(Dwarf Puffers)A quick story, some questions, And SNAILS....

[EdgarMedina1010]

Heres the quick story, I have a 10 gal. tank, it currently has 7 neon tetras, 3 otos, cherry shrimp, MTS, Ramshorn Snails, and common pond snails, Also its semi-heavily planted..... I had a Dwarf Gourami, i had to put him 'away' because he had dropsy (this was on Wednesday, Jan, 17)...After i put him 'away' i did a 30% water change. None of my fish seem affected............................... I plan to take out all the snails (including the ramshorn and common pond snails) And turn my 10 gal. into a dwarf puffer tank...Now here comes the questions, Is it safe to add the puffers now or should i wait a little longer?(Because of the gourami infected of dropsy)....Now also i plan to feed them ramshorn and common pond snails, But also want to keep my MTS snails in the same tank i plan to breed my feeder snails and keep the MTS in something like this http://leesaqpet.com/downloads/pdf/04_COLOR CAT_07.04.pdf the Two-Way / Guppy Breeder… Cat. # 10250.....would that be safe to float in the same tank as the dwarf puffers?..and would the cherry shrimp be ok?

 

[dapellegrini]

Are you taking all the other fish out and then putting the DPs in? That is a pretty tiny tank for that many fish. I would say one or two DPs max, if they were the sole inhabitants with your snails.

I keep 5 DPs in a 72-gallon community tank and they thrive. The tank also includes many types of shrimp (including cherries), MTS, Nerites and your common Ramshorn and Pond Snails. The try and eat all of the snails but are only successful with the Ramshorn and Pond. They tend to ignore the other fish and shrimp. They also LOVE frozen bloodworms. In a smaller space I think they can become more aggressive and may cause more problems. There are a number of others on this board with more experience than I with this fish though, so let's hear what they have to say...

 

[EdgarMedina1010]

Yes, im talking about taking all the fish out (except the otos and cherry shrimp) Im thinking of putting just three (1 male/2 females).... I think thats a good number, i was just worried about the snails and the Dropsy....thanks for your reply..

 

[coldmachineUK]

I don't know if I'd risk keeping cherry shrimp with a DP myself, but that's your call. There's a chance your puffers would hassle the shrimp and stress them to death, even if they dont bite pieces off them...

Dropsy is not an infectious disease, so you're fine to add other fish. It's an internal bacterial infection. However, I would be concerned about how your fish got this, because the cause may be something that could affect the others (e.g. poor diet, something in the water, etc.). I've had mollies with dropsy before - they seem to be particularly prone to it - even with a good diet and perfect water params, so it could just be the fish had this problem well before you saw it develop into visual symptoms. AFAIK dropsy is one of those diseases where, once you've spotted it, it's generally too late to do anything about.

Back to the question: in a 10G I would keep no more than two DPs. One ideally. The shrimp, as I say, I don't know if I'd risk personally. I'd also leave the snails out of the tank, and just put them in at feeding time. MTS are not advisable: there's a risk (albeit based on rumour and anecdotal evidence) that MTS shells are too hard for a puffer beak and will cause damage to the dental plate. Baby ramshorn, and common pond, will do just fine.
I'd heavily plant the tank to break up the line of sight: this is how puffers minds work. If they've stuff to look at, play around, keep them interested, they should bother your other fish less. But, personally in a 10G setup I would have gone for: two DPs, heavily planted, and left it at that.

Good luck whatever you decide, and post some pics once you've got it set up!

 

[JDogg]

in my 10 gallon i keep 2 DP and 1 kulli Loach, they eat ramshorn snails and frozen bloodworm...they ignore everything else. the tank is heavily planted, so heavy that the only time i ever see the DP is usually at feeding time when the come to the front glass to beg and say hello. as far as the MTS, i do not know if it is true, but i am not about to try it and put my puffers at risk.

i tried ottos in the tank, but found a ten was to small to keep then feed with algae alone (they would not touch wafers and veg)

 

[dapellegrini]

Mine live with 1,000's of MTS (large ones and small ones) and I have seen them hunt them on many occasions (though with little success)... They can actually get the tiny MTS by sucking them out of their shell (actually more of a bite and tear like a dog)... I have had no problems but of course can't promise that you won't...

 

[EdgarMedina1010]

Thanks for all the replies and advice, heres the thread that i started a while ago http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=92208&highlight= ...and most people said that 3 DPs would be fine also I have been posting in the dwarfpuffers.com forum and they also agree that 3 DPs would do fine.... As for the dropsy i've been reading that dwarf gouramis are prone of dropsy. As for the MTS they will not be for feeding they will be more like pets... i will only be feeding the common pond snails and the ramshorns....and will keep them all in this breeder http://leesaqpet.com/downloads/pdf/04_COLOR CAT_07.04.pdf the Two-Way / Guppy Breeder… Cat. # 10250 floating in the same tank. The question is if they would be fine floating in there, (There would be no way of the DPs to get inthere)....thanks again.

 

[coldmachineUK]

Here is an article on DPs from The PufferForum.com:
Carinotetraodon travancoricus

Some important things from that:

Might be kept in pairs or groups, but such housing demands a complex enviroment. The tank should be heavily planted/decorated with lots of broken eyelines.

Minimum Tank Size: 5 US Gallons per puffer.

Hope this is helpful information.

Re snails. I personally breed snails in a small bucket, since this was recommended by others, and it works just fine.
Here are some articles:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library.php?p=62
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library.php?p=7
These actually recommend a tank of your size - 10G - for breeding snails.

One worry you might have is how much space the breeding trap/snail trap is going to take up in the 10G tank itself. A fair bit I would have thought, and with 3 DPs in there there'll be even less space than normal.
I doubt the DPs would get in though.

If you're going for three, and the breeding trap, you may need to be prepared for some aggression...

 

[EdgarMedina1010]

Here is an article on DPs from The PufferForum.com:
Carinotetraodon travancoricus

Some important things from that:

Might be kept in pairs or groups, but such housing demands a complex enviroment. The tank should be heavily planted/decorated with lots of broken eyelines.

Minimum Tank Size: 5 US Gallons per puffer.

Hope this is helpful information.

Re snails. I personally breed snails in a small bucket, since this was recommended by others, and it works just fine.
Here are some articles:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library.php?p=62
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library.php?p=7
These actually recommend a tank of your size - 10G - for breeding snails.

One worry you might have is how much space the breeding trap/snail trap is going to take up in the 10G tank itself. A fair bit I would have thought, and with 3 DPs in there there'll be even less space than normal.
I doubt the DPs would get in though.

If you're going for three, and the breeding trap, you may need to be prepared for some aggression...

Yeah, my tank is kinda heavily planted.... so planted (like JDogg's) i dont see my 7 neons until its time to feed....the breeder isnt that big, i already have it inthere for plant clippings, But im still not gonna use it, ill problably get a cheap goldfish bowl and run a airstone, and breed the snails in there....So i guess there would be plenty of space and hiding room for 3 DP's. P.S. - Actually one time i bred a 100+ population of common pond snails in a zip-lock bag, with out a air stone and without water changes....But i plant to do it right this time. THanks for your advice.