Nano Dwaf Puffer Tank: Restart

[dubels]

Just wanted to share my dwarf puffer tank. It is a Marineland Eclipse 5 Gallon. A month ago this tank was dead and I had to restart the whole thing. I reused the drift wood and a small fern that some how survived. I set up the tank to cycle and went out and got some plants. Once the tank cycled I added two dwarf puffers. Don't worry they are male and female and get along real well. I am currently dealing with some brown algae on the sand. I don't know if its diatoms or not because this tank was set up for 2 years before the fish in it died and it sat filled with water. Don't mind the plant floating randomly in the middle of the tank. I was trying to plant it in the back but light does not really reach back there so I have to figure out how to plant it so it will get light.

I know I really suck at aquascaping but its hard with the light. Nothing grows in the background.

[Colorful]

Don't adult dwarf puffers have to live in brackish or saltwater when they're older?

[Lil' Swimz$]

Nope. Dwarf puffers (carinotetraodon travancoricus if I do remember off the top of my head) are entirely freshwater and max out at about 1". They are feisty though and should have 5 gallons each to themselves. I'd suggest, dubels, much much much more plant mass otherwise they will be in constant fighting.

[dubels]

I previously had dwarf puffers in a 29 gallon and yes they are notorious fin nippers and really shouldn't be housed in a community tank. I haven't noticed them fighting even during feeding. They actually just swim around together. I have seen them sleep near each other under the anubias (that is why there is now two anubias plants in the tank). I will keep an eye on them but as you can see from the picture their tank was where my temporary computer desk was set up. So I was looking or near the tank a lot. In fact the 5 ghost shrimp I added two weeks ago are still in the tank.

The blur in the picture is one of the puffers. I can get them both to follow my finger along the side of the tank to slow down for a picture but I thought my finger would ruin the picture. I'll try and get a picture of them together. Love puffers though, most character I have seen in a fish.

[Colorful]

Oh I'm sorry, I guess I mistook it for those puffers at walmart. Ooops!

[dubels]

The puffers at walmart are Green Spotted Puffers. I wouldn't get them there anyways because those are usually sick. Not a hard mistake to make. When I went out to get my first dwarf puffer a LFS in LA sold me a GSP and it promptly died. There are two "true" freshwater species, but I can only find dwarf puffers locally. See below for a link to the species of freshwater puffers

[LICfish]

I like that you have sand in your tank. That's perfect for the dwarf puffers.

I've had my 2 dwarf puffers for 2.5 yrs now in a 12 gallon (they're so awesome) and they still manage to fight over the food. Not fight fight but they like their space. They fought a lot more when they didn't have enough hiding spaces so I had to add some. I'd probably add some taller plants to the tank and try to make some hiding spots in case they need to get away from each other. These guys will definitely grow on you

[dubels]

I plan on adding a small stack of pvc pipes behind the drift wood to allow them to hideout. It would be out of sight. I wanted to add taller plants in the background but the stupid filter blocks out most of the light so nothing grows in the back of the tank.

I actually got my first dwarf puffer in 2008. Sadly, the puffer didn't lost long after being moved after I graduated from undergrad. Mr. Peabody was a lot of fun to watch hunt snails. I find it interesting and a bit disappointing that one of my current puffers does not like snails. Cutting back on allowing the snails to grow in my 10g because of that.

[CatB]

5 gallons seems a little small for two puffers, i hope it works out!

[dubels]

Yeah. I might change things around. I have kept an eye on the parameters and everything seems fine. But if there is a territorial issue I will rehouse a puffer.

[xenxes]

I always wanted a puffer, any closeups?

[dubels]

Really hard to get close ups because they cruise around the front of the tank endlessly when I approach the tank. Absent placing my finger against the tank its hard to get them to sit still because they think its feeding time. I miss having them next to my desk as they would keep my company as I worked. I tried to get them both in one picture but one always ended up blurry or blocked out by my finger.

[Lil' Swimz$]

I'm sorry to say but there are many many more than two species of freshwater puffer fish...

I wish the PufferPedia was working right now... but I know that there are atleast 12 species if not many more.

Some of the top of my head would be.. t. travancoricus (dwarf puffer) c. loreti, c. irrubesco, c. salvator (sp), mbu, fahaka,

[dubels]

That is fine. I am wrong. I thought most needed brackish water to survive long. Here is a list of freshwater puffers btw: http://www.pufferlist.com/freshwater-puffers/ I have wanted to try out the South American Puffer but I cannot find any locally and I got sucked into shrimps.

[Calmia22]

Originally Posted by dubels

That is fine. I am wrong. I thought most needed brackish water to survive long. Here is a list of freshwater puffers btw: http://www.pufferlist.com/freshwater-puffers/ I have wanted to try out the South American Puffer but I cannot find any locally and I got sucked into shrimps.

I have a pair of dwarf puffers and a congo puffer. They are really neat fish.