# 10 Gallon Dwarf Puffer Tank



## Rooted (Feb 8, 2010)

I have a 10 gallon dp tank and I love it. They are very messy eaters, though. I have three in there (that's def the max) and I have to really work at keeping it clean.


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

Haha, I couldn't stay away! And yeah, I think I'll over-filter it with one of my slightly larger HOB filters..and because Fridays are waterchange/tank check-up days..and I only have two other tanks, I'll stay on top of it. 

I only allow myself to indulge in my aquarium obsession on the weekends (fish feeding and general maintenance aside)..it's my reward for getting my slow arse up and to my university classes during the week. :hihi:


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## Taysius (Dec 23, 2009)

Looking forward to seeing this! DP's are so adorable! I'm sure one will love to be spoiled. You say no other inhabitants, but I have heard of people keeping ottos or some even dwarf cories with their DP.


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

Taysius said:


> Looking forward to seeing this! DP's are so adorable! I'm sure one will love to be spoiled. You say no other inhabitants, but I have heard of people keeping ottos or some even dwarf cories with their DP.


I have heard that actually, and once I order some ottos for my two larger tanks, I may get a few extra for the DP tank for clean-up since a 10 gallon is pretty big compared to the little puffers. And with plants, I'm sure he won't mind sharing his huge territory. We'll see. ;D Thanks for your comment!


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

Whew! Well. Small story. Two years ago I gave my mother my 10 gallon flat-back hex acrylic tank with around 10 or 15 guppies, some java moss and java fern. It was a Mother's Day gift because her grandmother used to keep fancy-tail guppies and she loved them. I told her, 'Get a fish that will keep the population even and eat the fry.' And she refused. Two years later, I just donated three giant bags of over 200 enormous (and some quite gorgeous) fancy-tail guppies to my LFS..after convincing her they were WAY WAY WAY too overpopulated in the tank.

Sadly, I couldn't get any store credit..but the guys at the shop were blown away by the number of guppies! I probably gave them $600 worth of new fish. :hihi: I wish I had taken a photo of the 20 gallon once he unloaded them all.

She had to expand a while back to another 14 gallon tank, and this load was from that one tank after she emptied the 10. Now that she's back to the original number (and will be getting rid of those too)..I got my acrylic tank back! It's such a nice, sturdy little 10 gallon, with a black-acrylic back built in..that I'm going to clean it up and use it for the DP tank.  Here's a few photos with blue and white gravel still stuck in it from my mother's house. I don't remember how long ago I bought it online, it must have been three or four years ago.










Under the hood:









Let this be a lesson: if you keep NOTHING but livebearers in a small tank, you'll end up with OH MY GOD SO MANY GUPPIES. :eek5:


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## Taysius (Dec 23, 2009)

Haha, guppies are insane. I keep my 3 guppies with a crayfish and the cray does a good job of keeping the fry numbers down. I'm sure once he gets bigger he'll catch adults too so I'll have to switch things around. 

It's a nice shaped tank. I like the flatback hex look.


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

I actively avoid guppies  I remember from early childhood (over 30 years ago *cough*) my father swearing about the guppies just multiplying like crazy 

Anyway, I just bought a 5.5g flat back hex (if that is what you call them) as a hospital/quarantine tank, but I am actually quite frustrated with the optics of it... the diffraction angles of the beveled edges allow my sick fish to hide in plain sight... I have to pan around the whole tank if I want to find him... for a hospital tank, I would never recommend it...

I am curious to see yours up an running, good luck.


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

Regloh said:


> I actively avoid guppies  I remember from early childhood (over 30 years ago *cough*) my father swearing about the guppies just multiplying like crazy
> 
> Anyway, I just bought a 5.5g flat back hex (if that is what you call them) as a hospital/quarantine tank, but I am actually quite frustrated with the optics of it... the diffraction angles of the beveled edges allow my sick fish to hide in plain sight... I have to pan around the whole tank if I want to find him... for a hospital tank, I would never recommend it...
> 
> I am curious to see yours up an running, good luck.


I've always found mine extremely difficult to photograph, so I definitely agree on that. :hihi: I love the built-in black back, though..it really lets things pop.


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

Week Update: February 12, 2010

I finally got down to business yesterday and started scrubbing out the tank. Let me tell you...it was the foulest smelling aquarium I've ever encountered, and I've been in the aquarium hobby for almost 10 years (I started young..:icon_roll)

Multiply this by ten or fifteen wads, and that's how much gunk was hiding on the black acrylic:









I get tunnel-vision when I work on something and forget to take photos, so that magically transformed into this:









Flora:
Amazon Swords
Bronze Crypt
Wendelov Ferns
Java Ferns
Dwarf Baby Tears

Yes, the object on the right is an aquarium decoration..:icon_redf But it makes an awesome little archway.









I need to fill in the right corner, and put a few more plants in, but overall I think a little dwarf puffer will fit happily in here.  The bronze crypt is from my lovely LFS, isn't it enormous?









And last but not least, helpercat is hard at work helping:









Thanks for looking!


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## doggyhog (Oct 7, 2009)

It looks great! 

Dwarf puffers are soooo cute...


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

doggyhog said:


> It looks great!
> 
> Dwarf puffers are soooo cute...


Thank you!  I agree, I can't wait to get one.


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## Taysius (Dec 23, 2009)

Wow, the tank really turned out great. The fake wood looks pretty good. I'm sure your puffer won't even notice the difference. 

Poor helpercat, so tired from all the work!


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

Taysius said:


> Wow, the tank really turned out great. The fake wood looks pretty good. I'm sure your puffer won't even notice the difference.
> 
> Poor helpercat, so tired from all the work!


Thanks! :hihi: Yes, helpercat is much more dedicated than his sisters, who only use the aquariums as their personal, filtered drinking water reservoirs. :icon_roll

I put a few mesh pockets of java moss, and some covered rocks along the bottom. I'm going for a thick lawn look since I had so much laying around.  I was inspired by this: http://www.fishumentary.com/planted/aquariums/117


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## Rooted (Feb 8, 2010)

turned out NICE. what a natural talent you got there to scape your tanks!


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

Rooted said:


> turned out NICE. what a natural talent you got there to scape your tanks!


:icon_redf:icon_redf

Thanks! I've started all three around the same time, so I'm still kind of new at it. :flick:


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