jack--sos

i have an old 20 Gallon tank that is now un-used as everything and everyone is in my 65 gallon now. My mum wants to use it for her 14 year old goldfish who is currently in a bio-orb. We went to a Fish shop a week ago to get some Rams and she fell in love with a Porcupine puffer (i know he is a saltwater and waaaay too big for a 20 gallon). if i try and convince her down the dwarf puffer line, how many could i have in a 20 gallon?

angelfish220

It would have to be heavily planted and everything... I would say 5? They stay little, but need their space. 5 would be my guess, but wait for someone else to confirm as I might be totally wrong.

pinkfloydpuffer

4 dwarf puffers would be good with lots of hiding places and plants for a 20g.

jack--sos

im guessing not, but can they be kept with other fish?

pinkfloydpuffer

I've heard that they get along well with otos. But there's no other fish that I've heard that people have had good amounts of success keeping them with.

MeGustaUnaPez926

Ottos would be the best bet, but then I'd only add 2, maybe 3 puffers. And make sure you get the ottos first, so they don't invade the puffs territory. And get all the puffers at once, for the same reason.

jack--sos

thanks for the help dosent look like my puffer plan worked because she is insistant on a guppy tank just incase, whats the bioload of dwarf puffers like?

pinkfloydpuffer

Puffers are very messy. That's why I recommend 5 gals per puffer. They also need lots of space to claim their territory.

jack--sos

ah ok then thanks so still weekly water changes of 20%?

pinkfloydpuffer

For puffers? Anywhere from that to 50% weekly. Just keep an eye on the water quality, as they're very sensitive.

MeGustaUnaPez926

Oh, an just some other advice, you'll want sand as your substrate, because puffers don't have scales, so gravel and sharp decorations like plastic plants could hurt them. They're sort of like bettas in that respect.

pinkfloydpuffer

Plastic plants are ok with puffers
But as with any fish, sharp decor isn't a good idea.