dwarf puffer stocking question

[fishhead0103666]

So I was thinking about dwarf puffers while browsing a post about cichlids for some reason and I suddenly realized something. If you have a few cichlids together then they're aggressive, the same for dwarf puffers. I believe that dwarf puffers are like African cichlids in the way that if they are over crowded then their aggression will be diluted. But I was also thinking about the potential waste output so I came up with a solution for that too.
If someone were to have a 20 gallon with a 55 gallon sump hooked up to it with about 20-30 puffers, do you think they would distribute the aggression like with African cichlids? I'm not wanting to try it but I'm curious.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Without cover they tend to stress each other out in high densities,however in a well planted tank you can keep multiples successfully

 

[fishhead0103666]

The general rule for dwarf puffers is 1 per 5 gallons, heavily planted you might be able to do an additional one or two depending on tank size, how planted it is and other factors. What I really want to know is that would they act like african cichlids and keep their aggression to a minimum if stocked like them? Plus lots of plants of course.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

The general rule for dwarf puffers is 1 per 5 gallons, heavily planted you might be able to do an additional one or two depending on tank size, how planted it is and other factors. What I really want to know is that would they act like african cichlids and keep their aggression to a minimum if stocked like them? Plus lots of plants of course.

To an extent yes, but you can't stock as many per gallon as you could African cichlids of similar size, I would say no more than 1 per every 2 gallons

 

[fishhead0103666]

Is it because of an aggression issue, bioload issue, or something else?

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Is it because of an aggression issue, bioload issue, or something else?

At a certain point puffers tend to get stressed out and gave compromised immune systems , basically they can't take it mentally when there to many other puffs,and they go hide,and if this isn't resolved by the keeper rather quickly, they die

 

[fishhead0103666]

What if they were able to get away from each other but the gallonage wasnt increased too much? I remember seeing some pictures where this guy had some acrylic tube going from the tank to another tank. What if there was like a dozen tubes extending out of the tank and possibly connecting together? Like they would have all of the tank to explore and then the tubes to get away from each other. It wouldn't add too many extra gallons but it does give them a lot of space to escape from each other.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

What if they were able to get away from each other but the gallonage wasnt increased too much? I remember seeing some pictures where this guy had some acrylic tube going from the tank to another tank. What if there was like a dozen tubes extending out of the tank and possibly connecting together? Like they would have all of the tank to explore and then the tubes to get away from each other. It wouldn't add too many extra gallons but it does give them a lot of space to escape from each other.

That would probably be very effective

 

[fishhead0103666]

So if that was constructed do you think you could go beyond the 1 puffer per 5 gallon? Like imagine 100 feet in total of acrylic tubes coming out of a tank. The puffers would spend most of their time in those tubes I would think so you could double the amount of puffers of potentially triple or even quadruple it if you had enough! At a certain point it would become a bioload issue but a sump would fix that.

Do you see how I'm thinking?

 

[Deadliestviper7]

So if that was constructed do you think you could go beyond the 1 puffer per 5 gallon? Like imagine 100 feet in total of acrylic tubes coming out of a tank. The puffers would spend most of their time in those tubes I would think so you could double the amount of puffers of potentially triple or even quadruple it if you had enough! At a certain point it would become a bioload issue but a sump would fix that.

Do you see how I'm thinking?

Yes, tho I wouldn't go beyond tripling it, simply because it might trigger a cannibalism fest type thing