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Hey everyone. I just baught a puffer fish (which im supper excited about) and i was wondering if anyone could hook me up with all the info i need? IE: water teperature things that are good for it to eat. i know they like snails and bloodworms so im not a complete idiot hee hee . the person i bought it from didnt know much, so any help you can offer is totally appreciated!!!! i have a 5 gallon tank set up for it, and i temperarilly have the lil guy or gal, im not sure, in an old coffee pot i use as a fish bowl. he is doing good, and is very active. but any tips would be awesome!!! Thanks!!! K-Jo

Read through this site [link=http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/]http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/" style="COLOR: #C000C0[/link]

Little fish- big tank. They can be very nippy and territorial. They need excellent water quality and steady temperatures in the high 70's. They are most fond of live snails, and most people can get them to subsist on frozen or live bloodworm. Some specimens insist on live food and will die if they dont get it.They need densely planted tanks with lots of visual barriers and retreats.Water needs to be soft and mine do ok in blackwater conditions.

They are sold widely in the trade because they breed well, but they are not really a beginners fish- they can be trouble. They are a poor choice for a first fish since they are both aggressive and delicate.

I dont think that coffee can is close to cutting it as an aquarium, its probably 10 -20 times too small.They need pristine conditions to thrive, close observation and an experienced hand.

Thanks for all the awesome, and very timely help guys!! Im definatly going to buy a ton of plants for it, which should be fun. Thanks again!!!
K-Jo

Where does it say it's a dwarf puffer?

Yeah, first, what type of puffer is it?

I think this is a reputable site(can't remember) to help you identify your puffer.
http://www.pufferfish.co.uk/aquaria/species/pufferfish/types/index.htm

Of course if you recognise the pictures of Dwarf Puffers on www.dwarfpuffers.com are similiar to your own puffers, then you probably do have dwarf puffers.

(what happened to The Puffer Forum?)

Last edited by me is already in use at 08-Sep-2005 01:12

yeah we shouldnt have assumed they were dwarf puffers- but dwarfs are becoming seriously popular, outnumbering other species sold by a 1000-1. Obviously a lot of other puffers arent so plant friendly and a lot of them need really large tanks to avoid issues like eye rubbing and so on. The big ones may need teeth clipping too if you cant find harder food for them.

Puffers are always trouble, but we love em anyway.

This for id purposes is one of my 8 dp's

http://www.fishprofiles.comi12.photobucket.com/albums/a245/longhairedgit/smalldwarfpuffer.jpg

Last edited by longhairedgit at 09-Sep-2005 22:57

but dwarfs are becoming seriously popular, outnumbering other species sold by a 1000-1.

I wouldn't say that at all. In my experience figure 8s are the most commonly sold. Then comes green-sopttes and the arrowheard and fugus. I have never, in my life, seen a dwarf puffer in person. However, I have seen hundreds of specimens of puffers that you deem uncommon.
I would really think before making such a generalization.

I did think- its true. Over the last 2 years the trade in dwarf puffers has taken off hugely- you can see them in almost every shop in the uk, Worldwide surveys have been published that indicate that the dwarf puffer has become listed in the top 100 species of new aquarium fish sold worldwide over the last 2 years, and no other species of puffer is even in the list. Dont assume that because you havent seen them locally to you that it isnt so- across asia , the uk, and mainland europe, especially germany they have become absolutely huge.In three shops alone in my local area there must be 300 or more dp's sat awaiting purchase.Their size, ease of feeding and lack of aggression when compared to most puffers mean that they will only get more popular. People will wrongly assume they are good subjects for small bowls and tiny aquaria, and thousands of purchases are doubtless taking place on that basis.

That in itself is not especially a good thing tho, as they can be tricky to keep .Their newfound popularity, and the comparative lack of information on their behaviour and keeping is one of the reasons I decided to volunteer my knowledge of them to the site. Doesn't think. Sheesh.


Just because theyre not widely available in the states yet doesnt mean they wont be soon, as I said breeders are having massive breeding success, and being an asian species will also probably mean that they will be subject to heavy wild collection too.


As to the species of puffers ive experienced - dont be so sure, the uk and germany have grander history of fish description, and the establishment of captive care. We have closer ties to each other than the US,and I dont doubt that Uk citizens have a more extensive range of species available to them due to our less strict rules on import and export compared to the US. We might not have the numbers the states do, but we certainly have the variety and the experience. Weve doubtless both had extensive experience in keeping, perhaps zoo and scientific work, college education and lifelong hobbyism, personally I have had the priviledge of all five. Are we really going to start arguing about who is the better read?




Last edited by longhairedgit at 09-Sep-2005 23:37

The only puffers I've ever seen in stores here within about 50miles of me are dwarf puffers except for saltwater stores. I assumed if someone was talking a very small tank and aren't posting what species is this they would at least be aware of the size their puffer gets.

Last edited by sham at 09-Sep-2005 23:43

I am on about 20 different sites answering puffer Qs, including WetWebMedia. The majority of Qs are coming from folks buying GSPs from Walmart.

Also this guy is in a coffee pot and the OP made no mention of cycling the 5 gal(if its even possible to keep it that way).


Always reasearch before you buy

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

www.thepufferforum.org/

Hey Guys,

I work for PetCo in Michigan and we've never been able to get dwarf puffers in here. I would definitly order them if I could. If your puffer is a figure-8 or green or really anything but the dwarf puffer, you're going to need to look into a decent size tank. Depending on the variety, they can get 6"+.

Cheers,
Josh