My local shop is getting some south American puffers in over the next week or so and I am thinking of getting one for my community tank. However I know they will be very partial to snails and was wondering where the best place to get them from is. Any thoughts, ideas?
Where Can I Get A Supply Of Snails?
- Thread starter arcg1978
- Start date
What species of South American puffer is it?
Puffers don't generally do well in community aquaria.
Snails are normally present on plants at your dealers.
Simply buy some plants which you can see have some
snails attatched.
Puffers don't generally do well in community aquaria.
Snails are normally present on plants at your dealers.
Simply buy some plants which you can see have some
snails attatched.
Tommo
Fish Fanatic
take some snails from a pond or your lfs then breed them in a tub, thats probably the best way. just make sure they have algea or give them lettuce. however an amazon pufer is not suitable for a community tank as like all pufferfish they will attack tankmates, even very large ones.
saying all puffers will attack tankmates is silly and untrue.
figure 8 puffers get alog with Bumblebee gobies for example
i had success with South American puffers and a south american leaf fish
nmonks has also had South American puffers with commuity fish
its tricky but can be done.
I keep the following tanks
T. cochinchinensis - No tankmates, whatsoever, at all.
C. salivator and C.irrubesco - Hatchetfish, bristlenose plecs. Also had success with halfbeaks
T. lineatus - Panda garra
C. borneensis male - Siamese flying fox, harlequin rasboras
C. borneensis female - male and female pair of pelvicachromis signatus
T.biocellatus - Green chromide, Archerfish, 2 gobies, 4 mudskippers
I have also kept
Dwarf puffers with BBG's, bristlenose plecs
South american puffers with C.irrubesco
C. irrubesco with Dwarf puffers
So it's not impossible, but you have to choose tankmates carefully. For instance, a betta would not work, nor do i think congo tetras would work. Long finned species with any puffer I think would be asking for trouble, and I've lost a few fish because my puffers have not tolerated them (they do at first, then usually change over time).
But on the whole, no they are not a fish you could merely add to a community, some care does have to be taken over tankmates.
As for where to get snails, find a friend with a garden pond.
T. cochinchinensis - No tankmates, whatsoever, at all.
C. salivator and C.irrubesco - Hatchetfish, bristlenose plecs. Also had success with halfbeaks
T. lineatus - Panda garra
C. borneensis male - Siamese flying fox, harlequin rasboras
C. borneensis female - male and female pair of pelvicachromis signatus
T.biocellatus - Green chromide, Archerfish, 2 gobies, 4 mudskippers
I have also kept
Dwarf puffers with BBG's, bristlenose plecs
South american puffers with C.irrubesco
C. irrubesco with Dwarf puffers
So it's not impossible, but you have to choose tankmates carefully. For instance, a betta would not work, nor do i think congo tetras would work. Long finned species with any puffer I think would be asking for trouble, and I've lost a few fish because my puffers have not tolerated them (they do at first, then usually change over time).
But on the whole, no they are not a fish you could merely add to a community, some care does have to be taken over tankmates.
As for where to get snails, find a friend with a garden pond.
dizzied
Fish Addict
Most LFS will give you snails for free.
DarkEntity
Eater Of The Fishies!!!
If its a SAP you are getting then you must have a supply of snails prior to getting the Puffer as they have probably the fastest growing bill of all puffers. Most people who keep them still need to do dentistry on them yearly
Tommo
Fish Fanatic
I didnt say every puffer will attack every tankmate, just that they are aggresive and it is likely to happen. i have kept puffers with other species myself so i know it can be done, i simply wouldn't advise it.
There are other puffers that are smaller and even less aggressive, such as the true red eyed red tailed puffer, which would probably be easier to keep in a community tank as they will even ignore small tetras!
There are other puffers that are smaller and even less aggressive, such as the true red eyed red tailed puffer, which would probably be easier to keep in a community tank as they will even ignore small tetras!
There seems to be some very mixed advice given but as a general rule of thumb I wouldn't mix puffers especially with what you are classing as community fish.
You will hear plenty of folk state that they have achiehed it successfully but fail to mention what their success is based on. I sure if they were honest the success would not have lasted the lifetime of the species mixed but merely a few months or possibly a year at max.
If anyone can honestly say they have mixed a puffer with x species for the expected lifetime of the fish then they have done well but I believe those people are very few and far between.
You will hear plenty of folk state that they have achiehed it successfully but fail to mention what their success is based on. I sure if they were honest the success would not have lasted the lifetime of the species mixed but merely a few months or possibly a year at max.
If anyone can honestly say they have mixed a puffer with x species for the expected lifetime of the fish then they have done well but I believe those people are very few and far between.
Fate2006
Fish Addict
Try a petsmart, ask for the little snails, they should give u them for free 
I just got about 60 yesterday and i have them in a 2.5gallon tank, hoping they'll infest that tank so when I get my DP (sunday ) he'll have lots of food 
I just got about 60 yesterday and i have them in a 2.5gallon tank, hoping they'll infest that tank so when I get my DP (sunday ) he'll have lots of food 
shaz3271
Fish Addict
if you are getting a puffer i would recomend getting a small tank and some apple snails and start breeding them,
cheep and very easy to do, and you know what these have been fed and are not carrying any decease.
sharon
I've just setup a breeding tank for aquarium snails to feed my puffers
and loaches. It's not really a tank, but a 40l bucket it comprises
of a small Undergravel filter with a thick layer of gravel and many
plants left over from my other tanks. I'm leaving it by a window and I am
not heating it. Hopefully they can multiply and it will be a constant
food source for my Puffers and Loaches.
and loaches. It's not really a tank, but a 40l bucket it comprises
of a small Undergravel filter with a thick layer of gravel and many
plants left over from my other tanks. I'm leaving it by a window and I am
not heating it. Hopefully they can multiply and it will be a constant
food source for my Puffers and Loaches.
rob newland
Fish Crazy
I would not only feed snails to it, i have fed them to my fig8 along with mussels, cockles, prawns and bloodworm. Try to give them variety.
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