Dwarf Puffer In A Community Tank ?

[MrWhite]

My LFS has dwarf puffers i love them there my fav fish i know there supposed to kept in a species but he said that these ones are not really aggressive he keeps hes with a couple of fry and other fish small fish i wana get 2 for my tank in 5 weeks i have 2 kribs 1 bala and 1 redfin will it work ? the guy said they should as there but he wont sell them me yet as my tanks not mature enough and i also no that so wouldnt buy them now anyway

 

[ghent_3rd]

Think I am right in saying all this but I am sure someone will correct me.

I am getting dwarfs myself soon and species tank is defo the way forward. You have some very territorrial fish in there at the minute and would not fancy the dwarf with them.

Do some reading, there is a great pinned thread at the top of the Oddball section and if you really want one then get yourself a 5 or 10 gallon, which are only very small and give one it's very own luxury puffer palace!!!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

My LFS has dwarf puffers i love them there my fav fish i know there supposed to kept in a species but he said that these ones are not really aggressive he keeps hes with a couple of fry and other fish small fish i wana get 2 for my tank in 5 weeks i have 2 kribs 1 bala and 1 redfin will it work ? the guy said they should as there but he wont sell them me yet as my tanks not mature enough and i also no that so wouldnt buy them now anyway

You can't have one for your tank because:

1. You have two kribs, which are territorial and predatory. A dwarf puffer would be too slow to escape being a target, especially if the kribs breed.
2. Red fin sharks are even more territorial, aggressive and faster than kribs. The dwarf puffer would not be able to escape it.
3. Bala sharks grow very large--large enough to eat a dwarf puffer in one bite. In addition to the risk of the puffer getting eaten, there is the risk that the puffer would inflate in the bala's throat, killing the bala as well.
4. All of the fish in your tank are very vigorous eaters. Dwarf puffers eat very slowly and will not eat flakes, pellets or any other processed dried food. Since fish find frozen and live foods to be absolutely delicious, you would find it very difficult to make certain that the puffer got enough to eat in your community.

The trouble with dwarf puffers is that they're difficult to feed, very small but also very territorial. Pretty much anything too small to menace the puffer is small enough for the puffer to chew. It is possible to mix things with the puffer, but it's very conditional and the choices are very limited. You pretty much have to build the tank around the puffer; it's very difficult to just add a dwarf puffer to a pre-existing tank.

 

[raptorrex]

My LFS has dwarf puffers i love them there my fav fish i know there supposed to kept in a species but he said that these ones are not really aggressive he keeps hes with a couple of fry and other fish small fish i wana get 2 for my tank in 5 weeks i have 2 kribs 1 bala and 1 redfin will it work ? the guy said they should as there but he wont sell them me yet as my tanks not mature enough and i also no that so wouldnt buy them now anyway

You can't have one for your tank because:

1. You have two kribs, which are territorial and predatory. A dwarf puffer would be too slow to escape being a target, especially if the kribs breed.
2. Red fin sharks are even more territorial, aggressive and faster than kribs. The dwarf puffer would not be able to escape it.
3. Bala sharks grow very large--large enough to eat a dwarf puffer in one bite. In addition to the risk of the puffer getting eaten, there is the risk that the puffer would inflate in the bala's throat, killing the bala as well.
4. All of the fish in your tank are very vigorous eaters. Dwarf puffers eat very slowly and will not eat flakes, pellets or any other processed dried food. Since fish find frozen and live foods to be absolutely delicious, you would find it very difficult to make certain that the puffer got enough to eat in your community.

The trouble with dwarf puffers is that they're difficult to feed, very small but also very territorial. Pretty much anything too small to menace the puffer is small enough for the puffer to chew. It is possible to mix things with the puffer, but it's very conditional and the choices are very limited. You pretty much have to build the tank around the puffer; it's very difficult to just add a dwarf puffer to a pre-existing tank.

every so often, you get a jewel of a post, this is one.

 

[iSnail]

My LFS has dwarf puffers i love them there my fav fish i know there supposed to kept in a species but he said that these ones are not really aggressive he keeps hes with a couple of fry and other fish small fish i wana get 2 for my tank in 5 weeks i have 2 kribs 1 bala and 1 redfin will it work ? the guy said they should as there but he wont sell them me yet as my tanks not mature enough and i also no that so wouldnt buy them now anyway

You can't have one for your tank because:

1. You have two kribs, which are territorial and predatory. A dwarf puffer would be too slow to escape being a target, especially if the kribs breed.
2. Red fin sharks are even more territorial, aggressive and faster than kribs. The dwarf puffer would not be able to escape it.
3. Bala sharks grow very large--large enough to eat a dwarf puffer in one bite. In addition to the risk of the puffer getting eaten, there is the risk that the puffer would inflate in the bala's throat, killing the bala as well.
4. All of the fish in your tank are very vigorous eaters. Dwarf puffers eat very slowly and will not eat flakes, pellets or any other processed dried food. Since fish find frozen and live foods to be absolutely delicious, you would find it very difficult to make certain that the puffer got enough to eat in your community.

