# Nano Dwaf Puffer Tank: Restart



## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

Just wanted to share my dwarf puffer tank. It is a Marineland Eclipse 5 Gallon. A month ago this tank was dead and I had to restart the whole thing. I reused the drift wood and a small fern that some how survived. I set up the tank to cycle and went out and got some plants. Once the tank cycled I added two dwarf puffers. Don't worry they are male and female and get along real well. I am currently dealing with some brown algae on the sand. I don't know if its diatoms or not because this tank was set up for 2 years before the fish in it died and it sat filled with water. Don't mind the plant floating randomly in the middle of the tank. I was trying to plant it in the back but light does not really reach back there so I have to figure out how to plant it so it will get light. 

I know I really suck at aquascaping but its hard with the light. Nothing grows in the background.


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## Colorful (May 14, 2012)

Don't adult dwarf puffers have to live in brackish or saltwater when they're older?


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

Nope. Dwarf puffers (carinotetraodon travancoricus if I do remember off the top of my head) are entirely freshwater and max out at about 1". They are feisty though and should have 5 gallons each to themselves. I'd suggest, dubels, much much much more plant mass otherwise they will be in constant fighting.


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

I previously had dwarf puffers in a 29 gallon and yes they are notorious fin nippers and really shouldn't be housed in a community tank. I haven't noticed them fighting even during feeding. They actually just swim around together. I have seen them sleep near each other under the anubias (that is why there is now two anubias plants in the tank). I will keep an eye on them but as you can see from the picture their tank was where my temporary computer desk was set up. So I was looking or near the tank a lot. In fact the 5 ghost shrimp I added two weeks ago are still in the tank.

The blur in the picture is one of the puffers. I can get them both to follow my finger along the side of the tank to slow down for a picture but I thought my finger would ruin the picture. I'll try and get a picture of them together. Love puffers though, most character I have seen in a fish.


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## Colorful (May 14, 2012)

Oh I'm sorry, I guess I mistook it for those puffers at walmart. Ooops!


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

The puffers at walmart are Green Spotted Puffers. I wouldn't get them there anyways because those are usually sick. Not a hard mistake to make. When I went out to get my first dwarf puffer a LFS in LA sold me a GSP and it promptly died. [STRIKE]There are two "true" freshwater species, but I can only find dwarf puffers locally.[/STRIKE] *See below for a link to the species of freshwater puffers*


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## LICfish (Oct 9, 2010)

I like that you have sand in your tank. That's perfect for the dwarf puffers.

I've had my 2 dwarf puffers for 2.5 yrs now in a 12 gallon (they're so awesome) and they still manage to fight over the food. Not fight fight but they like their space. They fought a lot more when they didn't have enough hiding spaces so I had to add some. I'd probably add some taller plants to the tank and try to make some hiding spots in case they need to get away from each other. These guys will definitely grow on you


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

I plan on adding a small stack of pvc pipes behind the drift wood to allow them to hideout. It would be out of sight. I wanted to add taller plants in the background but the stupid filter blocks out most of the light so nothing grows in the back of the tank. 

I actually got my first dwarf puffer in 2008. Sadly, the puffer didn't lost long after being moved after I graduated from undergrad. Mr. Peabody was a lot of fun to watch hunt snails. I find it interesting and a bit disappointing that one of my current puffers does not like snails. Cutting back on allowing the snails to grow in my 10g because of that.


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## CatB (Jan 29, 2012)

5 gallons seems a little small for two puffers, i hope it works out!


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

Yeah. I might change things around. I have kept an eye on the parameters and everything seems fine. But if there is a territorial issue I will rehouse a puffer.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

I always wanted a puffer, any closeups?


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

Really hard to get close ups because they cruise around the front of the tank endlessly when I approach the tank. Absent placing my finger against the tank its hard to get them to sit still because they think its feeding time. I miss having them next to my desk as they would keep my company as I worked. I tried to get them both in one picture but one always ended up blurry or blocked out by my finger.


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## Lil' Swimz$ (Jul 24, 2010)

I'm sorry to say but there are many many more than two species of freshwater puffer fish...

I wish the PufferPedia was working right now... but I know that there are atleast 12 species if not many more.

