View Full Version : puffer fish and....
tammy911
08-26-2003, 9:08 PM
I have a 10 gallon freshwater tank that is cycled and ready to go! I presently have 3 long finned zebra danios ( taken from my 75g) to keep things going in the tank. It is lightly planted so far with java fern, but I have intentions to add more of the same plants. Snails are already introduced and doing quite well, judging from the number of the little darlings. The substrate is sand and there are a few pieces of driftwood to divide up the swimming areas. My question is: I would like to put in a dwarf puffer or two, and would like to know what I could add with them. The danios are going back to the big tank. I was thinking of something that could stir up the sand a little bit as I am concerned about anaerobic bacteria. Are kuhli loaches a possibility? If so, how many would be ideal?
GoLdFiSh_GrL
08-26-2003, 9:15 PM
O! pufferfish r sooo cute! well, i think u'd B able 2 put loachers w/ them, but i dunno the #...:(
cdawson
08-26-2003, 10:47 PM
If you've got lots of snails they'd do a pretty good job, kuhli loaches are pretty good for stirring up sand. Make sure it's sand though, gravel can scratch them up pretty bad. As long as you've got nothing else in the tank, dwarf puffers would be a good fit. Dwarf puffers only as everything else gets too big for a 10g or is brackish.
pinballqueen
08-27-2003, 12:08 AM
While the size is perfect for a 10 gallon tank, keep in mind that all puffers are territorial/aggressive and will nip away at the fins of everything else in the tank... They will keep the snails in check, though. Personally, I would leave it at just the puffers.
cdawson
08-27-2003, 2:16 AM
I think the kuhli loach would be ok, as long as there are plenty of places for him to hide (under rocks, driftwood, etc).
I had one in with a nasty sunfish and nothing happened, it could never catch the loach, they just dig into the sand.
One male and 2-3 female dwarf puffers without any tankmates should be fine in a ten.
You should add some Java Moss clumps to the tank - it is their prefered spawning site and also provides refuge fo the females if needed.
Coolies, like other loaches, do best in groups and the 10 is much too small for that. I disagree with their suitability for this tank.
tammy911
08-27-2003, 2:46 PM
Thanks so much for all the feedback! I would be happy to put just puffers in the tank, but as I said, my concern was that the sand would pack too tightly and cause the deadly anaerobic bacteria to form. That would be very bad, I think. That was my reasoning for putting in kuhli loaches. Am I being overly cautious?
OrionGirl
08-27-2003, 3:25 PM
Anaerobic pockets only cause a problem if disturbed. If you don't move the sand around, it will be fine. I have 2 tanks with about 2 inches of sand as the substrate, and they are fine. Plants will appreciate the low oxygen areas, and their roots will prevent compaction.
You may want to start a snail population in another tank as well. Puffers can wipe out a huge snail population in very short order. Plan on supplementing the snail diet with a nutritious, meaty food as well. My puffers are in a 40, and I seldom see a snail in there. Lots of empty shells though...
SwedishFish
08-27-2003, 4:56 PM
i know this may sound dumb but if u cant get anything but puffers in there and dont want Anaerobic pockets to happen just stir up the sand yourself with the fish net or something :p :D
ChilDawg
08-27-2003, 5:01 PM
While a good idea, I have to remind you that you need to start doing that from the beginning of the tank's existence, or else you'll be stirring up anaerobic pockets!
tammy911
08-27-2003, 5:21 PM
ok, so I will skip the kuhli loaches. I have a 75g with snails as well. That is where the originals came from. When you say "meaty food", what exactly do you have in mind OG? I would really like to get this all right the first time so that I don't lose any soldiers, if you know what I mean;) Is there any way to ensure that a snail population could sustain itself in the tank,say by providing special hiding places for them or something along those lines? There is probably about 20-25 snails now, that are easily visible. so I figure that it means that there are plenty more there hiding!
Once again, I would just like to take the opportunity to say , You guys are great!
I would just like to say thanks from me and from the new fish who so appreciate all your help, whether they realize it or not:D !
OrionGirl
08-28-2003, 8:36 AM
I feed my puffers a mix of frozen community formula, chopped earthworm, blood worms, mysis shrimp. Not every day--but over the course of a week, they've had it all. Juveniles won't take anything but live IME, but once they get to about 6 months old, they decide to try more things. I add snails to their tank weekly as well--there are some in hiding, but not very many. This is in a 40, with lots of driftwood and plants. Puffers are hunters--you'll find them checking out every nook and cranny for a morsel to eat. Mine study the gravel intently, just waiting for a snail to poke up from the gravel.
I tried having the snails reproduce in the tank, but the puffers will wipe them out. There might be 2-3 very large ones that survive, but this will not be enough to support the puffers. The 20-30 you see now will be gone within a week, and any eggs will take a while to hatch and grow to a suitable size.
cdawson
08-28-2003, 10:56 AM
Originally posted by tammy911
Thanks so much for all the feedback! I would be happy to put just puffers in the tank, but as I said, my concern was that the sand would pack too tightly and cause the deadly anaerobic bacteria to form. That would be very bad, I think. That was my reasoning for putting in kuhli loaches. Am I being overly cautious?
Malaysian trumpet snails are good for this, I don't know about other people's success with snails and dwarf puffers (as they are their natural food source). I've used silica sand in my 10g w/ dwarfs for about a year and a half now and never had any problems.
Puffers should only be put in brackish water. If you're not sure what that is, it's a freshwater/saltwater combo. Check prior posts for an exact explanation. I have a leopard puffer in his own take (he is territorial) and it is 18G brackish.
Anyway, if you're having trouble with snails, try clown loaches. They love feeding on snails and will clean you up in no time flat. However, know that the loaches will grow and soon need a tank larger than 10G
Hope this helps.
cds
ChilDawg
08-30-2003, 10:30 PM
Originally posted by cds
Puffers should only be put in brackish water.
Nope. There are some FW puffers (think Dwarves and SA Puffers) and some SW puffers (think Arothron, Canthigaster, and the Porcupine Fish).
Is that right? I was misinformed. So is my leopard puffer FW as well or is his current brackish habitat the best situation for it?
Thanks.
ChilDawg
08-30-2003, 11:34 PM
I believe that the Leopard Puffer is also known as the Green Spotted Puffer...I'm not sure, though, so I will send you to http://www.pufferfish.co.uk/aquaria/species/pufferfish/types/index.htm in order to find your species of Puffer. Then I would recommend asking about it in the Brackish Forum by scientific species name in order to get a complete answer.
I will say that I believe that you have a BW puff, but I'd rather that you checked that out to be sure, and the people in Brackish will be able to help you ascertain that fact.
By the numbers, the majority of puffers are SW - some of those with fry/young in BW; the BW and true FW puffers are the minority.
In the trade around here, BW are commonest (Green Spotted Puffers and Figure 8 Puffers).