Dwarf Puffer with Tiger Barbs?

[jah29]

I know dwarf puffers are very territorial, but would I be able to get away with having one dwarf puffer in a 55g tank with 20 tiger barbs???

 

[Fat Homer]

Not sure what the temperament of a tiger barb is like, but i think the dwarf puffer may decide the fins of the barbs look like a nice snack...

 

[busterbrown]

tiger barbs are pretty wild after you get a pack of 6 or more. I had a pack of 15 and they would destroy anything i put in the tank with them. I got rid of those evil little bastards

 

[Racersk]

My wager is on the dwarf puffer, but the barbs are pretty quick. I say try it, worst case have a backup plan for the barbs to remove them from the puffer's tank.

 

[MonsterMinis]

if by dwarf puffer you mean a pea puffer... doubt it would work on a few fronts.. the main one being food competition, and aggression. they stay tiny.. and tiger barbs get big enough imoo they may try and eat it. once they zero in on it.. won't take long for them to kill it. and if that doesn't happen the puffer is likely to go after the barbs.

 

[postshawn]

I'll have to see if the LFS has tiger barbs in a show tank that I know has puffers. I don't know much about puffers but this place has a show tank that is heavily planted. It has at least 2 dwarf puffers (size around a pinky finger to thumb width). There are tons of other fish in there including neons, discus, congo tetras, shirmp of some sort, etc. The puffers are always playing together and darting in and out of the vegetation. The LFS guy told me if the puffer is not the only one and as long as there is enough plants of for the weaker of the fish to hide then it was fine, at least in that tank. It's a 90g bowfront tank and the whole bottoms is covered in plant growth along with about 50% of the rest of the space with plants in the tank. It's my favorite local tank that I've seen.
So not sure in your case but would probably increase you chances of survival for either party if there was enough plants and hiding places. Let us know what you do and how it works out.

 

[Redearsunfish]

I think you'd have an eventual school of bitten fish on your hands. I'd guesstimate that a few would be lost now and again. Depends on the individual puffer. Tiger barbs have kept their own aggression to themselves in my tanks over the years.

 

[TheSwampFox]

Puffer would likely tear their fins to shreds.

 

[Carefree_Dude]

if your tiger barbs ended up anything like mine, that puffer wouldn't stand a chance. i had a school of about 8 tiger barbs tear apart a 6" oscar.