Switching tanks?

[mccl0e]

So I have had my three pea puffers for a few months now. They are in with 3 small catfish, i forgot what kind they are but they are not to big. They are all in a 20 gallon tank. I also have a 5.5 gallon to breed snails for the puffers. I had a glow fish in that one by itself for a while so it wasn't too boring. I recently got some guppies to put in with it and the glow fish is aggressive towards them. Do you think it would survive in my puffer tank? The puffers don't seem to be too aggressive.

 

[TeenyFish]

Okay, so, the short answer is no.

The long answer is a bit more harsh, I'm sorry...

The cats (assuming that's one in the middle of the second pic) are corys. Corys should be kept in a minimum group of six so they can be happy and healthy and display natural behaviours.
Someone else here will be able to tell you the exact kind; I'm not all that up on cory info.

The one glo fish also needs at least five buddies, as above. There are a few different types of glo fish, you need all the same type.
No fish other than a betta should be kept in a 5.5g. It's too small for even the smallest fish to really swim around and be healthy.
The glow fish will be behaving aggressively because it already has no space, and now it has intruders, which also shouldn't be in there.

I wouldn't put anything in with your puffers other than maybe some ottos, which seem to be immune to puffer-pickin. They may seem tame now, but as they reach maturity they turn aggressive and attack pretty much anything that moves.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news

The good news is: puffers can be real sensitive, so good job on keeping them going
Snails can also be super-sensitive, bad keeping a 5.5g safe can be super tricky, so good job there too.

I love the second pic. Tank looks beautiful

 

[mccl0e]

Wow thanks for the info! My LFS said I could have 5 guppies in the small tank... I trusted them [emoji30] Sooo if you were me, how would you fix these tanks, because after your advice it looks like I goofed up. Also forgot to mention I added 2 Otos to the puffer tank as well. The lfs said the puffers wouldn't bother them and the corys would be fine.

 

[TeenyFish]

Believe me, you are not the first person to be told incorrect info from a lfs and expect them to know what they're on about (read: been there, done that).

Options aren't great, to be honest...

1. Return the glo fish, guppies, and corys. See if you can get some more ottos in exchange (also need six of them), and a betta if you want a fish in the 5.5g.
(If going for a betta, inspect the fins carefully before buying. Make sure there's no white/brown/black patches on them, and the edges appear clean. Pet stores are notorious for dodgy bettas).

2. Get a second 20g tank. Put the corys, glo, and guppys in there. Up the glos and corys to six, and leave the guppies as they are. How many guppies are there? In a 20g tank you could probably add a couple more of each school.

3. Keep your fingers crossed and hope it all works out (not a good option).

Personally, if I had the money (I don't) and the space, (I don't...) I'd go for option 2, because more tanks, yay [emoji7].
Option 1 may suit your situation better.

If you'd seen the mess I got into with my first tank, you'd realise a couple guppies are nothing to worry about, trust me.
That's why we come here. We can learn and make our fishies lives better, which in turn makes our lives better ☺

 

[mccl0e]

Yeah adding another tank is not an option and I can no longer return any of the fish. So I guess I have to leave them how they are and see what happens.

 

[Pimp My Fish]

I keep my 1 male and 1 female pea puffer with otos and neons and they do perfectly fine with no aggression or nipped fins whatsoever (If anything adding the tetras neons reduced the scuffles between the two puffers for some reason), but I have a pretty heavily planted tank with lots of plants and driftwood for them to swim around. It worked out for me but it was a gamble.If you do go the route of adding the glofish be careful as pea puffers can be very unpredictable, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. The male pea puffers are also far more aggressive than females so keep that in mind. Make sure there are lots of hiding spots and plants for the fish to dart to. If you notice any nipped fins then break it up immediately.