Diggly

Right I couldnt see a brackish water section so this wil have to do

I have decided to turn my 17 gallon into a dwarf puffer tank and have been doing research into the sort of water and conditions they like (I did consider a betta tank for a bit but 17g seems alot for 1 betta).

I would like some advice from people who have owned them, I am thinking of doing a 2g tank to breed snails in for them . I have put my filter in the 125g tank to keep the bacteria alive, I am also going to cycle the tank again - is there much difference with brackish water?

I look forward to your advice and I will of course be showing pics when its all set up

sirdarksol

First of all, dwarf puffers aren't brackish fish. The lifespan of a dwarf puffer kept in a brackish tank will be significantly shortened. They are purely freshwater fish.

They can be extremely violent, sometimes even with each other. Providing them with ample hiding places and breaking up line of sight in the tank is important. This way, they can stake out territories as they wish. They do best in a species-only tank, although they will sometimes tolerate bottom-feeders like otos and cories. Otos, in particular, seem to be okay because they can move so quickly if they're attacked.
Growing your own snails is good. They periodically need snails that are small enough that they can't just go for the chewy bits. They need to eat the shell and all.

Lucy

Hi Diggly
Here's the Brackish Fish section of the forum.
However, Dwarf Puffers are fresh water so you posted correctly.

I've never had them so until someone who does can help, here's our General Guide to Puffer Care

DP's are cute little buggers, can't wait to see it when you're all set up!
Good luck.

Diggly

hm I dont know what I was reading then! even better if its just freshwater!

Need to wait 2 more weeks until I start considering getting them - mainly because of pay lol!

ATKINSON

Remember to post loads of pics.

sirdarksol

Dwarf puffers look like the young of some of the brackish puffers, and so used to be misidentified. This LED to people in the aquarium industry claiming them to be brackish fish. It's a misconception that's taken quite a while to undo. I had originally been told the same thing. In fact, I think that PetSmart's little info card on them still says that they require salt.

Diggly

Yeah I think its the figure 8 puffers that are brackish .

CHoffman

Dwarf puffers are adorable and a great fish to own...Having a snail tank is a GREAT GREAT idea!!. They will thank you for it. If your going to be keeping a group of them I would only get 1 male and the rest females that will cut down on aggression. Also you will want your tank to be heavily planted, like a jungle..lol..I would get 1 male and 2 females and see how they do. I tried putting bottom feeders in with mine and it did not work. Cories and ottos both had nipped fins within a couple of days. I had 1 male and 1 female in a 30 gallon with the a few cories and a few ottos so they had ample space but dwarf puffers are just nippy little things no matter how much space they have.

sirdarksol

Among many others, yes, the figure 8s are brackish.