dwarf puffers

[Krisvalkyrie]

Question:

Are they very difficult?  From what we have read they can be kind of aggro, but it seems that I have seen people keeping them with other fish just fine.  Would love to get other folks' opinions on that.

Diehl and I think they are just too cute, and we really want some.

Kris

[finfan]

Re: dwarf puffers

i got some last weekend, they are awesome, my experience is less than limited - 2 days :), but so far they have not bothered anyone, but in time they might get more aggressive, in fact others have bothered them, the trick seems to be feeding as they will not take flakes or other dried food, the great news is they are very small and fresh water and they love snails (mine i don't think know how to), if mine learn to eat snails, i am going to start a small snail factory in a jar

[edmlfc]

Re: dwarf puffers

They are really easy to keep. I had some but a friend of mine wanted fish, so she now has the dwarfs that I had. This is her first time keeping fish and they are doing just fine with her also. Their favorite food is frozen blood worms. You can also feed them snails, which I would crush first then feed, freeze dried blood worms, frozen brime shrimp, mysis shrimp or frozen clams. Do not feed krill, it can give your puffer lock jaw. They also do well in groups.

[finfan]

Re: dwarf puffers

edm, i know you have kept them and others have had similar experience as yourself, did u keep them with other fish or just puffers?  i read this article (http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/...f_Puffers.html) and also www.dwarfpuffers.com and i am thinking that i should return mine because i can't do a species only right now and i don't want them to kill anyone else in the tank (except snails of course), i will be very upset if they mess with my awesome checkerboard cichlids or angels or hillstream loaches

what do you think?

[MJY6087]

Re: dwarf puffers

https://www.dwarfpuffers.com

I have kept them twice before....only suitable tankmates would be ottos IMO

[Krisvalkyrie]

Re: dwarf puffers

At HAW, Dan has some in with golden white cloud minnows.  They seem to get along just fine...that is why I was wondering if it was the usual case that this was fine.  I have a tank with swordtails that I thought it would be cute to put a couple puffers in.

Kris

[edmlfc]

Re: dwarf puffers

Right now there are 6 dwarf puffers, 2 german rams, 10 tetra's and 2 cory cats all in the same tank. They have not bothered anyone. I also kept them with my apisto's and never had a problem. I have also seen other people that have kept them with Discus and had no problems. At aquarium wharehouse, Dan has them in some of his personal tanks with other fish and in his planted tanks with the loaches. I think you will be fine adding other fish with the dwarfs, they are not  aggressive at all. At least in my experience they have not been. Now if you have small fry they may eat the fry. But that also goes with any fish.

[Mzungu]

Re: dwarf puffers

I know Tiapan just got some of these himself. He has them in with Heterandria formosa and Elassoma zonatum. While I was watching, the only harrassment the other fish were receiving was when the dwarf puffers would follow some of the Heterandria formosa and try to steal the bloodworms out of their mouth. (Sorry to tell the story for you, Tiapan!)

Personally, I would probably keep them in a species tank. Reasons being that it could be a small planted tank and I could watch them and all their antics.    

Puffers as a whole tend to be aggressive. I would hesitate to put them with anything much smaller than themselves (that would be a feat!) or large enough to try to eat them, which would probably be bad for both the puffer and the fish wanting a meal.  8)