Dwarf Puffers and Tiger Barbs

[JxsPxxle]

So i’m experimenting with these two species. I purchased four dwarf puffers a month ago and they were put in a 5.5 gallon for a week or two while i cycled my larger tank, I guess you could say i quarantined then in there. I have now put them in to the larger tank and... they are only tiny little guys and its a heavily planted tank so most of the time you cannot see them. I did something i’ll maybe regret, I purchased 2 albino tiger barbs, 2 green tiger barbs, and 2 regular tiger barbs. They were all labelled “small.”
When I added these fish to the aquarium they were extremely frantic and had a nip at my puffers. The puffers didn’t seem too bothered and would just sit there and let it happen, but not fight back. They’ve been in the tank now for a couple of hours and i’ve been observing them and it appears that the tigers have all lost interest in pecking the puffers. I was hoping this would happen, but in case it didn’t work out I have a tank that I could set up and put them in to.
Does this mean it’s going to work out? I have no experience keeping tiger barbs but did my research before hand. Might they live in peace but out of the blue go for one of the puffers or vice versa? There’s also 3 cherry shrimp in there with them and the tigers have decided they look like a nice snack, despite being fully grown so i guess i’m going to have to set up my other tank for them anyway .

 

[Byron]

This is not likely to last long (the "peace" I mean). These two species should never be in the same tank. Puffers can be nippy themselves, and should never be with non-puffers; they are not community fish. Tiger Barbs should only be in groups of at least 10-12 (the mixed varieties doesn't matter, they are all the same species but there needs to be more of them). This group of Tiger Barbs requires at minimum a 30 gallon tank. If any other species are to be added, the tank must be considerably larger.

The "tolerance" you are observing is most likely anything but. Fish do not need to react physically to be stressed. Both species here are sending out chemical signals, pherommones and allomones, and these can seriously stress out the targeted fish. Allowing this to continue is weakening the fish being targeted, and it really is not fair to the poor fish.

Most all fish we keep in aquaria include crustaceans in their diet when these occur in the habitat (and they frequently do), so it is common for most fish to regard shrimp as food.

 

[JxsPxxle]

This is not likely to last long (the "peace" I mean). These two species should never be in the same tank. Puffers can be nippy themselves, and should never be with non-puffers; they are not community fish. Tiger Barbs should only be in groups of at least 10-12 (the mixed varieties doesn't matter, they are all the same species but there needs to be more of them). This group of Tiger Barbs requires at minimum a 30 gallon tank. If any other species are to be added, the tank must be considerably larger.

The "tolerance" you are observing is most likely anything but. Fish do not need to react physically to be stressed. Both species here are sending out chemical signals, pherommones and allomones, and these can seriously stress out the targeted fish. Allowing this to continue is weakening the fish being targeted, and it really is not fair to the poor fish.

Most all fish we keep in aquaria include crustaceans in their diet when these occur in the habitat (and they frequently do), so it is common for most fish to regard shrimp as food.

I’m not exactly new to fish keeping but i haven’t been doing it for as long as most people as i’m only a kid. I’m going to have to try and get another tank to house one of these two species, wether it be the puffers or the tigers, and obtain more tigers to go in with the others. For now, I will continue to add more plants and make them cover a lot of the tank as to block lines of sight.
I have been told some wrong information about these puffers at my lfs. I was told they would do fine in a 5 gallon tank, 4 of them which is obsurd. I was also told shrimp would do fine with these fish and that a group of 6 tiger barbs would be fine with some puffers. I guess I should ask here instead from now on.

 

[Byron]

I’m not exactly new to fish keeping but i haven’t been doing it for as long as most people as i’m only a kid. I’m going to have to try and get another tank to house one of these two species, wether it be the puffers or the tigers, and obtain more tigers to go in with the others. For now, I will continue to add more plants and make them cover a lot of the tank as to block lines of sight.
I have been told some wrong information about these puffers at my lfs. I was told they would do fine in a 5 gallon tank, 4 of them which is obsurd. I was also told shrimp would do fine with these fish and that a group of 6 tiger barbs would be fine with some puffers. I guess I should ask here instead from now on.

