dwarf puffer fish

[rajuncajun213cq]

hi, i have one dwarf puffer fish, and i've had him for about two weeks. at first he came off as really cute and shy, but now he's pretty much eaten my tetra's fins ragged. is there any way to get him to stop, or should i just move him into another tank? please help!

 

[Tempestuousfury]

to the forum. Introduce yourself in the newbie section.

Move the puffer to another tank. They are aggressive and should not be kept with fish taht can't hold their own.

There are puffer fanatics here, but I am not sure if they frequent this forum. Try the oddballs section if it doesn't pan out here.

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

yeah puffers are notorious fin nippers, if i was you'd i'd find him a new home or the tetras a new home

 

[mwm]

yah puffers will do that they should only be kept in species tank. Im sure a puffer person will come lecture you soon enough

 

[MAM]

some people have been successful keeping dwarf puffers in community setups. but as said, dwarf puffers are notorious fin nippers. and with fast swimming fish like tetras, they'll be more so. they will sometimes leave slower swimmers alone, they dont' seem to attract the attention.

there is no way to "stop" him other than to either move him or the tetras.

 

[Erised]

Dwarf puffers are known for being fin nippers, so are pretty much all other puffers. The general rule is that puffers should be kept in a species only tank. You Will have to move the puffer to his own tank, and do not add Any fish to that tank at all. When getting him his own tank, try not to get him anything smaller than a 5 Gallon tank. No mirror backgrounds, seeing as this will stress them out and kill them in the end.

Other requirements for puffers are:
Feed them live/frozen food. Flakes will not do for them. Bloodworms for main food with treats like brine shrimp, daphnia, cut up prawn etc. Feed them small amounts, twice a day ... about 4/5 times a week.

They Will need snails once in a while to keep their teeth down. If you dont feed them snails they'll overgrow and cause your puffer to not be able to eat anymore, which will result in death.

I think you might want to do some research

And welcome to the forums!

 

[rajuncajun213cq]

thanks everyone, i moved the puffer to his own tank. he's a really cool fish, and im just sad that i had to subject my other fish to his biting. he was just so tiny, i didnt really believe that he could inflict such damage. he looks kind of lonely now though, all alone, so can i get him a friend of his same species?

 

[Phantom Thief]

You can get him a mate, but it depends on the size of the tank he is in now.



P.T.

 

[SirMinion]

he looks kind of lonely now though, all alone, so can i get him a friend of his same species?

How big is the tank and does it have a good filter? If it's 10 gallons then you could add another one, if it's 20g then you could have two more and a bristlenose for clean-up duties!

 

[rajuncajun213cq]

its a dwarf puffer... in a 5 gallon tank. can i add someone? he looks so sad. and i feel bad. i mean it would suck if i was stuck in a tank alone and i was only an inch long.

 

[Puffer_freak]

Hey, don't worry about him.
the thing about puffers is that no matter how big they are, they are evil. You may want a clean up crew, but you could only have this in a bigger tank. I've heard it suggested having a pleco, some otos or even cories , although cories are supposedly so active (<--I have never kept them) that this may not be a good idea.

 

[SirMinion]

That tank's too small to add anything else.

Cories & bristlenoses are too big, and ottos are too small to share with a puffer, even one only an inch long.

Puffers do fine on their own but if you want to get him a companion, get him a bigger home.

 

[sylvia]

Puffer freak - did I understand correctly? You've never kept cories?!

Rajuncajun - don't worry about getting it a friend. They are territorial little beasts and I'm sure he isn't as lonely as you think. He probably loves having the space entirely to himself.