Dwarf Puffer Info..

[Balloons&killies]

Hi Everyone!

I always wanted a puffer but i always thought they were brackish or marine until i seen these guys.
There just sooo cute!!
I was thinking i need a new stocking idea when i get my 30g so i thought about these guys!
I need some good information like:

1: Are they toxic???
2: What kind of tank mates???
3: Do all puffers,when coming into a new tank need d-worming???
4: What kind of tank mates???
5: Could i feed them frozen brine shrimp???
6: How many could i keep in a 30g???
7: Do they bite your fingers when you stick them in the tank or do they just bite people in general???
8: Do they breed in captivity???
9: How long do they live???

Thanks: Garett

 

[nmonks]

1: Are they toxic???

Only if you ate one. They don't secrete poisons through their skin.

2: What kind of tank mates???

None.

3: Do all puffers,when coming into a new tank need d-worming???

No.

4: What kind of tank mates???

Rocks, plants, bogwood roots. That sort of thing. They are nippy and territorial. Best kept by themselves.

5: Could i feed them frozen brine shrimp???

Not all the time, no. Adult brine shrimp contains very little nutrition. Once a week it's fine, but the rest of the time should be suitable live and wet-frozen worms: blackworms, bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp nauplii, etc.

6: How many could i keep in a 30g???

Allow 10 gallons for the first 3, and then 2-3 more every 10 gallons on top of that.

7: Do they bite your fingers when you stick them in the tank or do they just bite people in general???

Neither.

8: Do they breed in captivity???

Yes, but it isn't common. They're difficult fish to keep well, and as with all puffers, the fry are very small and need careful rearing.

9: How long do they live???

Between 3-5 years.

Cheers, Neale

 

[lilacamy931]

Hello welcome to the world of puffers, dwarf puffers are extremely cute and to answer your questions

1. Only if you eat them
2. Pretty much nothing but each other, some people have luck with the likes of otos but these will attempt to eat anything
3. I didnt but from reading on others would say it is a VERY good idea. Depending where you are you can get dewormer for £6ish
4. Refer to number 2
5. If they will accpet it yes, a good staple for them is bloodworm and snails, but varied diet is good too.
6. Some go by different rules, a general rule of thumb is 1 per 5g so you could have 6. I went by and so have some others 1 for the first 5 g and 3g for each additional but it depends how you plant the tank up and also filtration, etc.
7. They do nip which shocked me the first time, not because it hurt or anything but they were my first fish and it was generally shocking, it is pretty darn cute. puffs generally nip anything to see if it is edible
8. Yep the do, some of the members on here have (believe iSnail and Jennybugs?)
9. That unsure of but they do live a very good number of years for their size.

Things extra to know:
When getting more than one of these guys you need to get a good ratio of 2-3 females to a male to lessen aggression. You can tell when they have matured as generally the males have blue eye wrinkles and a dark line down their belly (though sometimes this can just mean the dominant puff). When they are juveniles it can be quite hard to tell.

The tank itself needs to have many interesting things in it and line of sites broken to keep the aggression down and as these are intelligent creatures keep them interested!

Hope that has helped!

EDIT Just seen reply before - go with that!

 

[Balloons&killies]

Thanks guys!

I think i will get 3 for it and maybe an oto
I will try to have it densly planted or not lol!depends.
How any times do they need snails??


Thanks:Garett

 

[nmonks]

Snails should be given as often as practical, ideally once a week or more. It's less critical than for some of the bigger puffer species, but it's a good idea nonetheless.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Balloons&killies]

Ok that sounds pretty good.
Ok i know this is kind of a stupid question but do they actually puff up to a ball?
how much would 3 puffers be?(in canadian $)

 

[nmonks]

Ok i know this is kind of a stupid question but do they actually puff up to a ball?

Not commonly. Their genus name, Carinotetraodon, actually refers to a keel ("carina" being Greek for keel). Males raise the keel when displaying to one another or trying to entice the females. You're much more likely to see this structure than the whole fish inflate. Happy puffers hardly every puff up. They occasionally do so purely to exercise the muscles, but most aquarists aren't around to see this. But if you look on my web site, here, you'll see a South American puffer inflating because I'm trying to get him ready to have his teeth trimmed. Don't try and make your puffer puff: by definition, anything that makes a puffer puff is scaring him!

How much would 3 puffers be?

Not much. In England at least, these fish cost between £2-3 each.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Balloons&killies]

Oh well i hopefully dont scare them because i do like to change things around in my tank often.
Ok so about 3 puffers here would probibly be atleast 1o-15$(not cheap lol)

What kind of setup should i go for?

I was thinking A chunk of bogwood.with that grass stuff on it(sorry dont know the name)
A big rock pile in the corner with like ferns and amazon swords.
And then sand for the gravel.

 

[nmonks]

The best stuff for decor is bogwood or lava rock, with lots of Java fern and Java moss tied down initially with black cotton. These plants break up the line of sight, and both bogwood and lava rock create a complex habitat with plenty of burrows and caves.

Cheers, Neale

 

[Balloons&killies]

Ok well im probibly going to petland so ill see if i can get them there.
i will check into the lava rock and everything
is lava rock all holy?

Ill keep this updated.

 

[Balloons&killies]

Ok well im probibly going to petland so ill see if i can get them there.
i will check into the lava rock and everything
is lava rock all holy?
Im going in an hour to check at my lfs for them wish me luck!!!

Ill keep this updated.