Will My Dp's Be Ok In My Community Tank?

[sorgan]

ok guys i have a small tank with 2 dwarf puffs in it (and a white mountin minnow (dont ask)) that needs shutting down so my question is will these little guys be ok in my community tank?
the stocking of it is
8 platys of various flavours
3 glolight danios
5 ottos
1 german ram (silly dollop of a fish this one who shoals with the platys)
1 BN plec
6 amano shrimp
1 dwarf frog

now i know its a strange stocking but ATM everything seems good and dandy and everything gets on with one another but like i said the DP tank has to go.
sadly i know that they arnt really considered friendly fish but these 2 seem to be quite tame, they dont attack each other or the WMM that lives with them.
my community tank is VERY well planted in so much as it looks like a jungle so what do we reckon? try it and see or figure out plan 2?

 

[Wills]

No the rams, platies and especially the amano shrimp would be at risk the frog and otto could also get damaged the danios might manage but being in low numbers they are going to get stressed if they start getting nipped.

You have to remember that puffers have beaks so its not like other fish biting each other blood can easily be drawn. With puffers it only take one attack and thats it its not like other potentially problematic fish where you at least have chance to act before a fish dies or becomes seriously ill.

Wills

 

[sorgan]

i thought that may be the case, ho hum

 

[Shovelman]

plain and simple, DP's are not community fish, as most puffers are not. You will be risking stressing other fish, having their fins nipped, fish eaten, and shrimp definately eaten! Species only tank!

ps what size tank are the two in now?

 

[sorgan]

3g nano that Is super planted, it was more set up for the plants but then I acquired the 2 puffers and had a choice, put them in the betta tank (ummmmmmm no) put them in the community tank (my reasoning back then was the same as yours now) stick them in the reef tank (lol) or put them in the nano.

Lovely little fish, I will just have to figure something else out.

 

[Shovelman]

3g nano that Is super planted, it was more set up for the plants but then I acquired the 2 puffers and had a choice, put them in the betta tank (ummmmmmm no) put them in the community tank (my reasoning back then was the same as yours now) stick them in the reef tank (lol) or put them in the nano.

Lovely little fish, I will just have to figure something else out.

3 gallon....... *cringing* At the very least a 5 gallon is only suitable for one DP, because of territory and just all the waste they put out and being messy eaters.... Not to mention they are very intelligent and they need room to scoot around so if yours are constantly pase the glass and move up and down the sides its a really good sign that they are bored...which can lead to more attention on one another, leading them to fight or one dominate the other.... why not move the betta to the 3 gallon if its in a bigger tank? For 2 puffers you should really have a 10 gallon or so.. even if your 3 gallon is densly planted..

 

[Jenste]

For the three gallon, you are severely overstocked and adding them to the community tank is not a good mix - -

for that three gallon only 2 things are suitable - - one frog OR one betta.
other than that it is just cruel.

Your best bet is to figure out a compatible stocking for a larger tank - -puffers are not community species.

Also, the frog would be better off in the three gallon ALONE than in the community tank - - they often do not get proper feedings and can get bullied and stressed by the fish.

 

[Shovelman]

For the three gallon, you are severely overstocked and adding them to the community tank is not a good mix - -

for that three gallon only 2 things are suitable - - one frog OR one betta.
other than that it is just cruel.

Your best bet is to figure out a compatible stocking for a larger tank - -puffers are not community species.

Also, the frog would be better off in the three gallon ALONE than in the community tank - - they often do not get proper feedings and can get bullied and stressed by the fish.

I agree. DP's NEED TO HAVE 5 GALLONS PER PUFFER TO BE HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND CONTENT! (just like i stated above) Was this an impulse buy? or a lack of knowledge? or a friend handing over fish? either way you need to do your RESEARCH!!!!

 

[sorgan]

LOL keep marines then come talk about research.
They may be moved around to the betta tank and my betta moved elsewhere but I'm not sure yet
I rarely see them in the tank they are in now as like I say, it's a jungle in there.
(btw it wasn't an impulse buy it was someone, for once, trying to be humane. Thanks for your kind advise)

Regarding tank size I have read many conflicting write ups on this and while bigger is usually better it would seem that the small tank size would be down to the fact these wee beasts are waste machines right? Obviously they are not strong swimmers or swimmers of great distance so I assume it's a case of keeping them occupied and keeping good water quality? Hmmm roll on the TM for tiny puffer toys

ATM all my tank suffer from a terrible case of water tests and all (apart from the reef) get small daily waterchanges using RO and a good scrub (marine gets the scrub but W/C like that seem to mess my sg up) I also warm the water to 25c to prevent temp swings, all water is well aired and oxygenated OFC.

