Never feed your dwarf puffers again.... My Dwarf Puffer technique.

great idea SoCal.
 
What are you going to do to give proper nutrution to the DPs? Snails do not have the same nutrition that bloodworms, blackworms, ect. have.

The natural diet of a DP consists of mainly snails. There is no nutrient defficiency in this setup, however adding live bloodworms and black worms that are parasite free would be great supplements.
 
Interesting set-up. And it certainly solves the issue of leaving fish like DPs for a week or two if one is going on vacation.

I'm curious though, what about all the leftover snail shells accumulating in the tank?
 
Interesting set-up. And it certainly solves the issue of leaving fish like DPs for a week or two if one is going on vacation.

I'm curious though, what about all the leftover snail shells accumulating in the tank?
good thought, webcricket. they might raise the pH if left to dissolve back into the water.
 
Interesting set-up. And it certainly solves the issue of leaving fish like DPs for a week or two if one is going on vacation.

I'm curious though, what about all the leftover snail shells accumulating in the tank?

That, and uneaten bits of snail that might get left inside the shell would foul the water.
 
Well, I don't test my water every week. I just tested it right now and amm is 0, nitrite is 0, nitrates is 5.

Ph is still holding at 7.8, but thats what the levels of the water are straight from tap.

If your local water fluctuates, then you should take the shells out, but as for left-over snail bits in the shell, my guess is the shrimp take care of that because I don't see anything in the shells I pulled out, and they don't smell (from decaying flesh inside), so shrimps probably play a more crucial role in this setup than I thought.
 
well its a "never feed your DP again" tank, not a "never do maintenance again"! im guessing along with your regular gravel vaccing you'd pick up the empty shells whever they are.

i think i would set up a small MTS breeding tank and feed them manually. anyways, feeding time is one of the best parts of an aquarium!
 
quote "Never feed your dwarf puffers again.... My Dwarf Puffer technique. "
cool, i also have dps and I did notice that they just suck the snail out of the shell, thought it was weird tho. Glad to know I was wrong, they all do it. Which poses the question, how do they keep their beaks (teeth) from getting too long?
 
Which poses the question, how do they keep their beaks (teeth) from getting too long?

Dwarf Puffers tend to not develop overgrown beaks, and by providing at least a few snails on a regular basis they will get enough of a workout grinding a bit as they "hunt and play" with the snails.
 
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