Dwarf Puffer

[Super Noob]

I picked up 3 dwarf puffers from Aquatouch today. They are going to be awesome once I get them into the new 72 bowfront and add a few more to the crew. Does anyone have pointers on how best to take care of these guys? I have read many things stating they are peaceful and leave shrimp alone, to other people saying they are aggressive and will fin nip. Are they that different in behavior? Are people confusing species? I have some RCS that are just as big so I don't see him eating any. Just hoping they don't attack just for fun.

I have always loved puffers and their aggression has kept me from these great fish. Hopefully the dwarf puffer is the best of both worlds.

[xJaypex]

idk about cherries but once i added 2 dwarf puffers to my community tank with a 3 inch black knife and the knife got murdered by these little guys.

[DiezelEinstein]

Originally Posted by xJaypex

idk about cherries but once i added 2 dwarf puffers to my community tank with a 3 inch black knife and the knife got murdered by these little guys.

are these the puffers i got from you? If so they must have calmed down. All they eat is bloodworms and cruise the tank all day..

they are slow....so my other fish ouldnt have an issue anyway. havnt noticed any shrimp losses and the 2in puffers is smaller than most of the shrimp or same size.

[fshfanatic]

I have three in a 29 and they leave the adult RCS alone but hammer the babies..

[Super Noob]

If last night was indicative of what to expect then I will be in good shape. I fed some blood worms and the little guys love them. In fact, they ate about 4 each! The bloodworms are the same length as they are, it was wild. At one point a puffer tried stealing one from a shrimp. The shrimp started boxing and won the battle. Once I get them in a bigger tank that is densely planted, I think babies will be able to hide fairly well. I am going to try and pick up a few more in the next few weeks after the new tank is stabilized.

Originally Posted by DiezelEinstein

are these the puffers i got from you? If so they must have calmed down. All they eat is bloodworms and cruise the tank all day..

they are slow....so my other fish ouldnt have an issue anyway. havnt noticed any shrimp losses and the 2in puffers is smaller than most of the shrimp or same size.

Are we talking about the same puffer? 2" is way to big for these. Mine are about 3/8" and I think they max out at less than 1".

[Dan Pellegrini]

if you are talking about these:

http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/

then this is one of my favorite fish. If you keep them well feed they will not bother *most* other fish (some exceptions). They LOVE frozen bloodworms, and this is what I feed mine everyday (for many years now).

The males can get nasty with each other if you have more than 2 in a 72g tank.

They will not bother smaller/faster fish like tetras, etc. But they will attack things like ornate angelfish, killifish and other less quick fish. I have housed mine in a tank of mix tetras for years with no issues at all - other than the males trying to kill each other every now and again.

Also, they love snails - so if you have any fancy nerites, best to put those in another tank. Their attempts at eating them may at first seem futile, but they keep at it for months if necessary until they catch the snail at the right angle on the glass and start to hollow them out.

EDIT: and I have never seen mine bother the shrimp....

[Dan Pellegrini]

This is a female (front in focus) - actually both of these are female:



Notice that she is plump and well colored.

This is a male (on the right in focus) - female on the left out of focus:



Notice the wrinkle lines behind his eyes, less plump and generally a little more pissed off looking

[fshfanatic]

I love these little buggers.

[Super Noob]

Those are the ones. The only fish I have so far with them are the CPDs. Once they are moved to the 72, they will also have some featherfin rainbows. That stinks about them attacking the Nerites. I just bought some really nice ones this week. No biggy. I have 3 right now in a 20L, but I don't know the sexes. Should I stick with only 3 for the bigger tank? I will try and see what sexes I have too.

[Dan Pellegrini]

I have had up to 6 in a 65 gallon - but that was starting to push it. Mine co-exist with CPD's just fine. Not sure about Rainbows though...

[Super Noob]

Originally Posted by dapellegrini

I have had up to 6 in a 65 gallon - but that was starting to push it. Mine co-exist with CPD's just fine. Not sure about Rainbows though...

What was your Male:female ratio? From that site you linked, 1:2 is the minimum to keep everyone stable. I am not 100% but none of mine have wrinkles or a line along the under belly so I may have all females.

Any other small hardy schooling fish you recommend? CPDs are my favorite even if they school at a remedial level.

[Dan Pellegrini]

With 6 I had 4 females... and they would fight sometimes, but seemed to not kill each other

I have had good luck with all kinds of tetras (neons, cardinals, pencilfish, micro rasbora, etc). Surprisingly, they killed an entire school Lampeye killifish once, but other than that, they have been very well behaved. Dario Dario is another cool fish to keep with them.

[Dan Pellegrini]

How much are they selling them for at AT?

[Super Noob]

I saw some dario dario there too, they are next on the list. Those are best kept 1:1? They keep to just a pair so what would be the right number to have? 2? 4? They were around $4-6 a piece.

The Puffers were 12.99. From a little online surfing that seems a tad high, but they were local and healthy so it works out. Some of their fish are quite a bit cheaper than PI, and some are a tad higher. I'm sure it all works out over time. I have a bunch of PI credit to use but haven't found the right item or deal. I may go get some stems to fill out the 72.

AT has turned into an awesome place since I last week a year or two ago. Definitely worth the drive from Tempe.

[fshfanatic]

$12.99? Holy Crap. I get mine at Pets Inc. for $3.99