youngest-fish-nerd

what are good tank mates for my two dwarf puffers?
i have them in a 10 with 5 silver tip tetras and two kuhli loaches,
any other posibillities? i might get a new 10 for them,
any suggestions?

COBettaCouple

The puffers tend to not play well with others it seems. Otos are the only compatible tankmates that i can find listed for them. 2 puffers, 5 silver tip tetras and the 2 loaches have your 10g overmaxed on the bio-load.. you might want to check the profiles here at fishlore to see the adult size for those fish and keep 1" of fish per gallon.

sick-lid boy

3 Dwarf Puffers alone would be perfect for a 10 gallon tank. They also like lots of plants to hide in.

I recently had 3 DPs that I couldn't keep so I gave them to a friend who put them in a 10gallon tank with 2 Dwarf Rainbows... the Puffers munched on the tails of the Rainbows so she had to remove the Rainbows, and now the puffers have the whole tank to themselves and are happy. I read somewhere that Dwarf Puffers generally need about 3 gallons a piece, so 3 in a 10 gallon is just right.

Dwarf Puffers are extremely cool little fish, though. I wish I could have kept them.

youngest-fish-nerd

thanx, iwas considering otos, i will look for them and a new tank next time at fish store,
there hasent been any chasing or nipping since got them, they seem fine,

tan.b

i saw some dwarf puffers at my lfs last wk. never seen them before so i read the info that was with them and i remember it saying they need brackish water and are happy with the same species, so not in a mixed community tank. you need a tank JUST for puffers it seems. they looked pretty cool though! but i havent a tank spare for just them and brackish water seems a bit tricky for me! - i dont enough about it to venture there yet! one day after lots of research and cash i'll do brackish then eventually may get a salt water tank!
tan

youngest-fish-nerd

they are 100% percent fresh water,
that is why i got them,
and i dont see how this is over crowding,
there is plenty of room.
thanx though,

sgould

Try stuffing 15-20 people in your living room. You can do it, but it isn't comfortable for the people involved. Same thing with putting too many fish in too small a tank. Keep in mind also that they will grow, so what may seem like plenty of space now may not be in just a few months time. The 1" of fish per gallon of water rule is widely accepted as a general guideline designed to keep your fish healthy, which in turn will mean a more positive experience for you. Silver tip tetras get up to 2" in size, which means that 5 of them maxes your 10 gallon tank's capacity, and the remaining fish put you over. There are a couple of reasons this is important to know about. First, if you are going to overstock a tank then you need to be prepared to help compensate by doing more frequent partial water changes. You many need to change out some of your water 2-3 times per week, whereas if you follow the guideline you might only need to do it once every week to 2 weeks. Second, understand that the 1" per gallon thing is a guideline that sometimes needs to be adjusted depending on what kind of fish you are keeping. For example...puffers have a reputation for being "messy" fish. Meaning their pressence in a tank results in more toxins (ammonia & nitrite) being produced than other fish of the same size. As a result, it might be a wise idea when dealing with such a fish to allow for less than 1" per gallon.

None of this is meant to discourage you from pursuing the hobby or the fish you want in any way. We just want to be sure you have all the information you need to avoid trouble and potential fish loss. What you do with the information is up to you, and we truly do wish you the best of luck with all of your fish!

tan.b

and bear in mind they are living in their own waste and food. would you do that? eat your food from water filled with your own urine and poo? there are many reasons not to overstock.. as sgould mentioned, we only say these things not to criticise, but to help. we dont want your fish to die or get diseased any more than you do, or fishkeeping wont be enjoyable for you or the fish. good luck.
tan

andiuk

yeah, i went to a big aquarium specialist the other day in birmingham, i think they had them in a tank with some corys, but nothing else...

the corys did look a bit fin-nipped... but i dunno if that was a result of the puffers or not, coz the puffers (despite the size of the tank) appeared to be completely ignoring them, and each other... but maybe they were just having an off day! lol

tan.b

yeah always tricky to judge in lfs as in "pets at home" shop they are often rather tattered and cant be sure if tank mates or arrived to them like that? shame lfs's dont take better care of their fish.

youngest-fish-nerd

i better just stick with kuhlies and ottos