10 gallon stocking

[Nofrnds2pla]

If I may….i am a little fish in this forum of knowledgeable ones.(not even sure if this is the appropriate place to ask) I am starting my new 10 gallon and plan to have 1 pea puffer and 2 to 3 Otocinclus. Do you suggest all fishes go in at the same time? Or oto’s 1st then puffer. I know puffers can be territorial so I don’t think he/she would be 1st. I also heard about having the lights off when adding fish, in my case it can’t hurt as no current residents in the tank and it will be daytime. I know otos are social also so are 2 enough or is a trio better? I will have approximately 5 caves for them and I am planted. Thank you for your time

 

[Fishmanic]

Our next tank of the month contest for nano tanks will be in June. Hope you enter your tank.

 

[Wills]

Dwarf puffers are quite a mid understood fish in the wild they occur in large groups and while not a true schooling fish will do better in a group here too.

Rather confusingly in a 10 gallon tank allow 10 litres per puffer so you should be able to have 6 maybe 7 of them in there. In this kind of number you will be able to spread out any fighting and allow them to build a hierarchy.

One vital piece of puffers is to have a well planted tank with lots of wood and rocks for them to explore around and find caves and nooks to explore.

For your otos you are getting them as a clean up crew primarily but don’t forget these are also schooling fish so you really want at least 6 of them.

Wills

 

[JackGulley]

Otos need a layer of biofilm/algae on the decorations as this is their food source. Since new tanks can take 3-4 months to develop this, I would definitely get the pea-puffers first, and add the otos a few at a time once there's sufficient algae for them. Otos *can* be fed algae wafers, but since they're wild-caught they will not know how to eat these when you buy them and will not figure out quickly enough.

 

[Nofrnds2pla]

Dwarf puffers are quite a mid understood fish in the wild they occur in large groups and while not a true schooling fish will do better in a group here too.

Rather confusingly in a 10 gallon tank allow 10 litres per puffer so you should be able to have 6 maybe 7 of them in there. In this kind of number you will be able to spread out any fighting and allow them to build a hierarchy.

One vital piece of puffers is to have a well planted tank with lots of wood and rocks for them to explore around and find caves and nooks to explore.

For your otos you are getting them as a clean up crew primarily but don’t forget these are also schooling fish so you really want at least 6 of them.

Wills

Hello Wills,
I have been mulling over your answer for some time. I don’t understand what you are telling me with the 10 gallon,10 liter per puffer part of your answer. Is not 6 or 7 puffers & 6 or 7 Oto’s too much for a 10 gallon? I am well planted and have wood and 2 or 3 caves to hide and as JackGulley suggested there is some algae in the tank and I checked out the otos in the LFS and they were eating algae wafers also.