dwarf puffers

[brookie]

im getting 6 cardinal tetras and 2 guppies and 2 balloon mollies can i have a dwarf puffer even though they are agressive i heard they are only 1" long

 

[dixaisy930]

Size doesn't matter...eventhough they are small, they are very aggressive. They would rip your guppies and mollies to shreds. Sorry to say they can't be with those fish.

 

[Lithril]

You could always not bother getting the tetras, guppies and mollies and get more puffers Much more fun, loads of personality and sooo cute

edit: agree with Dixaisy, definatley not suitable, Pufferpack has had dwarfs take down cichlids which were much bigger than them.

 

[dixaisy930]

I definately have to agree with Lithril there...my platys and mollies are pretty, but my little puffer can be down-right comical.

I do have to say that I have a freak of a dwarf puffer though...she's in with mollies, and has never nipped them once. But this is a VERY rare exception. I've never heard of another puffer behaving this way. At a lfs, they were ignorant enough to put the dwarf puffers with mollies, and it was absolute mahem...the mollies had no fins left... .

 

[EMdina]

We put two dwarfs in my daughter's tank two weeks ago- with 3 cardinals a cory and an otto- and so far the only one they bother is the otto...If they're looking for snails and he's in the way, they nip on his tail a little bit...but, so far they're doing well with the others...I have a couple of little pots in there, a big rock and tons of plants- so that could be helping...they're still young yet, so that might change..
But, I agree that they are just too cute...
Ericka

 

[Lithril]

If you put Lots of hiding places in the tank, you MAY get away with it, bare in mind thought that puffers get grumpier (and more aggressive) with age and considering that they can live for a good many years (upto about 15 years I think) thats one VERY grumpy puffer (dwarfs are also meant to be the worse for this).

 

[FanOFish]

What if any fish are compatible with a dwarf puffer?

 

[Lithril]

I'm keeping Ottos and a couple ancistrus with mine as a clean up crew, I know pufferpack has a few more different types, I'd be a nervous wreck though with any thing else in there.

 

[Pufferpack]

Ok, to run down the casuality list so far...my Dwarfs have killed a 2 inch mbuna cichlid when they were 1/2 inch long (6 vs 1), chewed up 3 Albino cories (one didn't survive), shredded the fins on 4 Dwarf gouramis( all this in the first week we had them). They have also killed 1 male guppy, 1 male swordtail, and chewed up 2 female swordtails (these were the fish I cycled the tank with and they had nowhere else to go). They (I have 8 now) presently reside with 3 South American Puffers, 5 Ottos (who they ignore), 2 Bumblebee Gobies (really should be in BW) and the 2nd and 3rd generations of guppies (mostly ignored as well). I think they went after the swords and the male guppy because they were a little too aggressive at feeding time and peeved off the puffers (they will work as a pack when they are holding a grudge against another fish).
Bottom line here is no mattter what tankmate you attempt to house with puffers there is a chance there will be trouble. The more aggressive the other fish is the more chance there will be a problem.