Dwarf Puffers Advice

[cheatsy]

Hi Forum,

Thinking about starting a dwarf puffer (pea puffer) or whatever you call it puffers.

I have been doing some research online. Would love to get some advice from the forum on some tips on taking care of dwarf puffers.

I am planning to keep maybe 6 in a 18 gallon that will be heavily(?) planted with some otos in it and MAYBE some glass shrimp as well.

I heard about having brackish water but online research told me that brackish water shortens their life?

Any advice from expert dwarf (pea?) puffers would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[Kwito]

I'm no expert, but I did have a group of 5 pea puffers for sometime. They do quite well in strictly freshwater tanks. Like most fish, the transition from fresh to brackish water is something that you would considering doing over a length of time. If the store or breeder you purchase the pea puffers from are in brackish water, keep them that way, if fresh, keep it fresh. It will create less stress on the fish and they will flourish.

Pea puffers are EXTREMELY picky eaters. They will NOT eat flakes at all (or VERY rarely), but love live food. Escargot is their favourite (which is the reason that I decided to get rid of them). I put a group of snails in the tank that I paid more than the puffers for and they picked them apart. Puffers were more than happy... no really, if you look at them they always look like their smiling.

Keep the pH between 6.8 - 7.2. Water temp can vary, but 70F is ideal. They are also susceptible to toxins as their skin is a little less resistant to levels of ammonia and copper.

[Ursus sapien]

there are a number of pea puffer threads on the forum, describing keeping conditions etc. Lots of good info there.

a group in a heavily planted large tank with many line-of-sight breaks will work. Otherwise they'll just start wearing each other out untill you only have one or two left. Feeding small snails will keep their beaks trimmed and reduce the amount of decaying flesh lying around - messy eaters. A breeding colony of dwarf shrimp will provide ongoing live food in the form of baby shrimp. Hard water, warm. Mine bred at about 26C.

[elemental]

They will eat any shrimp you put in the tank.
They will eat any small enough snails in the tank.
Some will try to eat anything else in the tank other than itself

Pea puffers are fresh water only.

[Ursus sapien]

They will eat any shrimp you put in the tank.
...

they won't usually bother larger shrimp, just the babies, except directly after the shrimp has molted. Provide shelters for the adult shrimp to hide in at that time and all should be good.

Fan shrimp, with those beautiful modified beeding claws, could be the exception.