Dwarf Puffers

[Nevergone815]

i have done research on them and want to clear up some gray areas that i have come across... could you help me?

first off i know that they don't do the greatest in salt so a pure freshater is needed. i know all of the recommended water stas but one... what is the right hardness for them? ppm or dH is ok (i know both measurements)

next... i was planning on putting him in a 5 gal US by himslef and then thought..."would he be able to live with another dwarf puffer, an otto cat, a really small pleco or any other tankmates? or would i need at least a 10 gal for this"

furthermore... i was wondering what is the max size of a snail that they could eat? if i picked up a snail and it was 2" big and he was like 1" would he be able to eat them?

also... where is a good place ot learn how to trim teeth (if needed)?

lastly... since i know that they are messy eaters i was thinking that i could use some ghost shrimp to clean up after him. i know he eats them naturally. if i threw in a whole bunch of ghost shrimp and snails to help clean up after him, would he just keep eating them? or is he smart enough not to over eat?

i was told that you should feed them every other day until his belly is full (nice and plump) and feed him a snail every other week. is this true?

thank you for your time and responses in advanced!

 

[SirMinion]

Ok.. A trio of otos would be fine, but be warned that depending on your puffer's personality he might kill them.

Dwarfs will eat any size snail. Snails the size of the fish's eye they will crunch up and bigger snails are sucked out of the shell and eaten.

In my experiance, puffers do not badly overeat. With ghost shrimp they will almost certanly kill them but may not actualy eat more than the fins & eyes. Do not rely on them as a staple food and be sure to remove the dead uneaten pieces of shrimp before they foul the water.
Also remember that both snails and shimp add to the bioload of the tank and with such a small tank be careful not to overload the filter.

I feed little and often rather than gorging them once a week. snails are always available.

 

[Nevergone815]

Ok..

sorry i didn't clarify. i need those questions answered. i don't know them yet.

 

[SirMinion]

Ok..

sorry i didn't clarify. i need those questions answered. i don't know them yet.

My apologies, I accidentely clicked the [Add Reply] button before I'd actually finished typing the reply!

I've now edited the post and answered your queries.

 

[Nevergone815]

A a trio of otos would be fine, but be warned that depending on your puffer's personality he might kill them.

Dwarfs will eat any size snail. Snails the size of the fish's eye they will crunch up and bigger snails are sucked out of the shell and eaten.

In my experiance, puffers do not badly overeat. With ghost shrimp they will almost certanly kill them but may not actualy eat more than the fins & eys. Do not rely on them as a staple food and be sure to remove the dead uneaten pieces of shrimp before they foul the water.

I feed little and often rather than gorging them once a week. snails are always available.

ok thanks for the help.

(just varifying)

*so i should feed them like a little every day (maybe tice a day?) instead of every other
*as for the snails i should have a bunch in the tank to be readily available whenever he feels like eating them aswell as they will keep the algae levels down!
*i won't put the ottos in there (i forgot that dp were little nippers and might kill them)
*as for the ghost shrimp, it ould be better off not to keep them in there unless i plan on cleaning up a lot of their remains (if they do infact get eaten) and still have to feed the dp.
*i still don't know what hardness the tank should be-would 10-12 dH or 100-120 ppm (i beleive they are the same thing ) be ok?
*also with the available snail diet would i be able to get away with not trimming their teeth? if not how would i do this?
*on another note- if i put a large apple snail in there to clean the substrate and algae, would it get eaten? it probably will right?

Ok..

sorry i didn't clarify. i need those questions answered. i don't know them yet.

My apologies, I accidentely clicked the [Add Reply] button before I'd actually finished typing the reply!

I've now edited the post and answered your queries.

its ok i got the edited part when i checked back lol and i responded before it went through lol.

 

[SirMinion]

*so i should feed them like a little every day (maybe tice a day?) instead of every other
*as for the snails i should have a bunch in the tank to be readily available whenever he feels like eating them aswell as they will keep the algae levels down!
*i won't put the ottos in there (i forgot that dp were little nippers and might kill them)
*as for the ghost shrimp, it ould be better off not to keep them in there unless i plan on cleaning up a lot of their remains (if they do infact get eaten) and still have to feed the dp.
*i still don't know what hardness the tank should be-would 10-12 dH or 100-120 ppm (i beleive they are the same thing ) be ok?
*also with the available snail diet would i be able to get away with not trimming their teeth? if not how would i do this?
*on another note- if i put a large apple snail in there to clean the substrate and algae, would it get eaten? it probably will right?

• Once a day or every other day is fine but be sure to have a fasting day once a week.
• The best way to clean up after a puffer is to do it yourself with a fine syphon tube. Remember to remove empty snail shells too.
• In my experiance the hardness or pH aren't too important as long as extremes are avoided. Ours live happily in hard water at pH 7.9
• I've never known dwarf puffers to need their teeth trimming. Don't worry about this too much.
• I know from experiance that an apple snail will have its eyestalks eaten and will eventually be killed. For the snail's sake don't keep them with puffers.

 

[Nevergone815]

thanks a lot for your help SirMinion. i think i have all the info that i need. i am going to get a nice 5 gal for him. thanks again!