Dwarf Puffers

[BigIan]

i know there main diet is snails but keeping a constant supply of the critters going will just become a pain,

so do they eat any thing else? or is keeping a snail population easy?

 

[severina]

i know there main diet is snails but keeping a constant supply of the critters going will just become a pain,

so do they eat any thing else? or is keeping a snail population easy?

Its pretty easy..all you need are snails and water, and before you know it you will have too many snails for your fish to eat.

 

[Myuu]

Snails shouldn't be the staple of their diet. Snails aren't that nutricious, I don't think. You should feed them frozen blood worms, much more nutricious. You could also feed them brine shrimp and blackworms as treats.

As for breeding snails, it might take a while. But you won't be able to breed snails in a DP tank, as they will kill the snails. You'd need to set up a separate tank. But once you have a snail tank going, I don't think you could run out very fast.

But yeah, bloodworms.

 

[Fella]

With puffers (like most fish) varied diet is key to success. Feeding snails is something they enjoy, but they will also appreciate bloodworm, blackworm, tubifex and small earthworms, as well as tearing meat from cockle and mussles.

 

[BigIan]

thank ye people great help,

hope ii can be of service to you lot one day

 

[Teelie]

Snails are an important part of the diet too. They need to bite on the shells to help keep their teeth short.

 

[Fella]

Snails are an important part of the diet too. They need to bite on the shells to help keep their teeth short.

I haven't found that to be particularly important with the dwarf puffers I've kept. With other puffers yes, but with dwarf puffers less so. I do however keep rocky tanks which they nibble at, and sandy substrate which I'm sure helps also. I would add snails for dietary reasons first, for dentistry reasons second.

 

[Teelie]

If their teeth get too long to eat, then there is no diet though.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

growing teeth isnt normally a problem with dwarf puffers, more for other puffers

 

[Fella]

If their teeth get too long to eat, then there is no diet though.

Like I say, Ive never had a problem with my DPs having overgrown teeth, and I dont know anyone else who has either. And Ive never seen a photo of a DP with overgrown buckteeth, unlike SAPs and other puffers.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Yay, looks like were getting some.

wanted DP's for ages, getting our new 30g on friday and were stripping it right down and starting over for the DP's

should be a nice constrast, will now have in my living room a massive big chiclid tank, an agressive community set up (i.e. gourami's, small chiclids etc) then my dp's.

 

[BigIan]

stupid question but i keep getting conflicting tales, are DP`s brackish or freshwater???

 

[Teelie]

They're freshwater. I'm kind of surprised this isn't in Oddballs yet or no one posted the link.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=136616

 

[BigIan]

thanks teelie


would say 10 DP`s in a 30 gallon be overstocking do you think? if its heavily planted and lots of caves ect for the fishys

 

[Teelie]

I'm not a puffer keeper but having kept messy fish in the past, I'd say don't over do it. Maybe do 5 or 6 in a 30. Fella or any of the other keepers would know better.