# Cleanup Fish for Dwarf Puffer Tank?



## I<3<*))))>< (Jun 10, 2013)

I have a 3g dwarf puffer tank, love the lil guy.... my only quam is his is soooo dirty! I do 50% weekly WC's and still there is poop/mulm/something gross covering the rocks and plants in that tank. 

Any ideas on what I can in with him? 

I have some Oto's... 4 in my community and 2 in my shrimp set up. Speaking of shrimp I do have some cherry culls. What would you guys try? 

It's just a very unsightly tank to look at, sad part is it's my fav 'scape.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

Well no fish that I know of wants to eat another fish's poo! Remembering your other tanks, you've probably have plants, so that will help a bit. Sorry I can't recommend a fish to ya, you could possibly try ghost shrimp, but more than likely they'll just eat the puffer food. 

On a side note the real reason I commented on this thread, is to say I have dwarf puffers too! Just got my 6 lil ones today.


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## thedirtydaniel (Sep 7, 2013)

I have two dwarfs in a fairly well planted 5 gallon with an albino cory, two mystery snails and a handful of ghost shrimp. To be honest, they keep to themselves. Everything in the tank is bigger than they are, though. Some of my ghost shrimp are a good inch and then some. They just chase each other around and hide in the plants. They love baby snails. My water quality is really decent. My normal care consists of adding about a quart or so of water a week, a 3/4 to 1 gallon water change and food. I dose a small amount of liquid ferts once a week. It takes care of itself pretty well.

I would say try ghost shrimp and/or maybe a larger nerite snail or two. I like having shrimp and snails, as well.


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## I<3<*))))>< (Jun 10, 2013)

LOL, good point on the fish poop Sake, hahaha... 
The tank is planted, a good deal so. 2 peices of driftwood with peacock moss, and 6 different types of stem plants (unsure on all the names). He gets fed my pond snails from my other tanks.
Part of my issue might be needing more flow... The filter is pretty weak. 

Thanks for the reassurance that I can try some of the more basic bottom feeders, I was worried based on what I read that'd he'd shred anything I put in there.

Think Im going to go pick up some ghosties, or add my cherry culls in there. If he doesn't eat those then Ill get some amano shrimp. 

So they won't go after bigger snails like nerites and mystery snails? If so I can def do that as well. Just didn't know if all snails were fair game or not.

Gosh yes, these guys are fun, arent they? I keep toying with the idea of getting him a bigger setup to add some buddies.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

Well I have heard kuhli loaches can work with them, they could clean up the extra food, but poop, you're gonna have to vacuum! lol

Yeah these 6 I just got are awesome, they are all exploring the tank as of right now, I haven't gotten them to eat yet, but hopefully they will tomorrow. They are the cutiest fish, they way they seem to hover instead of swim, and actually look at you and respond.


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## I<3<*))))>< (Jun 10, 2013)

Kuhli loaches would be neat, I've always liked them.. but have never had them. Thanks Sake 

Maybe you could try pond snails, if you have any that is.. My guy watches me pick them out of my other tanks and zooms after them as soon as I drop em in.

Haha right? Have u seen one zip away yet? Man they're fast! Like lil bullets!


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

Lol yeah they can [censored][censored][censored][censored] and get when they want to! I'm trying blood worms tonight, and probably tomorrow night. There are already snails in the tank, pond/ramshorn/MTS, I was well prepared for a hunger strike lol. Right now I think they are just excited to be in a new place, and exploring the tank. I seen one go after an earthworm, but didn't catch it. Plenty of earth worms in there, hitch hiked in my MGOPM and have played havoc with my scape >.< Whole tank is coated with a fine red clay powder lol. Eat the earthworms for me lil ones! XD Also got me some chili rasbora for my other tank, those things eat like crazy


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## I<3<*))))>< (Jun 10, 2013)

Sounds like they def have quiet the feast awaiting them when they're ready! And it sounds like a nice set up!

Wish I had room to nab some Chili's... another day though, in yet another tank


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

Yeah I just tossed my chilis in my shrimp tank. They're small enough they won't bother the shrimp. How many tanks do you have now anyhow? I remember you had badis for a bit still have them?


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## I<3<*))))>< (Jun 10, 2013)

The chili's don't even go after the shrimplets? 

3, my Flora (which had the badis, gave em away) now has my HMPK betta, otos, a pair of Julii corys, and endlers. My other 3g which has my PFR, TT's and green babaulti's shrimp and a pair of otos. 

