New Dwarf Puffer Owner!

[Saucy]

So today I was at my LFS and was looking at bettas, had one all picked out when I asked the lady if they had any dwarf puffers. Luckily enough, they had ONE left... so I snatched him right up. I've been reading up on them, and they're quite fascinating to me.

So right now, I have him in about a 4-5 gallon acrylic tank with a few plants (don't worry, I'm going to get some live ones soon) and a coffee cup on glass marbles. Is this an OK substrate for him??

The lady there told me to use brackish water, but on here it says not to. Please tell me the right way, please!!

He's a green and yellow spotted dwarf that's about 3/4" long, if that. And named fittingly, Godzilla...

So I just read another thread about using snails in the tank as a source for live food. Right now I'm using frozen brine shrimp, but he didn't seem too interested in eating tonight. Anywho, what kind of snails should I think about getting and how many in my size tank? I know I'll end up with a whole lot more, but a starting number is appreciated.

Also, how often should I be cleaning his tank? I know snails are quite messy, so I'm assuming sooner than later.

Thanks for all your help in advance!! - Alison

 

[pica_nuttalli]

green and spotty? are you *positive* its a dwarf? how's about you double check that for us real quick... several people have brought in stories of "dwarf puffers" that were actually completely misidentified...

 

[Saucy]

Wow yeah, I totally meant to say striped. Hah... sorry about that. No, he's definitely not a leopard puffer. Dwarf completely.

 

[Puffer_freak]

Dwarfs are MOST DEIFINATELY freshwater. your substrate is OK, although sand would be much better!

 

[Erised]

Dwarfs aren't striped either. I think you're probably talking about a South American Puffer, not too sure though.

 

[Puffer_freak]

Dwarfs aren't striped either. I think you're probably talking about a South American Puffer, not too sure though.

I thought you could get striped? And spotted (well, you know what I mean) is just the most common...I'm sure I've seen a striped variations in some pictures...

 

[hellohefalump]

is it stripey and bumblebee like? thats a collomesus asellus, lovely fish, teeth need trimming though. don't grow too big, eat lots of snails.

 

[mandi]

I've had a couple LFS try to sell me young Green Spotted Puffers claiming they were dwarf puffers too ... and they get much bigger than dwarves and are brackish. It concerns me that the lady at the LFS TOLD you they were brackish -- it sounds like maybe they aren't true dwarf puffers. Any chance you could get a picture?

Also, avoid brine shrimp -- they're not a very nutritious food source and are better just for treats. Try frozen bloodworm instead. I've had pretty good luck with it so far. I feed it using tweezers and sort of "swish" it around a little dangling it in front of his face to get his attention, then I let it go and he swims over and eats them. You could also try frozen tubiflex worms or live blackworms. Here's some more info on feeding: http/####.com/care1.htm

As for snails, pretty much any type are good as long as they're small -- the little "hitchhiker" snails that come on live plants seem to be good because their shells are very soft and crack easily. Just don't feed them malaysian trumpet snails as their shells are too hard and can hurt the puffers.

Good luck with your puffer!!

 

[Saucy]

Yeah, I'm going to call and make a HUGE fuss about them almost killing my little dude in the brackish water. He is DEFINITELY a dwarf puffer. Looks exactly like the pictures at dwarfpuffer.com. And a lot smaller than the baby leopard puffers that I've seen... and looks a lot different. Currently he's at my boyfriend's house (because his water doesn't kill fish), so no pictures quite yet. Spotty and stripey all in one. Guess they just have no idea what they're selling... or just making up names to make them sound cooler. Either way, they'll be getting a call. I'm just hoping there's no permanent damage... *crosses fingers*

Got him some snails today (a medium sized black one and a larger white one), but due to my water problem, I will not put them in until I go get some RO water from SuperValu tomorrow... ugh. Then the Culligan people are getting reamed out.

It just hasn't been a good day today... two fish dead, one I almost killed and my sick puffer...