Puffers

[Jason6942]

I just got a new fluval chi 5 gallon and wanted a puffer. I wanted to know if the tank was big enough for dwarf one and what is the care and food for them

 

[Terrance]

Yes you have enough tank space for one, and few possible dwarf shrimps that might end up being eaten by the puffer. Just change half the water weekly and feed them pest snails (free at LFS). No flakes, but meaty food like blood worms or live blackworms are great. That is basic care.

 

[Jason6942]

SWEET!!!! can I only have one in there?

 

[Terrance]

yes only 1, more than 1 is asking for trouble down the road.

 

[Jason6942]

What kind of trouble

 

[Krissycakes]

What kind of trouble

If you want more than one, just consider the adult growth and how much room they have. Especially depending on what kind of decorations you get.

 

[wildroseofky]

Dwarf puffers need to be kept separately because they are very territorial and will kill each other if they feel crowded. They also need a mature tank. They are very sensitive to water quality. They are also had to get started feeding. They are usually caught from the wild and not tank bred. You need frozen blood worms and frozen shrimp and will have to train them to eat thawed, frozen food. Live is best but can be hard to come by. I started an earthworm colony for mine so I could feed him baby live earthworms. Unfortunately I used a piece of found driftwood and I believe it contaminated his tank and killed him. Be very careful what you use in a puffer tank. This website has a lot of good info on puffers, both freshwater and salt. The Puffer Forum • View forum - Freshwater Puffers

 

[Jason6942]

Thx wild I appreciate the info. I have a small 10 gallon guppie tank and it has great water(always test 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite even when I do a WC it's like the tank dosent need it just want to vacuum the gravel) can I use that water and transfer it to the new tank and let it almost instant cycle, I have already used a few ceramic bio max in the filter to try and seed it.