# Dwarf Puffers and Snails



## Stoic_Southpaw (Oct 17, 2014)

I'm considering getting a 10g dwarf puffer tank sometime down the road, and I know they love to eat snails. I'd like to keep a constant supply of snails for them to eat by having the snails reproduce in the same tank at a rate that the puffers can keep up with but not extinguish the snails altogether if possible. The snails not eating any plants would be great as well.

What species, if any, would allow me to do this and do dwarf puffers enjoy snails enough for this to be worthwhile? Thanks.

EDIT: Just realized that this should/could also be posted in the invertebrates subforum. Sorry about that


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

Ramshorns and pond snails reproduce quickly under the right conditions and neither wil bother your plants. However, from what I've seen of puffers--and puffer owners begging for snails to feed 'em), you'd be better off having a seperate tank to raise the snails to keep the puffer from just plowing thru them immediately. Otherwise I suspect you'd be looking at the same result as trying to save pantry space by giving your kid an entire oversize pack of oreos to take to school instead of parcelling out one snack bag's worth at a time.


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## Stoic_Southpaw (Oct 17, 2014)

Okay, thank you! I might try to get a big colony of ramshorns going before adding puffers then, because I probably won't have another cycled tank to use


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

I agree. Keeping a seperate jar for breeding is the best thing. 
They seem to like pond snails the best and quickly slurp them up


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Dwarf puffers definetly seem to like pond snails best but eat ramshorn and Malawian trumpet snails too. If you do a sand substrate you can get some MTS and they'll populate the tank, hide in the substrate but come up for food and that's when they turn into food. Pretty much have each of the 3 snail types in all my planted tanks so I can harvest for dwarf puffers any time.


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## Stoic_Southpaw (Oct 17, 2014)

Any opinions on how bare-bones a snail culture could be? I'm thinking just a tiny, bare tank (<5 gallons) with a sponge filter in it. Can you do the equivalent of a snail-in cycle? Otherwise I might try the MTS in-tank culture route


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

The snails mentioned can survive uncycled cold tanks just fine, the dwarf puffer will need a cycled tank though, they're very delicate. you can do bare tank if it gets light to make diatoms and algae or your give them a food source.


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## Stoic_Southpaw (Oct 17, 2014)

Okay, I think I might just go with a bare <5 tank with no filter (weekly 50%+ water changes) filled with ramshorns and maybe some cycled substrate if I can get it. And then of course a wonderfully planted 10 gallon for a puffer!


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## dpod (Sep 16, 2014)

Don't forget to feed the snails! You might grow algae quickly enough with a bright light, but it wouldn't hurt to put some blanched veggies in every now and then to make sure the snails have food.


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## Stoic_Southpaw (Oct 17, 2014)

I have a pet walking stick who eats dark green lettuce in the winter, so I'll distribute that to the snails as well.


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## Live Aloha (Aug 30, 2014)

Yup, separate tank is the smart choice. Puffers will never stop eating and just munch through whatever is in front of them. Dwarf puffers are much smaller, but I'm pretty sure have the same mentality.

I grow my snails in a small half gallon container. It's unheated, uncycled, and I throw in an algae wafer or something every so often. I try to change the water every week, and never overfeed or the water gets nasty quick.


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## Yukiharu (May 3, 2014)

I trained my dwarf puffer to eat flake, but it's hard and they prefer snails (happened by chance, actually).
I've seen people breeding them in 5g buckets, and am currently breeding mine in my shrimp tank


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## chunkychun (Apr 6, 2012)

Just do a small planted vase for your snails and it will require minimal maintenance and lots of snails.


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## CalvinTBC (Nov 14, 2014)

Try feeding live bloodworms as an alternative beside snails. Works for me. Brine shrimps could also work.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

My husband's dwarf puffers (who i care for) eat the 3 snails mentioned (pond, ram, and mts) as well as live black worms (an aquatic worm) which I keep cultures of but they take more maintenance than most live cultures (imo).


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