Dwarf Puffers not agressive?

[tenball]

This quote is taken from azgardens.com

This is the smallest pufferfish in the world! Really really small, no kidding! Actually, full grown they are just about the size of a penny...maybe! Not to be confused with aggressive Figure 8 Puffers or Green Spotted Puffers you might see at the pet store or all of the know-it-all's on the internet forums claiming these are aggressive. These are peaceful, and very beneficial in the aquarium as they eat small (we mean small) snails, mosquito and dragonfly larvae, and other aquatic bugs like, mantis shrimp and plant leeches and other micro organisms. Remember, these are a schooling fish. KEEP THEM IN GROUPS! Perhaps the people that have had aggressive dwarf puffers kept them secluded without any buddies, or maybe they had only a pair, where they were only defending themselves or their eggs.


That's quite a claim. I know my LFS has some of these, and I would love to have them in my tank. The store said they were agressive though, and I've never heard anyone else suggest dwarf puffers as a peaceful fish.

What do you guys think? (and how many fish consist of a "group" if I decide to get them)?

[AngelMom]

I wouldn't risk it. Here is some info on the Dwarf Puffer: http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/dwarfpuffer.xml

[John x jro]

they are also brackish..a member here has had a community of them i forget his name tho...he ca give u some good info

[AASPBY]

Actually, the Dwarf Puffer is not brackish. It is completely freshwater. Mean little critters though. But they're adorable! Ha!

[betaboi]

I'm not sure if i'm the memeber you're thinking of or not but i sure did have a dwarf puffer! He wouldn't eat any flakes, only brine shrimp, and it HAD to be crushed too. If you're wonerding how to do that, just ask.

Anyway, i've mentioned a lot that this little guy actually disappeared in my 20 gallon tank, literally! I've even disassembled the tank two times since then and never found any traces! :eek:

I had just one with my swordtails and a guppy and a school of neons at the time. He never bothered anyone. Always hung out around his little hollow log hiding in the plants.

The hardest part? Personally, mine was very finicky about the food. But always ate most of the stuff. You also have to feed them hard stuff (baby snails, shrimp) to keep their teeth filed down.

Great intro's to puffers, except the whole brackish part.

[tenball]

so betaboi, would you try them again in a peaceful community tank? I currently have platies, mollys, a gourami, rasboras, a pleco, and a type of catfish, the name escapes me.

[betaboi]

All the fish you have in there should be able to easily outrun, i mean, outswim a dwarf puffer. Did i mention that they aren't exactly the strongest swimmers? Oh and in case you're wondering, i've never actually seen a dwarf puffer "puff" up when it's scared.

So my answer? Sure! :D I would!

[John x jro]

is it the figure 8 puffer that is brackish? now im confused b/c im almost ppositive that one kind either dwarf or figure 8 dont do as well in completel fresh than brackish the can live in fresh but their life span is short..something like that..i thought

[betaboi]

Yes, the figure 8 puffer IS brackish. It is sold as freshwater but it really isn't. The dwarf on the other hand, is full freshwater.

[John x jro]

mayb ill get a dwarf.....cuz im not getting into that brackish non sense...no offense intended to ne1

[AASPBY]

I've read a lot that they like bloodworms too. Was that mentioned? I dunno. One day I will have these...One day...

[betaboi]

Ya mine loved bloodworms but i intended to keep him on the brine shrimp to help file down his teeth, otherwise, as you may know, the teeth will just keep growing and can even go through his head, preventing him from eating at all. :eek: But yep, bloodworms are good! :D

[AASPBY]

Yeah, that would suck. What do you do when your fish has overgrown teeth? Well, one time I had a puffer, well I still have it, and his teeth were too large so I started feeding him shrimp and anything possible to file down on his teeth. So one day, his teeth were gone. I guess he saw me walk in and ran into the glass too hard!:LOL It was a pathetic sight...Well, kinda.

[amandalou]

I have a dwarf in my community tank - and he mostly keeps to himself, and leaves the other fish alone. But he will eat snails of a fairly decent size - I have seen him suck them right out of their shells. I suppose you have to be sort of agressive to do that! Fortunately, the snail population is -ahem- robust enough that he has enough small snails to keep his beak short (Though I saw in a magazine the steps necessary to anesthetize and then clip the beak short with nail scissors. There's a scary prospect. Think I'll keep snails and shrimp around!) But anyway, he doesn't bother the larger fish - I introduced him slowly (with another puffer, who is no longer with us), and he seems to realize that he is NOT the big fish in this small pond. (Couldn't resist the cliche.)

[tenball]

If I decide to go forward with this, anyone have any strategies for feeding them? Could I just put some snails in the tank and try to match the snail spawn rate to the puffer eating rate, or is there an easier solution I'm overlooking?

I think 3 small puffers would be my target group. How much food (snails or other?) should I get for them?