Buying Puffers- few quick questions

ShadowVengance

Feeder Fish
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Jul 13, 2005
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I'm wanting to buy a pair of pea puffers for my 5 gallon tank.
either that or figure 8's, but i was thinking the figure 8's wouldnt be comfortable in crampt quarters.

Anywho, Ive read very different things about pea puffers, some say that salt is bad for them and they are purley freshwater, and others say that brackish is all they can survive in.

I also read Puffers need 3 gallons to themselves because they are very territorial and agressive, so could I keep 2 in my 5g? I read that I should buy 3 and the third wheel will cycle out, i'll move the third puffer that they pick on and dont like, and the 2 remaining will be much happier.

the tank is densly covered in plants, so their vision of each other will be obscured.

how messy are they? the tank has a 5g underwater filter, but the tank is small so it would get dirty fast? but than the pea's are yay big ( )

what should the pH be at? is their anything specific i should have? just neutral 7.0? Oh, and also, the substrate in it now is gravel, would it benifit them more if I changed it to sand?

Alright i think that covers everything. thanks for your time.
 

Miles

Stingray King
MFK Member
Jul 2, 2005
5,538
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Spokane, WA
ShadowVengance said:
I'm wanting to buy a pair of pea puffers for my 5 gallon tank.
either that or figure 8's, but i was thinking the figure 8's wouldnt be comfortable in crampt quarters.

Anywho, Ive read very different things about pea puffers, some say that salt is bad for them and they are purley freshwater, and others say that brackish is all they can survive in.

I also read Puffers need 3 gallons to themselves because they are very territorial and agressive, so could I keep 2 in my 5g? I read that I should buy 3 and the third wheel will cycle out, i'll move the third puffer that they pick on and dont like, and the 2 remaining will be much happier.

the tank is densly covered in plants, so their vision of each other will be obscured.

how messy are they? the tank has a 5g underwater filter, but the tank is small so it would get dirty fast? but than the pea's are yay big ( )

what should the pH be at? is their anything specific i should have? just neutral 7.0? Oh, and also, the substrate in it now is gravel, would it benifit them more if I changed it to sand?

Alright i think that covers everything. thanks for your time.


Try 3 at first, they should be ok. If you give them plenty of 'Broken Lines of Sight' they should not have too many issues fighting. Heavily planted is the best arrangement for them, by far. Puffers are very curious fish and love to search through things in search of live food.

F8's would be too cramped :(

Carinotetraodon travancoricus, aka Dwarf Puffer, is purely freshwater. It has been noted in fishbase and a few other references that they can sometimes be found in brackish water, with pH of 7.8+ in the the wild. It is best if you keep them in a stable environment, don't try to fuss with the water too much. I have kept them at 7.8 (tap) many times, as do the pet stores here.

They themselves aren't terribly messy.. Problem is they eat frozen foods, and they can be messy in such a small tank. I find if you give them a 'living' supply of black worms they will stay entertained searching for food all the time. Don't forget to try to get them to eat shelled items so they keep their beaks trimmed. Start a small snail colony, that can help.

Substrate would be your preference ;) I used sand, was easy to clean. Kept them with a clown pleco and 2 killie fish. They shouldn't have tankmates though, they nipped up the killies, but couldn't kill em. Some people have had much luck with a variety of different tankmates, but choose wisely, and expect the worse. :)

These are one of the few puffers that will breed in captivity easily, as well.. Good Luck!

Miles
 

ShadowVengance

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 13, 2005
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Wow thanks a lot. I'm adding a few plants just incase, and I understand most lfs will give me the small baby pond snails for free?

I'm going to switch the substrate to sand, because i think it looks nicer lol.

I also hear the male has a brown strip and the female doesnt, but one without a stripe could be either, so I'ma get 1 with a strip and 2 without.

Also, can they eat ghost shrimp? most ghost shrimp at the lfs are about an inch is that to big for the tiny suckers? ghost shrimp move fast, so far only my zigzag eel was able to catch them.

Feeding them freeze dried blood worms is a good staple food I hear?

thanks for your reply btw, very helpful.
 

Miles

Stingray King
MFK Member
Jul 2, 2005
5,538
152
120
Spokane, WA
If you can buy them large enough to sex them, that's a good.. It's a sign they are healthy and well-adapted. Never buy one with a sunken belly. I often see small ones for sale for as little as $3, but they usually do not do well when they are so young. and could have parasite problems.

The striping info is correct.. They don't show it well until they are fairly large.
Treat them like guppies. All Male, All Female, or a 1 to 2-3 ratio.

I would imagine eventually get the ghost shrimp. Its another 'living' food source that you can add to the tank. It will keep the puffers entertained, and keep your tank clean. As well as something else to watch in your 'micro-tank.' I would dump in 50 every few weeks to my puffer tanks to keep them 'on the hunt' for food, because they 'slowly' find them over a period of time. This helps keep them from pacing the glass.. :)

Freeze-dried bloodworms work, but they don't seem to have alot of substance to them. It would be like humans trying to eat corn flakes forever. :) Give them a variety of freeze-dried and frozen. When they are larger, freeze-dried krill is a much better option, as well as frozen krill. Use Hikari, it's vitamin enriched. Go to your seafood market and get a variety of things to offer them, it's much cheaper. They will usually snack on any of the meats available. Variety is the key. If you can get them eating a type of pellet, that would be the most nutritional 'staple' diet, otherwise a mixture of things.

Glad to see another puffer keeper on board :)

Hasta,
Miles
 

Miles

Stingray King
MFK Member
Jul 2, 2005
5,538
152
120
Spokane, WA
o Yeah.. Brine shrimp is overated. If you do anything like that, Go with Mysis shrimp. Brine shrimp is not 'meaty' enough, and is mostly water content. Puffers enjoy 'chewing' on something with substance. It's like hash browns vs tater tots.
 
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