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I have just started to set up my second tank, it's a 15G single 18W bulb job and is presently cycling. I am undecided what to stock in it as although I really want to get a few dwarf puffers (1 male and 2 female?) I hear they are really hard to keep?
I am getting to know the basics of how to look after a tank well with my 22G tank which I've had for about 3 years (see my profile for stocking and tank info).
If I were to set the tank up for some dwarf puffers what sort of things would I need to consider and how is it best to set up the tank?
I have a ready supply of pest snails from my 22G which would go down a treat with the puffers!

Jim

Dwarf puffers would love a planted tank...but you would have to increase your lighting. Plain gravel is fine if you have plants.

I would only go with 3 in a 15g...(1m/2f) like you said.

They will definitely enjoy the pest snails. They also eat frozen bloodworms and live food. They are messy little guys but like excellent water quality.

That's about all I know. I thought about DP's before, but never got them.

*Kristin*

I'd love to try dwarf puffers myself someday... You don't necessarily have to upgrade your lighting to go with a planted tank (which would be best for the puffers). You just need to pick your plants carefully. Many crypts, aponogetons, and rotala indica are a few I can think of that might do okay in that tank, and then there are the standard low-light options of java moss and java fern, anubias, and bolbitis fern.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

I'll take a chunk off of the Anubias I have in my other tank, and I've moved some broad leaved plants (no idea what they are!) in there too. Do Puffers like to have hiding places?

I've kept dwarf puffers in the past. Three would be a good number for a 15g. I also had otos in their tank, they seem to be one of the few fish DPs won't try to nip.

I personally don't think they're difficult to keep except for the fact that they generally won't accept flake foods.

They do seem to like hiding places. Maybe you could get a nice piece of driftwood for the tank, or get one piece and break it into smaller parts. You could attach the anubias or some java fern to the wood if you'd like.

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

For puffers it's a good idea to have stuff in there that breaks up their line of sight. Mine seem to like chasing eachother if they can see eachother. I just have the tank really really planted and they spend their time exploring.

For puffers it's a good idea to have stuff in there that breaks up their line of sight

I have also heard that. Its better to have a close-to-heavily planted tank, so that they will leave each other alone. It would also be good if you planned on ottos. That would make sure the ottos are safe from the puffers (if they ever did take interest in them).

*Kristin*

Looks like I might have to go against my best judgement and use some artificial plants as well as real ones as the watts per gallon is not low enough to have it heavily planted. On second thoughts I could just have loads of java fern, java moss and Anubias which won't mind the low light? Phew!
Thanks for all the advice, just got to persuade my wife that more fish are a good idea...I can't see her resisting their cute little faces?

See my earlier comment for a few other plants that should do fine in low light... Aponogetons are those fuzzy little bulbs that you can find in many pet stores (I find mine in Wal-Mart). You drop them in the tank, and after a week or two they sprout. Some varieties of Cryptocoryne can manage in low light. Cryptocoryne wendtii is a fairly small crypt fro fore and midground plantings, and Cryptocoryne spiralis is a very tall one that looks good in the background. Rotala Indica is a stem plant that I've had great luck with in all manner of lighting.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Crypt wendtii will stay pretty small in low light, but given adequate light, it will get very tall. I have some in my 55g that have 8-10 inch leaves.

Crypt retrospiralis and spiralis should be ok for a 15g. In low light they won't get too unmanageable.

Go with java fern, the mentioned crypts, anubias (nana, coffefolia, and petite nana are smaller ones), and java moss and that should be fine.

I had wisteria growing in my 55g when I first set it up, with less than 1 wpg. It didn't grow fast, but it grew. That is a good filler plant. Rotala indica will probably grow in your light. It may not be really pink, but it will grow.

*Kristin*

Crypt wendtii will stay pretty small in low light, but given adequate light, it will get very tall.

Actually, I think it has more to do with substrate depth and root fertilization. I have crypts in my high-light planted tank, and Wendtii is actually one of my foreground plants because the substrate slopes from 1 inch deep to 4 inches, so as the substrate gets deeper, I notice they get taller.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Dwarf puffers aren't really hard to keep and require only slightly more maintenance than some other fish. Make sure to decorate or plant the tank heavily. They prefer low water flow but are somewhat messy. Weekly water changes and gravel vacs would be best especially if you aren't planting the tank really heavy. They also only eat frozen or live foods and do best with the occasional snail treat. DPs don't actually need snails to wear their beaks down like other puffers but they like to hunt the snails and it's good for their diet. For most feedings I used a dropper and frozen bloodworms, brineshrimp, or squid. Just wiggle and squirt it in front of the puffers so they are tempted to eat it. After awhile they adjust pretty well and aren't hard to feed. You just need to make sure to have some small ghost shrimp and snails on hand for the first week incase they aren't eating frozen yet. Most people slice the frozen food cubes into smaller chunks with a sharp knife and feed about 1/4th a cube a day. You can also give small ghost shrimp for a treat. Most puffers eat them but occasionally the ghost shrimp survive and make a good cleanup crew without adding to the bioload.