should i add another pea puffer?

[djsaltynuts]

ive only ever kept pea puffers alone and while observing them it seems like theyd be more comfortable in a shoal but to my understanding puffers are solitary in the wild because theyre greedy predators and really dont need more of their kind. will pea puffers being kept together result in a happier puffer? and my biggest query is that while ive never seen my puffer actively hurt anything he’s definitely nipping his tank mates (which are all bottom dwellers) so if i add another one will the harrassment and stress put on tankmates double ? i would assume it would be too much for the other tankmates to handle with two puffers running around nipping and if this one is relatively peaceful i might not get so lucky on the next. but the only reason im unsure of whether it would be more stress on the tankmates is if the puffers were more distracted by eachother and the aggression stayed between the two. also my puffers never really seem to eat very well and always appear to slowly lose weight so i might get a stronger feeding response with multiple puffers is my hope.

 

[djsaltynuts]

i was also thinking adding leopard or zebra danios could make him feel more comfortable. ik theyd get nipped but i hear things about them being really bullet proof they seem really fast and they inhabit the same waters as the puffer. he starts to surf the glass when i approach the tank so he might feel safer with dithers.

 

[Fat Homer]

Most important question is how big is the tank and is it heavily planted / decorated???

Also, what are the current tankmates that it lives with??

 

[djsaltynuts]

Most important question is how big is the tank and is it heavily planted / decorated???

Also, what are the current tankmates that it lives with??

the puffer was an impulse buy so no light or real preparation but i get free plants with the shrimp from lfs so i throw them in there but mostly for the structure i have 3 pieces of spiderwood from another tank ill put more spiderwood and some rock work eventually. i was planning on making the tank look like a mangrove swamp or something with lots of structure but very little plants possibly java moss. the tankmates are 2 khuli loaches 1 panther loach a mudfish and lots of invertebrates.

 

[djsaltynuts]

sorry i didnt see your question about tank size im using a 10 gal just because i had an empty one set up i might move the setup into a 20 long or 30 gal ive got laying around or just his tankmates.

 

[Deadeye]

One puffer will tanks a 5 gallon territory so another would be safe. Get a female.
I found neons and endlers to be good tankmates also.

 

[djsaltynuts]

One puffer will tanks a 5 gallon territory so another would be safe. Get a female.
I found neons and endlers to be good tankmates also.

do you think the puffer will be made more comfortable and have a better feeding response with another pea puffer or would it be less happy having half the territory?

 

[Fat Homer]

In a 10G thats sparsely decorated with other tankmates then an extra one may cause more problems than its worth as its normally recommended that if you want to keep a group of them to have at least 3 (1M / 2F) to prevent having a dominant one from attacking the weaker one...

So in your case i would not consider adding another one unless you possibly upgraded the tank or decided to setup something like the 20G specifically for a group of say 4 dwarf puffers...

 

[djsaltynuts]

In a 10G thats sparsely decorated with other tankmates then an extra one may cause more problems than its worth as its normally recommended that if you want to keep a group of them to have at least 3 (1M / 2F) to prevent having a dominant one from attacking the weaker one...

So in your case i would not consider adding another one unless you possibly upgraded the tank or decided to setup something like the 20G specifically for a group of say 4 dwarf puffers...

i dont really care to add more ive just heard that they do better in groups from random ass people but all my research points to them being solitary except when young. my puffers never seem particularly happy regardless of cover and i was wondering if it had to do with the lack of its own species. they also seem to eat poorly.

 

[djsaltynuts]

One puffer will tanks a 5 gallon territory so another would be safe. Get a female.
I found neons and endlers to be good tankmates also.

do you ever keep them solitary?