Dwarf Puffer Fish

[techen]

I thought I'd mix stuff up with my tank and look at some Dwarf puffer fish.
 
Now, Overall I know next to nothing about puffers but as my LFS said they are "Hard to keep alive".
 
Now is that mean there brackish but can be tropical with a reduced lifespan or not?
 
Also, How many can you put in a very heavily planted tank, 60 litres. My LFS suggested 5, Bearing in mind this would be a species only tank.
 
Any other information is very welcome, See tank below.
 

 

[Chad]

<<<
 
Did I hear someone say puffer fish?!!!!
 
First of...I will dispel two things.
 
1. Dwarf puffers are not hard to keep alive.
2. Dwarf puffers are not brackish fish. Unlike other puffers the dwarf puffer is a true FW fish.
 
How many can you put...looking at the tank I would say 2.
 
Yes, I realize your store said 5 and maybe you could if you were sure of the sex but as it's hard to tell with the fish you usually see in the LFS I would honestly say 2. Don't let that bother you though. These fish are so awesome it's worth a species tank for just one, let alone 2! Trust me...this fish will become your friend almost overnight. 5 is just too many.
 
Even if they are both males with that much planting they will be fine. There's plenty of line of sight breaks in there. I've kept many of these little fish over the years and love them to pieces. They are puffers and so have a puffer's temperament but due to their small size a territory is likewise smaller. As long as it's clearly divided up I've found they can live happily together.  I had a 29 gallon planted tank (about 120 liters) with two males and 10 females with Amazon swords all about. Each male found a plant on opposite ends of the tank and the females decided who they wanted to live with.
 
Being puffers and having puffer behavior means no betta or other long finned fish in the tank with them. Like little piranha these guys can shred a pretty tale fin in moments.
 
Again...puffers excite me to no end and these little guys are incredible fish. All the personality of a larger puffer with less aggression, less damage, and less room.
 
On a side note...if you really want to enjoy them...feed them pond snails. I kept a second tank where I bred them so that the puffers would have a steady supply (they will easily destroy a population as well as any assassin snail) and watching them hunt with their stereoscopic chameleon-like eyes is awesome. They see the prey, they get closer, they act as if nothing is going to happen, then you see both eyes point forward, once that happens you know they are on it, they edge a little closer, see the flesh, and STRIKE!

 

[techen]

Thanks for the heads up Tcamos, Two sounds fine I really like how they swim and there just adorable so I thought I'd give them a go!
 
Being they are true FW fish, I should have no issue keeping them so long as they don't mind me doing co2 injection and marco ferts etc.
 
I should get them next week they said they are due to order them in for me, We shall see tho.

 

[Chad]

I kept them in a tank with low Co2 that was input through two yeast reactors and ferts. They thrived.
 
Given the right conditions they should live around 3-5 years

 

[techen]

Cool cool,Looking forward to getting these guys

 

[ech0o]

Yes they seem to be doing actually better now that I am injecting co2, although I am not sure my dissolved carbons will be nearly as high as your tank, they should do fine.   They are surely not hard to keep alive, I have little experience keeping fish, and they were among my first.    
 
Yes, they will nip any other fishes to their eventual stress death.  That tank seems it would EASILY house 2-3, although generally when you buy them you cannot tell their sex, as they go sexless until adolescence, so its hard to get the perfect ratio of 1 male to 2 females which is preferred.  My fish do squabble back and forth from time to time, but they are capable of taking chunks out of eachother, and I have never seen so much as a nipped fin on either of mine.  Doubt they would restrain on any other fish though LOL.
 
These little guys inhabit some very large rivers in India so you wan't a decent current stream somewhere in the tank for them to "surf" on.  Also, they eat mainly living food, with the exception of frozen bloodworms.  They love hunting snails, their #1 passtime.  And it seems mine will live side by side some larger shrimp, although I am sure any babies will turn in to definite puffer food, which is a good way to get them some free meals.