The trouble with dwarf puffers is that they're difficult to feed, very small but also very territorial. Pretty much anything too small to menace the puffer is small enough for the puffer to chew. It is possible to mix things with the puffer, but it's very conditional and the choices are very limited. You pretty much have to build the tank around the puffer; it's very difficult to just add a dwarf puffer to a pre-existing tank.

every so often, you get a jewel of a post, this is one.

+1

 

[MrWhite]

Thanks for the input guys so what would you recomned i could have with them ? im willing to build my tank around the puffer as u suggested i do love them but dont really want a species tank

What fish would get along in a sense with DP maybe about 3-4 different species if posable and defo would not get one if i new i would be putting it in danger

 

[jennybugs]

What size of tank are you thinking of? This will determine how many you can have.

I have 4 in a 60L heavily filtered and planted tank. I also have 2 otocinclus in with them. It's very hit and miss about having them in the tank with the puffers. I've had them from the start and have been lucky - so far. They were in the tank before the puffers were introduced and as yet have been totally ignored some years down the line.

Other than otos I wouldn't personally risk anything else

 

[thomasp9021]

i agree you would have to completely change your other fish to suit the puffer

take a look i pfk magazine this week they have an article on keeping them in community tanks

 

[MrWhite]

Lol defo not getting them now just watched some vids aggresive little things they are i dont now about the kribs or sharks killing them more like the puffers would win any day lol i might setup up a species tank in time is there any puffers what so ever that could go in my tank 110litre

 

[Davo86]

Lol defo not getting them now just watched some vids aggresive little things they are i dont now about the kribs or sharks killing them more like the puffers would win any day lol i might setup up a species tank in time is there any puffers what so ever that could go in my tank 110litre

Not with tankmates,

Also if it is only 110L (29G) then bala sharks are definitely out of the question and realistically so are redfins

 

[MrWhite]

the bala will go when he is to big hes only a baby at the min my kribs and fedfin are small 1-2 inches big

 

[dave_oddballs]

i have a figure 8 puffer in a community tank, probably the most well behaved fish in the tank, considering it has tank mates from a Siamese fighter, some discus, gold rams, galaxy rasbora, neons, endler guppy's, gold ring butterfly loach and tiny lamp eyes, i am being serious when i say it is EASILY the most well behaved fish in the tank, possibly the only fish in there i haven't seen chase another. its about 2 inch's long and shows no interest what so ever in any other fish, big or small, fast or slow, short fins or long fins. to say this is a very unnatural community is an understatement but just proves that some fish like the smaller puffers have a bad reputation when it is not always the case. i would also say i believe it is the 'attitude' of the individual fish not necessarily the species.
i have 2 silver sharks in my larger community tank and they boss things round like the very large tinfoil barbs so i wouldn't say a dwarf puffer would last very long.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

It's pretty well established that for long term health, figure 8s should be kept in lightly brackish conditions. otherwise they are particularly prone to bacterial and fungal infection as well as general sensitivity to dirty water.

They might be temperamentally suited to a community setting (which is disputable) but they are not physically suitable for the community described in the original post.

A 110 litre (30g) tank is really too small to mix any puffers with your kribs AND red tail black shark. There wouldn't be enough unclaimed territory for a peaceful puffer to escape aggression, and you cannot keep an aggressive puffer with other fish.

Personally, before adding any other fish, I would wait to see how the kribs treat the RTBS once they start breeding. Mine were little terrors and I had twice as much tank as you. If one or both kribs keep the RTBS hanging around in corners, then I would only add large tetras or a pleco to such a tank. Good sized tetras (like Congos and Buenos Aires Tetras) are unlikely to provoke conspecific aggression while also staying at the top of the tank and plecos are tough, armored fish. Anything slow, bottom dwelling or cichlid shaped is likely to draw aggression from the kribs. The question is: can such a fish escape or endure the attention?


(And thanks for the compliments guys I do try.)

 

[MrWhite]

the male krib does chase a the sharks ever now and then he does seem a little aggresive the female is fine though the male does seem to chase her around abit when i get my next fish i might take my kribs back as they seem to be limiting me down to what fish i want the little gits

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Give it awhile longer. As your fish grow larger, you'll probably enjoy watching the antics of your kribs as they court and breed. Adult kribs in breeding condition are amazing; pictures don't do them justice. They're very personable fish and the fry are adorable.

Yes, you can't just put anything in with the kribs, but that doesn't mean you don't have options. You're just as limited in your choices by the size of your tank. Or by your RTBS. Face it: everything in this hobby limits what else you can do. Its the consequence of trying to create an ecosystem in a 2 foot glass box.

I strongly recommend that you check out the looks of congo tetras. Adults are very impressive fish and I believe that they grow relatively quickly. I'd say that a small school of them (say 5) would be fine in your current set-up. Smaller plecos like bristlenoses or L200s would also be an option; my bristlenose regularly butted heads with the kribs and won due to sheer stubborness. Although I'd say that you don't have room for more than one plec in your 30g.

None of this is to say that you can't return the kribs if you really decide that you don't want them! But just give it a while and think of them as the centerpiece of your tank.