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I was looking around and found this site: http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/intro1.htm. In one of the posts I was reading about keeping a dwarf puffer alone it had this site: http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/puffer/lonelypuff.html. To read the rest of the link this is the site: http://dwarfpuffers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3770.

What about a 7 gallon tank??? Then it is small, but has some room to keep some of the fish you can get away with. Would I be able to do that with a 5 gallon too???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
5 Gallon Album

Feeding competition does seem to set DP's off, I have 8 of them now and they do seem to watch each other look for food, and if one finds something interesting they all go and have a look.They learn from each other much better than from other fish, and im sure one of the reasons that mine arent fussy feeders is that they live in a group. They are a small and easily intimidated fish, despite the fin-nipping tendancies, and it helps their confidence to see their own species around them. Im sure one of them taught the other 7 how to eat snails. About 4 is a good minimum to start with, but remember they are territorial, and the 8 I have now are currently in a planted and decorated 20 gal. Small fish with big habits, they seem happiest if the have at least 6 inches of tank each to call their own. Mine are over 3 years old and are at most 2-3 cm's long.Its kind of like having a tank full of bees.



Bigger than actual size lol.

But would it be OK to keep one alone or not??? What about like 3 in a 7 gallon tank or something like that???

What we are trying to figure out is whether or not it is OK to keep a dwarf puffer alone in say a 3-5 gallon tank with otos or shrimp etc. that is heavily planted???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
5 Gallon Album

ACTUALLY what we are trying to figure out is if 3 would be ok in a 15

If a 15 is good for 3, no way will a 7 be ok.

I think that you should get a 10 for 2 if you are keeping DPs.

Oh- what size common pond snails do the DPs eat? Mayjor infestaition......

The behaviour of dp's is variable, so I guess you just have to go with the averages.I probably wouldnt keep one on its own, it might well wane and die through lack of confidance, conversely, I wouldnt put more than 7 in a 15 gal unless the planting was very dense, but you might just scrape through. Its not a question of swimming space, because obviously they need very little, but lots of visual barriers are needed to stop them attacking each other.The less chance there is of them remaining in constant visual contact, the less chance there is of being able to defend a territorial boundary.

On the snail front mine wont touch snails bigger than about 2cms in shell length, and they much prefer snails with a 5 mm shell length or less, but I have seen other peoples puffers nip bits off bigger snails. Obviously dead and untouched snail meat can be pollution hell, so for tank chemistry sake id give them the smaller snails, then not a scrap of flesh will be left. DP's are very voracious with small snails though, and will effectively end the multigenerational breeding of a snail infestation in a small to average sized tank almost instantly. All that remains to do is remove the adults, or keep them to provide the puffers with more food as you wish.

I wouldnt keep them with shrimp of any kind, unless you wanted the shrimp to miss limbs,eyes, and antennae - its part of a puffers natural diet. Mine did kill an otto too, but not everyones does that. Its at your own (and your ottos) risk.

I would never suggest keeping one alone and noone that knows puffers would suggest it. You might get one that survives and seems to do fine but can you really judge if that puffer is content or stressed out by being alone? You will have nothing to compare it to because you've never kept puffers. In the experiences of those that have kept puffers all will tell you they seem much happier and relaxed in a group. As well as being less work because they are more likely to eat a variety of foods and not bother other fish. Personally I think it's cruel to keep an animal that is even mildly social all alone.


A 7g may be big enough for 2 but again they'd be happier in a 10g. It might be worth trying but I don't think you should plan on it working 100% of the time. You need to have a backup plan such as the ability to setup that 10g, return the puffers, or another home willing to take them and provide a bigger tank. Shrimp are often on the puffers menu so don't add any fancy expensive shrimp. Alot of people do add feeder ghost shrimp and some survive to clean the tank while others add variety to the puffers diet.

Don't know if I'd add 7 to a 15g. It seems that there would either be all out wars or they'd be too cramped to lay down territory in the first place. 3-4 and possibly 5 depending on gender and exact tank setup is what I'd stick with. Also in smaller numbers they are likely to breed. It's definitely not unheard of to have baby puffers if you have 1male and 1 or more females in a tank with no other fish to prey on the eggs and fry.

Thanks all. I will now have to find which shop near me sells the things