Finally decided to try dwarf puffers!

[SilverDollar_03]

Hey guys!

This is my to-be tank setup:

10-15 US Gallon Tank (Retrofitted higher wattage lighting for live plants)
Many varied types of live plants (including Amazon Sword, Moneywort, Java Fern, Grassy-looking plants, etc.)
3-5 Dwarf Puffers (dont care if they are male or female)
Ghost Shrimp(great clean up crew, and can be food as well!)

Any suggestions, tips, or comments would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

[SirMinion]

I don't know how big that tank is, but otherwise it sounds good!

Make it a sand substrate and I'd choose one of the small species of bristlenose for the algae as they will also clean up the dwarf's meaty scraps and are tougher than ottos.

 

[SilverDollar_03]

i cant use, and dont want to use sand. the eclipse tanks contain biowheel filters. the sand would get stuck up in the biowheel filter and wreck it, and sand is such a menace and annoyance in a fish tank. would plants grow in the sand anyways??

thanks for your help sirminion, and sorry i had to turn down the sand suggestion. dont want to offend you!

p.s. the tank is 6 us gallons

 

[SirMinion]

In my experience, plants grow better in sand because it is more dense.

I suggested sand because dwaf puffers, like most puffers like to bury themselves up to the eyeballs to sleep.

Also, 6 US gallons is only big enough for one dwarf puffer and maybe one bristlenose (if you can find a small species)

Dwarf puffers are small, but need a lot of room to establish territories, the usual rules of fish-inchs to tank-gallons doesn't apply to puffers.

 

[SilverDollar_03]

hmm...okay. what have your experiences been with sand? anything bad about it, good? can you just please tell me about what the bad things are about sand, because this one guy at a pet store told me i definetly shouldnt get it.....

yeah, i think ill just get a 10-15 Gallon instead...

 

[amazingbioloboydp]

the bristlenose seem like it would definitly be chewed on with dwarfs...

 

[SilverDollar_03]

i know the rule is 3 US gallons to one inch of puffer, so i think im going to get a 10-15 gallon tank instead, with about 3 dwarfs, and no other fish except some ghost shrimp for cleaning up, plus the dwarfs can eat them if they want to...

 

[diVer]

Plecos don't move around enough to get the puffers attention.

 

[Puffer_freak]

I've heard and read that dwarf puffers require a substrate of good quality sand and prefer a brightly lit aquarium.

The Ph should be between 5.8 and 6.5. The best temperature range would be between 22 and 28 degrees c. Thats 72 to 82 degrees f.

 

[diVer]

They like brighter than usual lighting and a sand substrate but they don't need it. I have 2 dwarfs in a tank with gravel and 1 in a tank with sand and they are all fine.

 

[SirMinion]

some ghost shrimp for cleaning up, plus the dwarfs can eat them if they want to...

Those shrimp will last about an hour.

I have succesfully kept bristlenoses with dwarfs for some time and they are a recommened tankmate for dwarfs in the Aqualog puffer book. The dwarfs just ignore them.

 

[WheelmanCA19]

The shrimp will last more than an hour. My LFS sells ghost shrimp 5 for $1.00. I got about 25 of them and they lastest at least a week

 

[SilverDollar_03]

ok cool. so ill get sand, and ill buy higher wattage lighting tubes, for the plants and the fish. ill make it at least 2 watts per gallon. ok great info guys, keep it coming!

 

[HotStuffGal]

Pros + Cons Of Sand IMO.:.:
Pro......It's easy to clean and food does not get caught as if you had Gravel
Con......Your fish may stur it up and it kept clogging my filter
Pro......It looks really good and very natural as a substrate
Con........Some fish will strive better with gravel!
Hope Those helped and Good Luck!

 

[SilverDollar_03]

ok thanks. it would be easy to clean a filter with sand in it anyways, so i think ill go for it. if the dwarfs like it, then sure.