Some of the top of my head would be.. t. travancoricus (dwarf puffer) c. loreti, c. irrubesco, c. salvator (sp), mbu, fahaka,


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

That is fine. I am wrong. I thought most needed brackish water to survive long. Here is a list of freshwater puffers btw: http://www.pufferlist.com/freshwater-puffers/ I have wanted to try out the South American Puffer but I cannot find any locally and I got sucked into shrimps.


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## Calmia22 (Aug 20, 2011)

dubels said:


> That is fine. I am wrong. I thought most needed brackish water to survive long. Here is a list of freshwater puffers btw: http://www.pufferlist.com/freshwater-puffers/ I have wanted to try out the South American Puffer but I cannot find any locally and I got sucked into shrimps.


I have a pair of dwarf puffers and a congo puffer. They are really neat fish.


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

I really like them. So far they have no problems together in the 5 gallon tank. I will try to get a video of them swimming together and even eating together (think lady and the tramp pasta scene). I just need to clean up some brown algae first. I still don't know what I am having an outbreak now.

I am really starting to hate this tank because of its useless light.


Edit here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwqRPJci9h0&feature=g-upl


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## craigofva (Aug 30, 2011)

Do they every puff up? im not even sure if that is somethingthey cant even do


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

craigofva said:


> Do they every puff up? im not even sure if that is somethingthey cant even do


Supposedly they aren't supposed to unless they are extremely scared, stressed, or close to death.


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## craigofva (Aug 30, 2011)

ohh well thats not cool, dodnt want my fish to be any of thoes, so that means i cant get thoes fish, cus my wife will try to scare it just so it does. i know her


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

They are soo cool, so maneuverable! Like little attack helicopters. 

I am thinking about putting 1 or 2 in my Ebi 7g. They will feast on the massive MTS population, but what do you feed those guys once the mts are all eaten up??


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

Do they seem to have a personality?


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## bitFUUL (May 14, 2010)

radioman said:


> Do they seem to have a personality?


More than any fish I've ever owned!
Since their eyes are located on the front of their head (unlike most fish), they look you directly in the eyes. Most of my other fish swam around like they didn't care for me, but my puffers were always ready to interact with me.


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

I have had one puff before. Friend stuck her finger into the tank and poked it. It puffed up for a quick second and then went back to normal. 

You can feed them bloodworms once the snail population is done. But with MTS I doubt they would go through them too fast. With pond snails I never see them without a bluge in their stomach. 

They are the only fish I really like keeping because they have so much personality. They keep swimming around trying to look at me. When I sit on the couch to the right of the tank I always see them checking me out. That is why my puffer tank is in my living room and my rili and OEBT tank is in my office. They are so fun to interact with all the time.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

so, would you say it is okay to have 2 dwarf puffers in a 5 or should it only be one in a 5 gallon tank? Lovely little setup you've got


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## Crispino L Ramos (Mar 29, 2008)

what do they eat?


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## michaelracer (Jul 29, 2011)

indian dwarf puffers love worms and snails, really hard to get them to eat frozen foods. I wouldn't go past 3 puffers in a 5 gallon tank I currently have 6 in a 20H with 3 otocinclus and 4 amano shrimp ( they have been this way for 3 years now) extremely fun fish to keep with great personality and are one of the few fish that pay attention to what you are doing outside the tank, they also begin to recognize they owner or whoever feeds them.


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## LICfish (Oct 9, 2010)

That's a good idea. Definitely keep an eye on them. My two puffers didn't work out in a 5 gallon, which is why they got moved to a 12 gallon. 



dubels said:


> Yeah. I might change things around. I have kept an eye on the parameters and everything seems fine. But if there is a territorial issue I will rehouse a puffer.


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

HybridHerp said:


> so, would you say it is okay to have 2 dwarf puffers in a 5 or should it only be one in a 5 gallon tank? Lovely little setup you've got


Honestly I got lucky that with my selection of puffers. The two I have tolerate each other so well. They swim together all the time. But because puffers are messy eaters and the possibility of fighting I would suggest only one. I might change out this entire tank because it is almost impossible to grow plants in it. I need to change the light around a bit. 

