Planted enough for 3 pea puffers?

Hi,

Im attaching a picture of my tank Im cycling for 3 puffers. Its going to be running it for a couple months before i even introduce the puffers because i know they are very sensitive to water quality changes.
Its a 12 gallon cube, and Im wondering if this looks like it has enough plants/cover to minimize any territorial issues with the three puffers. Obviously my goal is to have 1 male and 2 females, but Ive heard the biggest factor is having enough to break up line of sight.

Thanks for the help!

 

I believe recommendation is 5 gallons per pea puffer.

 

A 10gal can house a single pea puffer. A 12gal with 3 will be overstock. Also, there is no picture

 

I think 3 puffers in a 10 would do fine; as long as you have a decent filter and keep up with water changes.
You didn’t attach a picture of the plants. It is important to have a lot of cover but you also don’t want to overcrowd it.

 

I believe recommendation is 5 gallons per pea puffer.

Ive read 5 gallons for one and 3 gallons for each additional, given there are plenty of plants.

 

A 10gal can house a single pea puffer. A 12gal with 3 will be overstock. Also, there is no picture

Yeah i forgot the picture, lol. It's there now. Ill take that into consideration, but I have heard from various sources that 3 is doable with plenty of filtration and heavy planting

 

Every where I've been reading as I'm looking into the same is 10 min for 1 and 5 for each. I'm thinking of 3 maybe 4 in a 29.

 

Beautiful setup, I would think that's the idea for separating. What's the cuttlebone for?

 

Yeah i forgot the picture, lol. It's there now. Ill take that into consideration, but I have heard from various sources that 3 is doable with plenty of filtration and heavy planting

Filtration and plants wont matter, pea puffers are still territorial. Not much territory to claim in a small 12gal, which is why an extra 5gals is need per added puffer. Again, 3 in a 12gal is overstocked

 

Beautiful setup, I would think that's the idea for separating. What's the cuttlebone for?

I had a couple mystery snails in the tank temporarily and was providing calcium.

 

Every where I've been reading as I'm looking into the same is 10 min for 1 and 5 for each. I'm thinking of 3 maybe 4 in a 29.

So its actually a 15 gallon, I was wrong. Its the "14" gallon aqueon cube aquarium, somehow I calculated the gallons wrong, but its 15x15x15.25

 

Filtration and plants wont matter, pea puffers are still territorial. Not much territory to claim in a small 12gal, which is why an extra 5gals is need per added puffer. Again, 3 in a 12gal is overstocked

So i did calculate the volume wrong, I just measured it, its 15x15x15.25 making it 15 gallons. Do you think two females would be okay?

 

Filtration and plants wont matter, pea puffers are still territorial. Not much territory to claim in a small 12gal, which is why an extra 5gals is need per added puffer. Again, 3 in a 12gal is overstocked

I understand females are still territorial, but it would be better than a male and female in case the male harasses the female it they try to mate.

Also have read online most places you get them from they will be too young to sex so a lot of people will add more to their aquarium until they are old enough to sex and then bring some back to the store. Im assuming this is because they are not quite as territorial when they are younger, otherwise I can't see why it would be considered safe to house them together like that.

 

I think maybe a little bit more tall plant coverage in the middle, otherwise you’re good. I love the setup! 3 puffers in 15 gallons is definitely good imo. Good luck

 

I think maybe a little bit more tall plant coverage in the middle, otherwise you’re good. I love the setup! 3 puffers in 15 gallons is definitely good imo. Good luck

Preferably trying to keep the centerpiece rock exposed, would adding big floaters with long roots be a could compromise?

 

We tried 2 puffersin an 8.8 and the next day one was gone and nowhere to be found i think a safer number would be 2 in there. Great looking setup. All fish appreciate overhead cover so i think adding some floaters will be a nice addition to your tank.

 

I kept my 5 pea puffers in a 10 gallon for about 2 weeks while I was in the process of building them a new tank and I saw little aggression with rockwork and plants I had (Don't worry they are in a 40B currently). They all found a spot and sat there looking around. The tank I built them was a 16 gallon tank with a 20x16 (10" Tall) and they lived in that completely peacefully too, I have seen nipping about twice in 3 months. What I would suggest is watching pea puffers in store and seeing which ones seem aggressive and which ones not and pick the more passive ones. If you can get them before they are sexually mature that would be better as they grow up together it may make them more tolerant of each other. Personally I would be willing to put 3 in there just fine, but I would have a tank on standby where if things go south I could separate them. Keep in mind all puffers have different personalities and like me you could have 5 that are all chummy, or you could get one that has a bloodlust fueled by the god of death himself.
Takeaway would be 1 will be safe, more than that have a plan B of what to do if things go south.
Goodluck, and this is not to discourage you from getting them! They are amazing fish and are the coolest little guys ever and I love their personalities and behaviour!

 

I kept my 5 pea puffers in a 10 gallon for about 2 weeks while I was in the process of building them a new tank and I saw little aggression with rockwork and plants I had (Don't worry they are in a 40B currently). They all found a spot and sat there looking around. The tank I built them was a 16 gallon tank with a 20x16 (10" Tall) and they lived in that completely peacefully too, I have seen nipping about twice in 3 months. What I would suggest is watching pea puffers in store and seeing which ones seem aggressive and which ones not and pick the more passive ones. If you can get them before they are sexually mature that would be better as they grow up together it may make them more tolerant of each other. Personally I would be willing to put 3 in there just fine, but I would have a tank on standby where if things go south I could separate them. Keep in mind all puffers have different personalities and like me you could have 5 that are all chummy, or you could get one that has a bloodlust fueled by the god of death himself.
Takeaway would be 1 will be safe, more than that have a plan B of what to do if things go south.
Goodluck, and this is not to discourage you from getting them! They are amazing fish and are the coolest little guys ever and I love their personalities and behaviour!

Good to know! I know for a fact that my LFS (which is actually an hour drive away cause Montana be that way lol), keeps their dwarf puffers in a 29g community, with a lot of plants, and they seem to be doing fine. Hopefully this would make them a little more docile since they are used to sharing a tank.