Dwarf Puffer Question

[mandi]

I'm just curious about this ...

I stopped in at a LFS that I hadn't visited before (some one gave me a gift certificate there for my b-day). I asked the owner if he ever stocked "freshwater dwarf puffers". I said "freshwater" so hopefully he knew I didn't mean GSPs or something that they always mislabel as dwarf puffers.

His response was: "They're brackish. And I don't order them because they're too aggressive."

Uhm.

Now I haven't owned any dwarf puffers before (I can't FIND them around here *sniffle*) -- but I have read about them, and they most certainly are NOT brackish. So I assume he was confusing them with GSPs or Figure 8's or something, right??

And as for them being aggressive -- I guess you could say they are, because they should be in a species-only tank. But are they THAT aggressive? The way he made it sound, they'd bite your arm off or something.

Needless to say, I didn't spend my $20 gift certificate. The shop specializes in angelfish, and I don't have tanks tall enough or big enough for those. Maybe I'll put it toward supplies when I need them or something instead.

 

[jflowers]

They certainly are that aggressive (Time for SirMinion to post the dead rosy barb pic again ), nasty little b's.

Jon

 

[pnyklr3]

I have been asking a lot of questions on the topic and here is what it boils down to:
1. They will hunt down a fish to nip.

2. If it is a smallest fish, they will kill it. If it is a bigger fish, they will bite it a lot, it will get infected, and the big fish will die.

3. Sometimes, they won't even tolerate a bottom-feeding tankmate. Anything that moves a lot or moves quickly is likely to be bitten.

4. They are aggressive among themselves, as well. You must establish territories in a tank by using plants (heavilty planted) to break up the sight line.

 

[mandi]

I understand what you guys are saying -- that's not what I meant though. I meant, in a species only tank -- 5 gallons to a puffer (or even 1 alone in a 10 gallon tank). So I didn't mean how aggressive they are with other fish. I've been doing a lot of research, and I got that part.

What the guy at the LFS told me was that he basically lumps them in with piranas and things like that, which will possibly attack humans if you sick your arm in there. He made it sound like they were dangerous for people to keep them!! And while I knew they will attack other fish or at least nip & stress them to death, I didn't think that a 1" dwarf puffer was THAT dangerous (to humans)

 

[pica_nuttalli]

well, its probably a variant on other inquisitive fish. i remember that whenever i would clean the female guppy tank, two or three would always have to come over and see if i was edible (i only netted out the males, so they weren't afraid of me at all).

a very friendly dwarf puffer would probably behave similarly. of course, considering their little beaks, its not as cute to be nibbled on by a puffer.

 

[jflowers]

There was a story on here a couple of weeks ago where a dive tour guide had tried to impress the tourists by aggravating a marine puffer to get it to puff. He lost his finger . A DP will probably just give a nasty nip though.

Jon

 

[dwarf-puffers]

i think that thought fish r ment 4 a bigger tank or just by them selves it sed at pets mart that they r semi agresive i have 1 in my 90g tank and its fine it doesnt even chase the guppies it a very good point about the heavly planted tank