Yes, we all quickly learn that advice from a fish store is in most cases unreliable. If the store is owned and staffed by aquarists who have themselves researched, they can be a great asset; but unfortunately such stores are very few. There is an incredible amount of inaccurate misinformation on the internet too, sadly. One has to know the credibility of the source before it can be trusted.

It would be better to separate the two species now; just being in the same water is the problem, and breaking up lines of sight cannot help with the problem here, as it sometimes can with hierarchies within a species. This is a very different issue you have. Perhaps the store will take them back, until (if) you can acquire a suitable tank? It would be more humane to the fish.

 

[JxsPxxle]

Yes, we all quickly learn that advice from a fish store is in most cases unreliable. If the store is owned and staffed by aquarists who have themselves researched, they can be a great asset; but unfortunately such stores are very few. There is an incredible amount of inaccurate misinformation on the internet too, sadly. One has to know the credibility of the source before it can be trusted.

It would be better to separate the two species now; just being in the same water is the problem, and breaking up lines of sight cannot help with the problem here, as it sometimes can with hierarchies within a species. This is a very different issue you have. Perhaps the store will take them back, until (if) you can acquire a suitable tank? It would be more humane to the fish.

I did not know that a small group of tiger barbs needed such a large tank, and I was not prepared as my lfs gave me false information. All I can do right now is move them to a 5.5 gallon tank which would be almost pointless, maybe I could though.

 

[Byron]

Seriously Fish is the source most of us here turn to for very reliable species information. Their page on Tiger Barb:

Puntigrus tetrazona – Tiger Barb (Puntius tetrazona, Systomus tetrazona) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

They recommend a tank with base dimensions of 80cm by 30 cm (this is basically the 30 gallon I mentioned depending upon height) and a group of 8-10 in this space. This excludes any other fish obviously as they are minimums for this species alone.

I do not know the puffer species, but you can search it on SF. Putting the TB in a small space is going to increase their aggressiveness as that is pretty much the only way a fish can respond to unsuitable environmental conditions. Won't they take them back? I'm only concerned over your fish.

 

[JxsPxxle]

Seriously Fish is the source most of us here turn to for very reliable species information. Their page on Tiger Barb:

Puntigrus tetrazona – Tiger Barb (Puntius tetrazona, Systomus tetrazona) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

They recommend a tank with base dimensions of 80cm by 30 cm (this is basically the 30 gallon I mentioned depending upon height) and a group of 8-10 in this space. This excludes any other fish obviously as they are minimums for this species alone.

I do not know the puffer species, but you can search it on SF. Putting the TB in a small space is going to increase their aggressiveness as that is pretty much the only way a fish can respond to unsuitable environmental conditions. Won't they take them back? I'm only concerned over your fish.

Right so i’ve decided the right thing to do is take back the tiger barbs. It was a mistake, but my lfs has some otocinclis coming in on Tuesday so i’m hoping to get store credit and basically swap them for a group of 4 otocinclis, this should be fine right ?

 

[Byron]

Right so i’ve decided the right thing to do is take back the tiger barbs. It was a mistake, but my lfs has some otocinclis coming in on Tuesday so i’m hoping to get store credit and basically swap them for a group of 4 otocinclis, this should be fine right ?

I don't know what other fish you have in the tank you intend putting the otocinclus. I hope it is not in with the puffers?

 

[JxsPxxle]

I don't know what other fish you have in the tank you intend putting the otocinclus. I hope it is not in with the puffers?

It is with the puffers yes, every website will say that otocinclis is the best, if not only tank mate for them. Is this information false?

 

[Retired Viking]

I had puffers years ago, I had two and the first thing they did was kill my fiddler crab. They are very aggressive and territorial. They will even go after snails. I would keep them in a tank by themselves.

 

[Byron]

It is with the puffers yes, every website will say that otocinclis is the best, if not only tank mate for them. Is this information false?

Seriously Fish does suggest smaller loricariids, especially Otocinclus species, to be a "decent choice" for the dwarf puffers. I have no personal experience so I can't argue the point, but other members on this forum have advised against it in older threads as well as above, and given the nature of the species it would seem advisable to keep them on their own. The tank size is not mentioned, but if sufficient perhaps a few more puffers?