Minimum Tank Size

[JohnRossDele]

hi, the dwarf puffer section on badmans tropical fish states that

Size: Up to 1" (2.5cm) Total Length
Tank: 2 to 3 gallons per fish
Strata: All
PH: 7.0 to 8.0
Hardness: Soft to medium. dH range: to 15
Temperature: 71ºF to 82ºF (22-28°C)

Tank: 2 to 3 gallons per fish; would i be able to keep 2 dwarf puffers in a 5 gallon, in a moderatly planted hexagonal tank?

thanks

 

[nmonks]

I wouldn't recommend you did so, no.

Five-gallon tanks are difficult to maintain and provide little margin for error. It is difficult to get a heater or filter that works well in tanks that are this small. Much better you go for an 8-gallon tank (the standard 8 x 8 x 24 inch "breeding tank" is ideal) and equip this with a heater and a small air-powered sponge or box filter.

Hexagonal tanks are just rubbish anyway, since they have a poor surface area to volume ratio and tend to lack sufficient space *at the bottom* for territorial fish to define their home territories. Hexagonal tanks are also difficult to light, so plants generally don't do well. Frankly, they are gimmicks sold to inexperienced aquarists, and about as much practical use as a chocolate kettle. Don't waste your money on them.

Next up, dwarf puffers are territorial and apt to be aggressive. In groups of two, the odds of bullying are quite high. Keep a group of four or more, in a shallow but long tank like the one described above, and the puffers can each stake territorial claims without too much conflict.

Cheers, Neale

 

[JohnRossDele]

i was planning on getting 1 anyway so i'll skip the idea of 2,

do you think i should get this package from plants alive and use the left over plants in my krib breeding tank

http/www.plantsalive.co.uk/index.php?_a=...mp;productId=43 ?

 

[nmonks]

I personally wouldn't.

Elodea densa - needs cold, hard water; becomes straggly in tropical tanks.
Aponogeton crispus - only lasts a year, unless you take the corm out and rest it for 3 months per year.
Eleocharis parvulus - very difficult to establish; needs a good substrate and strong lighting, or perhaps CO2.
mini Amazon Sword - no idea what these are, but Echinodorus tenellus is very difficult to get established.
Bacopa monnieri - another plant that needs strong light.
Vallisneria - far too big for an 18" tank; have tried this, and you need to be ruthless about uprooting large plants.
Sagittaria natans - no experience of this at all.
Rotala indica - needs strong light.

If this was me, for a smaller tank I'd sooner get a few hardy Cryptocoryne plants and a bunch of some floating Indian fern or similar. While that pack of plants seems cheap, for £5 plus shipping, you're actually getting a lot of plants that won't thrive and will more than likely die. Each to their own, I guess, but me, I'd sooner get one or two species I *know* will live, and allow them to spread out across the tank.

I'm literally composting bucketloads of plants every month or two, because the species I choose do well in the tanks I have. This means I'm physically removing lots of nitrate as well, which is good for water quality.

Cheers, Neale

do you think i should get this package from plants alive and use the left over plants in my krib breeding tank

 

[eschaton]

I had a pair of dwarfs in a 5.5 for a year. They were totally peaceful with one another until the male matured (when he got a deep, golden color across his belly) after this time, he chased her and bit her incessantly. I ended up giving her back to a LFS within a week of this happening, as I had nowhere larger to rehouse her.

Bottom line - don't do it.

Edit: as for plants, I always had a few small swords and crypts in the tank, along with the 'nana' Anubias. For awhile, I had a carpet of Marsilea, but I took it out eventually. Didn't have floating plants at the time, but I'd suggest the "red root floater" if you can find it.

 

[JohnRossDele]

should Marsilea Quadrifolia; aka four leaf clovers be ok in my tank?

 

[eschaton]

should Marsilea Quadrifolia; aka four leaf clovers be ok in my tank?

I was doing low-tech CO2 when I had them in my tank, but I think they'd do fine in a tank with flourish excel as well, provided you had a compact florescent bulb.