Dwarf puffer plan

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wantokeeptrout

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Apr 26, 2011
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Ontario
I have been really interested in puffers since I first saw them at the LFS. When the employee demonstrated why not to put them in with community fish, by dropping a feeder goldfish in with some figure 8 puffers :nilly: :WHOA: I became even more interested though I could never hope to get them in my 30 tetra tank:cry:. I've been doing some planning and hope that this might work out for a puffer tank and maintenance:

1: set up a shrimp tank and establish a breeding population of shrimp (5-10 gallon shrimp only planted tank. proceed to step 2 when shrimp are successfully breeding, thinking about ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp (only ones LFS has commonly)

2: 10 gallon tank with 3-10 dwarf puffers(good amount?) heavily planted, overfiltered, added aquarium salt (not brackish level salt) and possibly otto cats or big snails for algae control (if snails are eaten no biggie), use a few shrimp as treats for the puffers and hopefully a few small snails will be introduced via live plants and form a breeding population in the tank. Shrimp and snails? would be the foods that allow the dwarf puffers to wear down their teeth :D

any feedback is appreciated, with luck will be completely set up by next fall
 
Step 1 is fine

Step 2......in a 10 gallon tank you can only have 2 DP's, they need 5g for the first one and about 4g's for every one after that. Also you do not need any salt of any kind. Aquarium salt is only good for medicinal purposes. In a 10g with 2 DP's you couldnt get away with enough Oto's to make them happy, they like to be in groups of 3 or more and that would over stock your tank. Snails would be fine but expect the DPs to suck the snails out of their shells if given the chance lol.

All puffers are very messy fish and thats why they need so much water for their size. Also goldfish are a horrible feeder fish cause of the fattiness of them, they cause fish to have problems.
'
 
and as for foods, shrimps(gut loaded), snails, clams will help wear the teeth down and they will love you for blood worms and earth worms
 
how about a 20, would that work out (3 puffers + ottos)

I just read elsewhere on the site that DP only need 2.5 gallons plus 1gallon per extra DP thats what I based step 2 0n. I already knew feeders were bad. it was the LFS way of preventing people from dropping them in community tanks and come back the next day thoroughly ticked off
 
That is very poor info. 3-5g/DP: http://www.**************.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/dwarfpuffercare/
 
ok Il do a 20 with 3 puffers, 3 ottos. heavily planted and decorated with an oversized filter and a little aquarium salt for the health benefits. Hoping that once the shrimp colony is established I can take a couple at a time as a treat for the DPs
 
Please don't use salt with them. That thing about "health benefits" is a total farce:
http://www.**************.com/forum/library/water-filtration/thesaltoftheearth/
 
Sounds like a plan! Cycle the tank 1st though, so you can stock everything at once.
 
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