Thanks for the advise on the frog, he was a concern for a while untill he noticed that he could take food from a pipette, he has his own little grotto in tank made from a chunk of bog wood and a mass of moss but TBH he doesn't get any grief (exept when the platies drop bit he also gets a good feed lol)
So the general thought is to get them in a larger tank? Righty, is there anything else they would benifit from? Obviously they like the odd snail but do I need extra minerals in tank for them like calcium or anything? Thinking tooth growth.

 

[sorgan]

Hmm re-reading the above and it may give the wrong impression, I am not trying to be an #14###.
That said I know the basic needs of all of my livestock and care for them well and am looking for first hand experiences from other fish keepers regarding personality and the factors that are important to a thriving tank. All fish have good guys and rotten eggs, there is a saying that goes 'blame the deed not the breed'. So please if you have advise based on first hand experience and would like to have a civil debate then please feel free to advise me, if however you are jumping on a band wagon and sounding off then don't, I totally understand that this set up is not perfect but it's better then a bucket, I am looking to improve it by using the good advise of good fish keepers nothing more nothing less.


It would seem my calculations where of, the tank is actually 4.5g. Not much better but still better then a bucket
So a 10g would be a better home? Hmmm I may be able to get one sorted, what kind of hardscaping do puffs prefer? A prefer big stones but don't mind wood. I suppose it means I get my nano back to live it's life out as I intended.

 

[Shovelman]

Sorry about seeming to go off above, but ive just seen so many people impulse buy or take in a 'Cute little fresh water puffer' that they think will happily live in a community aquarium. I right now have one of these delightful creatures in my heavily planted 10 gallon tank, so im pretty sure I know what im talking about when it comes to these fish (of course there are allways things to be learned).

So i apologize if you took it offensivly or what have you (I got carried away thinking you were just one of the regulars), but just know we are trying to help.
Getting back on track,
A. Setting up a 10 gallon for your two would be the best thing for them.
B. Densly plant it like your current 3 gallon is, and use driftwood, rocks and whatever else you may have so if you have 2 males the different obsticales, plants etc will distract their line of sight thus reducing possible hostilaty.
C. As far as ive researched and from experience, you dont need to add any extra calcium or what have you, as their teeth just grow regularly. (ive never heard of any problems with teeth growth with DP's)
D. Try the best you can to keep a reliable source of snails for them to hunt and crunch, so that their teeth stay nice and trimmed.
-just make sure you keep reading up on these puffers and suggestions around the web.

 

[sorgan]

snails isnt a problem as my betta tank is over run with them lol so the puffs get regular snaily snacks.
i spotted a nice 15g in pets at home for peanuts so they should be in a new home sooner rather than later, just gives me another excuse to plant a tank LOL.
sadly whilst researching trops as much as i can i remain a dedicated salty and thats where the bulk of my expertise lie, gotta admit though that these little puffs make me smile, silly googly eyes
thanks for the advise.

 

[Shovelman]

snails isnt a problem as my betta tank is over run with them lol so the puffs get regular snaily snacks.
i spotted a nice 15g in pets at home for peanuts so they should be in a new home sooner rather than later, just gives me another excuse to plant a tank LOL.
sadly whilst researching trops as much as i can i remain a dedicated salty and thats where the bulk of my expertise lie, gotta admit though that these little puffs make me smile, silly googly eyes
thanks for the advise.

Sounds like a plan man! In a 15 gallon you could get yourself one more if thats what youd fancy, and dont forget ottos! Ottos for some reason are not bothered by the puffers as the puffers just ignore them...haha

 

[hillmar77]

Yeah platy's wouldn't be a good idea with DP.... Anything that swims slowly most of the time will get attacked! I had my 2 DP with 3 fancy guppies... within 2 days there tail had been torn up, So i had to rehome them. Only thing that seems to be working atm is a flock of zebra daino's. *knock on wood* and of coarse my crayfish.

 

[Shovelman]

Yeah platy's wouldn't be a good idea with DP.... Anything that swims slowly most of the time will get attacked! I had my 2 DP with 3 fancy guppies... within 2 days there tail had been torn up, So i had to rehome them. Only thing that seems to be working atm is a flock of zebra daino's. *knock on wood* and of coarse my crayfish.

Id have to disagree on you, as you may have been lucky to get a more timid puffer, but you should not keep them with anything else besides ottos. They will take anychance they get to nip or bite! And crayfish is a no no as either the puff would pester and stress it to death, or like most crayfish, the cray would catch and eat the puff and anything else in the tank..