I feed mine frozen blood worms now only because one of the puffer does not eat snails.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

do you think a dwarf puffer would go well with endlers? I don't know much about dwarf puffers


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## michaelracer (Jul 29, 2011)

def not, they should only be kept by themselves or larger puffer fish


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## iris (Jul 23, 2012)

I've had at least 3 dwarf puffers in a 25 gal. 


radioman said:


> Do they seem to have a personality?


They are like the dogs of the fish world, mine would actually come to the front of the tank when I was near. Always hanging out near the surface if I was near. Curious little guys. I kept them with 4 black skirted tetras and while they are nippers/like their space, the puffers were too slow to really catch them. 
I fed them frozen blood worms, which they slurped up like spaghetti. Slowly, but surely. Quicker fish would usually eat almost everything before they could. I hear they like to eat snails.


craigofva said:


> Do they every puff up? im not even sure if that is somethingthey cant even do


Unknowingly, I had an filter without a sponge in it and I came home one day to find one of them puffed and stuck in the filter. I turned off the filter and hoped it hadn't been there long. It eventually deflated and went along its way. But they did get stuck a lot, I think due to their curiosity.


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## rocksmom (Mar 6, 2012)

michaelracer said:


> indian dwarf puffers love worms and snails, really hard to get them to eat frozen foods...


I haven't found this to be true at all, so it must vary from puffer to puffer. Mine loves frozen brine shrimp. He prefers them over bloodworms, but his favorite is definitely live snails. When I drop a snail in his tank it barely hits the bottom before he's on it. I think the trick to the frozen foods might be to let the current in the tank move it so they can "hunt." I don't use a dish or turkey baster or anything, I just drop a couple at a time in with a plastic spoon and they swirl around until he chases them down.


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## michaelracer (Jul 29, 2011)

yeah i tried for months with many different types of frozen and they wouldn't even look at it


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

Mine hates frozen brine shrimp. It must vary from puffer to puffer. As my puffers hate hunting, well at least one of them.


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## Calmia22 (Aug 20, 2011)

I have 2 dwarf puffers in a 8 gallon tank with 1 pygmy cory (he was a rescue) and a bunch of cherry shrimp. The puffers treat the cory cat like it's their child, and they ignore the shrimp.

Mine eat frozen blood worms, but I try to make sure that they get the smaller sized blood worms. The bigger normal sized ones are harder for them to eat.

My puffs were super skiddish at first, and it seems to really take quite a while for them to warm up to others. The male always hangs back and watches, vs. the female who is always up front to say hi. I have had them for about 6 months now and I love them!


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

I absolutely hate this tank but love the occupants: 1 DP and 1 South American puffer. 

This tank has huge condensation issues with the top and will cause water to drip down the back of the tank down the wires if they are not taped to the top of the lid. The problem is that the top of the lid is so hot that duck tape does not stay on it for very long and it will randomly leak all over the floor on me. 

Anyways here are updated pictures:


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## twone21 (Jan 3, 2014)

I have two in a ten gallon. Wish I had a bigger tank for them. People think its weird how i only have 2 super small fish in a tank but I think less is more. They have more personality than any other fish I've ever seen. They seem to know who I am whereas other fish could care less.


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

Definitely have a lot of character. I can't wait to move them to a ten gallon. Probably going to swap out their tank with the ten gallon I have running and do a total redo of the ten once the latest batch of shrimp babies get to a good size.

Not a big fan of how hard it is to do a planted tank with this tanks stock light and how it leaks if the cords are allowed to go straight down.

If I am going to continue to house these two together I need to break up the sight lines more. No aggression yet but it could come at any time.


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## cownose-ray (Sep 28, 2013)

The SA Puffer will grow to 5+ inches.


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## dubels (Jun 14, 2012)

Sadly I don't think the SA will make it much longer. Been battling with IP since I got him. Haven't been able to solve it with all kinds of medication. Got ich halfway into the IP treatment and had to treat with paraguard. If I can't get rid of the IP he isn't going to live much longer.


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## Raihana (Dec 15, 2006)

Those guys are cute! Great info! 
I have a couple of GSPs, different enough that I think they are different species though. (I think 3 differents species are considered GSPs?)
I like the newness of keeping brackish but it does have it's limitations!


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