.. But I have a rack, just need to get better wood to reinforce the particle board it came with. My sis is giving me her 29g. So Ill have that to play with, wanna get a 20l for more shrimp and then maybe a 5.5g dwarf seahorse setup.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

I'm hoping they don't go after shrimplets, they are so tiny I don't know that they can lol. Few months ago I lost almost all of my fire red cherry shrimp. Did a water change, and next day i was down to 6 shrimp from 200+. Same thing happened to my community tank, went from 50 fish down to 20 the next morning. Not sure what happened, but needless to say i started doing water changes with distilled water and neglected my tanks for some time after that. Wasn't much in there to care for anyhow. 

Now one of the cherry shrimp is berried so hopefully she has them and the chilies leave the babies alone. Trying to restart my colony. It's rough going from that many down to so few, but the tanks are all cleaned up now, and I've been checking the water for about 2 months straight making sure there isn't anything toxic in it again. Should be okay now. Never did find out what was in the water, never seen anything bad in my tests.

Strangely out of all the fish/shrimp killed, the neon tetras didn't have 1 die off, and my ottos, I didn't lose 1 otto. I was surprised about that seeing how everyone says they are so sensitive.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

BTW I'm jealous! Tangerine tigers >.< I want them soooooooooooo badly! I'm just nervous about ordering them until I'm sure everything is cool.


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## I<3<*))))>< (Jun 10, 2013)

Ya that's very strange... I'd thin Neons and Otos would have been right behind the cherrys going. Sorry to hear about that though... man had to be rough.

Right? Im still super excited to have em! Got 6 of them & 6 of the Babaulti's a week ago. So far the TTs are doing great, I think the Babaulti's are too, but a tad harder to see them. My shrimp tank is pretty full of stuff, cholla, moss balls, rocks, yet more moss, dwarf sag (that's not so dwarf mind you) and some hydrocotyle. Im very pleased with how that tank looks. Like an underwater Jungle!

My community it pretty nice too atm, still need a bit more growth from a few plants, while others Im trimming weekly. Hahaha.

Good luck repopulating your shrimps! I'll be cheering you on!


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

Good news, turned on the lights this morning and all puffers went into predator mode. Not only that but at least 2 ate frozen blood worms. This makes me happy! I think I am going to have to get a clean up crew like you, they don't seem to eat all of the snail. I know ghost shrimp will pluck snails out of their shells so perhaps I'll go get a few of them for clean up.


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## I<3<*))))>< (Jun 10, 2013)

Awesome news! *high fives*

Oh I didn't know that about ghosties, def picking some up myself then


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

It probably all depends on type, but all the ones they sell around here hunt snails. I have a video of one tugging at the snail for 5 minutes it was comical.


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## James M (Jun 21, 2012)

Sake said:


> Well no fish that I know of wants to eat another fish's poo!


Ha! As an interesting side note some fish actually do eat other fishes fecal matter from time to time - known as 'coprophagy' Dwarf angelfish of the genus centropyge come to mind, namely C. argi. Not all the time, and they don't swim around the aquarium eating it - just an interesting tidbit.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

Why don't you upgrade your puffer to a 5 gallon. And put some shrimp in your 3gallon. I'm sure everyone would be happy that way. I have 3-3gallon and 1-5gallon. Plus several bigger tanks.


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## steven p (Jun 22, 2012)

Trumpet snails can stir it down and outta sight.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

steven p said:


> Trumpet snails can stir it down and outta sight.


1 small issue with this method...the snails wouldn't last very long in a tank with dwarf puffers lol. Not to mention the dead snails would contribute to the dirtiness of the tank.


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## ThatGuyWithTheFish (Apr 29, 2012)

There aren't any fish that you could put in that size tank that wouldn't get nipped.


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## steven p (Jun 22, 2012)

I kept innumerable numbers of trumpet snails with them... Dwarf puffers aren't too great at taking them on.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

Trying a little experiment with mine now. Tossed some RCS in there and 3 assassin snails. Hopefully they'll be my clean up crew. Going to get PFR cherry shrimp so had to find something to do with these, and assassin snails......I dunno how many I have but I just counted 87 eggs, and that was just 1 side of the drift wood, missed a few spots also, so don't really care if they're eaten lol.


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## Silly's_Planted (Nov 3, 2013)

MTS (the snails!) should be fine. They stay in the substrate during the day.

Dwarf puffers should preferably be in at least a 5g aquarium. So I wouldn't put anything with him.

If you make your tank 100% planted, you wouldn't see the poo. The puffer would enjoy the plants, also.


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