Dwarf Puffer With River Nerite?

[chean&dun]

Hi guys i've just registered today and got a bit of a problem... well ive got a 20L tank right now with 2 platties and 2 sparkling gouramis, oh yeh and a few river nerite snails (kinda like a zebra but ALOT smaller) + shrimps.
well anyway the problem is im planning on getting a dwarf puffer... im getting rid of the platties anyway and was just gonna observe the reaction between the gouramis and puffer. if worse comes to worse ill have to get rid of 1... my tank is extremely well planted and was just wondering are dwarf puffers able to kill river nerites? by the looks of they're shape and design the puffer shouldnt be able to get into their shell Plus i know they suck them out but their shell are really tough... what do you guys think? THANKSS!!!

 

[nmonks]

Worth a try. I've kept larger Carinotetraodon with Neritina species and not had problems. Try one snail, and see what happens!

Cheers, Neale

 

[chean&dun]

Worth a try. I've kept larger Carinotetraodon with Neritina species and not had problems. Try one snail, and see what happens!

Cheers, Neale

Im guessing with puffers its trial and error then... the other fish i was thinking about was a ram cichlid... but puffers are sooo cute!!!

 

[nmonks]

Ram cichlids require very specific conditions. They are not community fish, and usually die very prematurely when kept under community tank conditions. In particular, they need very warm, very soft, very acidic water conditions; aim for 28-30 C, 1-5 degrees dH, pH 5.5-6.5.

In my opinion they're almost worthless fish so far as casual hobbyists go, and they have an abysmal track record in terms of things like Hexamita and Mycobacteria infections. You will notice that experienced fishkeepers either don't keep ram cichlids or keep them in single-species set-ups; most of the specimens sold in pet stores are bought by beginners.

Bolivian ram cichlids, by contrast, are rather good community fish.

Cheers, Neale

 

[chean&dun]

Ram cichlids require very specific conditions. They are not community fish, and usually die very prematurely when kept under community tank conditions. In particular, they need very warm, very soft, very acidic water conditions; aim for 28-30 C, 1-5 degrees dH, pH 5.5-6.5.

In my opinion they're almost worthless fish so far as casual hobbyists go, and they have an abysmal track record in terms of things like Hexamita and Mycobacteria infections. You will notice that experienced fishkeepers either don't keep ram cichlids or keep them in single-species set-ups; most of the specimens sold in pet stores are bought by beginners.

Bolivian ram cichlids, by contrast, are rather good community fish.

Cheers, Neale

Oooohh they're out of the picture then!! do you know anything about breeding river nerites by any chance? the ones i got were from the local river.. and they've been laying eggs everywhere i know that some snails need like brackish conditions but im not sure because i dont know what specific species they are...

 

[nmonks]

The common nerites in the trade are the polka-dot or orange-track nerite Vittina semiconica; the African zebra nerite Neritina natalensis; and the Indo-Pacific zebra nerite Vittina coromandeliana. These are all true freshwater species, though their larvae may require brackish or saltwater conditions to develop. It is certainly the case that nerites don't seem to breed in captivity, at least, these species don't.

Cheers, Neale

 

[chean&dun]

Oh right i dont think its either of them because i caught mine from the wild... im assuming they are a 'Theodoxus fluviatilis' kinda snail because that what they resemble most. they seem to have acclimatised well and do a good job in my tank. thats why i dont want the puffer to go around killing them all. lol. and ive also got a small colony of red cherry's.. you think they'd be in danger?

 

[nmonks]

It's quite unusual for Theodoxus to do well in tropical aquaria; they are, as you probably realise, coldwater animals mostly confined to Europe.

Some people have had success keeping dwarf puffers with small shrimps, but others haven't been so fortunate. You'll really have to try it out and see what happens.

Cheers, Neale