Soooooo contemplating - pea puffer AGAIN!

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evil Nick

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So I have a 30 gallon pretty highly planted.
I have wanted a pea puffer for a long time but I have some decor snails I love. Nerites mainly but one mystery who is my boy!
I was going to buy a 5 gallon fluval to set up for the puffer and throw my bumblebee gobies in with it but I still want to add it to my main tank. Its like my grail fish for some reason.
I have an invasive colony of pond, trumpet and ram horn snails. Would these keep a dwarf occupied enough to stay away from my nertites and mystery or is it not worth the e risk.
Not to sound unappreciative but I'd really like some info from people with the puffers over just theory about them. I know each fish is different as my angelfish is the most docile fish ever yet I have a Molly whos a moose!
Thanks

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I'm getting a dozen pea puffers in a few days myself. I have kept them in the past, in a store setting, and from what I remember they wouldn't go after the larger snails. I guess it could depend on how hungry they get, but the ones we got in were teeny tiny and wouldn't even go after some of the larger pond snails.
 
I'm getting a dozen pea puffers in a few days myself. I have kept them in the past, in a store setting, and from what I remember they wouldn't go after the larger snails. I guess it could depend on how hungry they get, but the ones we got in were teeny tiny and wouldn't even go after some of the larger pond snails.

Thanks I think I'm gonna try it

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I'm getting a dozen pea puffers in a few days myself. I have kept them in the past, in a store setting, and from what I remember they wouldn't go after the larger snails. I guess it could depend on how hungry they get, but the ones we got in were teeny tiny and wouldn't even go after some of the larger pond snails.

actually since you have kept them in a store setting, how are they with other fish?
I see them kept with various fish in the tanks in my LFS but who knows how long they are actually in there in reality.
thanks
 
I don't know what stock you have in your bigger tank, but I would be very cautious about putting a nippy little fish with a specialized diet that can be quite shy in with bigger fish. That doesn't usually seem to end well. Putting it the smaller tankw ith the bbg may be a better idea IMO.
One more note, mystery snails have those long, flowing eye stalks that are quite appealing to any nippy little fish. I doubt that they puffer would actually go for the body of the mystery snail, but it has the potential to bite off the eye stalks of the mystery snails, and it is not particularly good for the snail. Nerites have far shorter eye stalks and they don't come as far out of their shell. They are pretty impervious to most attacking fish. Even loaches that are several inches long have a tough time trying to get anywhere with nerites.
 
When a pea puffer is young it may be able to live with other calm fish. When it matures it will start to make a territory for itself and will attack other fish. Generally bottom dwelling fish are about the only tank mates tolerated. It may or may not attack the larger snails. It depends on how much of an attitude it developed when it matures. They can be very hard to keep. Most are wild caught and come with parasites. Here is a ling to a site all about puffers freshwater, brackish water, and salt water ones. The Puffer Forum • The Puffer Fish Care Community
 
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