# Dwarf Puffer vs Pond Snails



## SueNH (Feb 25, 2004)

I have a 29 gallon planted tank. Was loaded with common pond snails and ramhorns. I put a tiny dwarf puffer in and in a few months had no pond snails. Never saw him eat one but they did disappear. Rarely see him eat anything but he's got a belly on him and I actually set up my 10 gallon to keep myself in snails for him.
He eats the smaller ramhorns but doesn't bother the big ones. Can't keep pond snails in there at all.
There are broken snail shells of both types mixed in the substrate now.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

If you think he has lost his taste for snails, then stop feeding him the bloodworms. When he gets hungry enough he'll start eating snails again!  

Mike


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## Osteomata (Jan 6, 2005)

OK, scratch the question, I'm watching him eat snails as we speak. I stopped feeding him blood worms two days ago, dropped three to four pond snails in this evening, and he went to town. I guess the lack of snails crawling on the tank sides should have reassured me that he was indeed eating them. He doesnt seem to crunch up the shells much, but he must be getting some thing from them cause the snail shells on the bottom of the tank ain't moving. 

Wonder if my 15 gallon snail infested tank will be able to support his habit enough such that i dont have to keep feeding him the blood worms.


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## SueNH (Feb 25, 2004)

I doubt it will be enough. Wasn't in my 29. Tank is heavily planted and most of the time in jungle mode. Still had to pull a 10 gallon out of the attic and plant it and put pond snails in that. Filled it full of plants and non snail eaters so it wasn't a total waste. I also keep a gallon pickle jar in a sunny window with java moss and a few odd clippings for snails only.

Never got mine to eat frozen bloodworms. He looks but I've never seen him touch it. I do suspect he eats the slow/unwell guppy fry. Tank is loaded with guppies and mollies and the puffers belly is just too big to be otherwise. Would have to be giving more guppies away than I do if he didn't snack on the slow ones.

As we speak I've got an algae wafer in the 10g so I can snag a clump of snails and put it in the bigger tank.


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## danmhippo (Feb 3, 2005)

Mine ate snails constantly in addition to flake food that drift by. I even have to beg LFS to save snails in their new arrival tanks for me to keep these DP happy. 

I am not sure if FWDP will develop the same problems as their SW relatives. SW puffers and parrot fish, if not being fed shell food (such as crab, snails), some species would have teeth overgrown that would eventually interfere with feeding. Crunching on hard shelled food grinds their teeth.

I pick up small bags of snails every week for my 2 DP. Each bag is roughly 10-20 of assorted small snails.


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## ScottyDont (Mar 9, 2005)

can dwarf puffers go in a community tank?


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## andyg (Oct 9, 2004)

ScottyDont said:


> can dwarf puffers go in a community tank?


Depends on the other fish you want to keep and the personality of the Puffer. I've read everywhere that you could only keep them with Ottos.
My female is in a 20G with Neons, Ottos,SAE's and cories with no problems. (As a matter of fact she schools with the Neons )

I also had a male in there who constantly nipped at the fins of the Neons and Cories to the point the poor fish had almost no tail or dorsal fins left.  I returned him to the lfs.

As far as feeding, I give her a snail or two every couple of days and alternate with frozen bloodworm and/or brine shrimps on alternate days.


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## danmhippo (Feb 3, 2005)

My DP is housed in 10G with cardinals, SAE, needle fish, and a pair of betta. I don't see a problem yet.


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## ScottyDont (Mar 9, 2005)

i'll go grab 3-4 tomorrow...


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## fishwife (Apr 11, 2004)

I wouldn't trust them with anything that 1) isn't very fast or very still (i.e., otos) and 2) has long, flowing fins. Too much temptation.

As to snails, my dps are pretty relentless. I agree that they don't have the same need to grind down their teeth as some other puffers - even other FW ones (like SA puffers). Mine really don't even crunch shells, they just slurp the snails out.


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## Osteomata (Jan 6, 2005)

It's interesting to see yet another example of fish of the same species having differernt personalities. Someone mentioned that his DP wont touch frozen bloodworms, yet mine prefers them to all other food. Someone else mentioned that his DP eats flake food, yet mine will not touch anything floating on the surface. My tank is positioned near a sliding glass door (often open), and the tank light attracts some insects that occasionally end up in the water. I expected the DP to go after them... nope, not interested, where are my worms! 

And the aggressiveness of DPs if subject to a wide range: some of them go after tank mates, others are quite peaceful. Mine is the peaceful type. I was warned not to put cherry shrimp in my DP tank, but after watching him ignore a small ghost shrimp (put it there as a test) I went ahead and dropped in adult cherries. No problems. Over a week, and I managed to account for all the cherries last night.


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## Aphyosemion (Oct 15, 2004)

The danger of pufferfish in general is that, while some of them will remain fish friendly for their entire lives, some will be okay for a while and then one day just lunch out on everything else in the tank. Most fast moving fish would likely be safe with puffers, but if you see them missing fins, it's time to figure out a different setup.
-Aphyosemion


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Keeping another species right now, which is still pretty small as an adult (tops out at 2"). So far so good. All the altums have intact fins and the dwarf crayfish population is still thriving (I saw a half dozen half grown individuals while doing the replanting a couple of days ago). They cruise around the tank looking for food the entire day and consume more than their fair weight in worms. I'm pretty sure they go after the snails also, since I can tell that they're not as abundant as they were before. I'm pretty amazed at how much these little guys are able to pack.


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## SueNH (Feb 25, 2004)

My little puff is pretty mellow compared to a lot of things I've read but I also observed the tank in the store for quite a while and picked out one that seemed to be a little meek. Thought about getting him a companion but he doesn't seem lonely and more than one and I'm liable to see a personality change that I won't like.

I do take it back about not bothering the bigger ramshorns. Saw him take a chunk out of one yesterday. He waits until the snail is extended and gets a good bite into a soft spot. The real small ones he just crunches up.
I haven't seen him bother the shrimps, I've got a few cherries and some amanos and ghosts in there. But like I said he's in a tank loaded with guppies so food isn't far away so there is no temptation to go after the bigger, faster shrimp. The molly fry seem to take it the worst. Little rounder, little slower at birth so they seem to disappear fastest. Fine with me because they wouldn't be in the tank except for my daughter's urging to have them. Only one or two make it from each drop. The guppies on the other hand have to be culled out now and then.
I do notice that one of my delta tailed male guppies is missing a few bites of his tail this morning. Happens now and then with no serious harm so far. I'm not a fan of tails so big it starts bogging the fish down anyway.

I would definately not keep one with slow swimming fish or expensive little fish.


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## Newkidonthetank (Apr 3, 2004)

Speaking of food for Dp's. I had fed my puffer Krill, he took a crunch out of it, mostly ate the head, and eventually ate the whole thing but he didnt like it when they got soft, sorry about getting a little off subject... Oh and i remember that he never touched my MTS, must've been too hard of shells? or the fact that they burrow in daytime


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## fishwife (Apr 11, 2004)

Aphyosemion said:


> The danger of pufferfish in general is that, while some of them will remain fish friendly for their entire lives, some will be okay for a while and then one day just lunch out on everything else in the tank.


Generally speaking, I think that once they reach sexual maturity all bets are off.


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