How rewarding are dragon puffers

[nzeng1111]

I'm thinking of adding a group of dragon puffers to a 100 gallon tank in the hopes of eventually breeding them. I know they are pretty stationary, but I hope that if I get enough, I may be able to get one that is somewhat interactive.
For current dragon puffer keepers, how rewarding would you say they are? Is a 100 gallon wasted just on dragon puffers. I plan to add 5-7 depending on aggression and I will have dividers ready.

 

[Fat Homer]

N nzeng1111 Honestly its a hard question to answer...

As 99% of the time its seriously like owning pet rocks and the only activity you get is when they are feeding...

if you manage to breed them, which isnt impossible and you enjoy the challenge then it can be rewarding in its own right...

but if you are hoping to also get the enjoyment out of the more traditional interactivity with puffer(s) while breeding them, then i would maybe skip them and look for different species of puffer...

so all in all, really depends on what your level of expectations will be with what you are after?

However, if you have the money, patience and are looking to possibly make some money off the puffers eventually, then maybe try breeding some Tetraodon schoutedeni instead, as you’ll get more of the interactivity as well as be able to have a communal setup without the puffers getting overly big...

 

[DMD123]

Dragon's do have a reputation for being pretty lazy.

I have other puffers in the lurker family namely an arrowhead and a hairy. Very different personalities. The Arrowhead is very bold and comes out for food but pretty much that is it for interaction. If it doesn't get food right away It goes and buries itself and then it ignores you until a later time. The hairy puffer on the other hand will interact with me (like a cichlid), begs and watches me as Im in the room.

While they both have their cool traits that make me keep them, if I had to choose it would be the hairy that would be the keeper. I have a feeling that from everything Ive read the Dragon would just sit... If your not looking for a lot of interaction then it probably would fine but they do have a rep for being lumps, lol.