tank decor can be changed around every so often to give them something interesting to do.
All dwarf puffers are wild caught as babies and it is hard for them to adjust. Tank must be very well cycled. O ammonia, O nitrite, and low nitrates. They may tolerate tank mates as juveniles but get aggressive as they mature. You sometimes get lucky and find one willing to live with a few other fish but not often. Best kept alone. Some will tolerate ottos and ghost shrimp. Shrimp may get eaten and are a good live food source. Ghost shrimp are not that hard to breed. Puffers need to be wormed when purchased because almost all have internal parasites. Frozen bloodworms and snails are the food staples. Raw shrimp can be used sparingly. Raise snails like ramshorns for them. Easy to do. They are very smart and interactive and need a well planted tank wit decor they can explore. Tank decor can be changed around every so often to give them something interesting to do.
