I'm very scared here...

[TorPeteO]

Well, I've been planning on setting up a freshwater tank for dwarf puffers for a few weeks now, and went to my LFS see if they could get some in stock. I found out they had some, but they were in a brackish water setup. I asked the owner if they were FW or BW, and he said they were definitely brackish water fish.

Now, have I been wrong all along? I though I remembered reading in myriad posts that they were fresh water. I hope it's not my LFS' owner who's a ninny, because I have put a lot of faith in him and his store.

Anyway, thanks for the clarification, folks.

 

[MAM]

dwarf puffers are FRESHWATER!!!!

now, these puffers they had in bw, may have been some other type of puffer.......

 

[LadyMinion]

dwarf puffers are FRESHWATER!!!!

Agreed! Dwarf puffers are most definately freshwater and remain so all their lives.

There is much confusion over several species of puffer regarding water type, but dwarfs are not one of those species. Every single member of this forum who knows the teeniest bit about them knows they are freshwater.

I sincerely hope the person who told you otherwise has just got his species mixed up - otherwise I feel so sorry for the puffers in his care.

Don't worry - you have been making the correct plans for your puffers.

 

[TorPeteO]

I'm almost 100% positive the fish I saw were dwarf puffers, and the LFS manager said that was what they were. The store also has GSPs and another type of puffer, but I don't feel confident enough to keep a brackish water tank so I didn't look at these in too much detail. That is what attracted me to dwarf puffers in the first place, they have all the fun of pufferfish but they are easier to maintain, and can be kept in smaller tanks than most brackish puffers.

The dwarfs I saw were the smallest puffers I've ever seen, and resembled any picture of dwarf puffers I've seen.

Has anyone got a reliable website or other reference that I could show to my LFS manager to prove my point? As I said, I asked him, and he said he was positive that dwarf puffers were a brackish water breed of fish.

Thanks again for all your help, I plan on going back tomorrow anyway, so if there is any evaluated sources I could use to prove to him that dwarfs are in truth freshwater, then the store will know for future reference.

Thanks again!

 

[Daveo]

dwarf puffers are FRESHWATER!!!!

dwarf puffers are FRESHWATER!!!!

I cant say it enough they are freshwater the only true freshwater puffer fish. 8)


Daveo

 

[MAM]

ANY site about dwarf puffers will tell you they are fw fish..............just do a search. there are also books out there.

 

[GP]

Go take a picture of them. Were they yellow looking with black spots or goldish brown??

 

[TorPeteO]

They were definitely dwarf puffers. I've seen pictures of dwarf puffers, and these were them.

I've done a lot of research, and I haven't seen any proof to contradict that they are freshwater fish, and when I buy mine I plan on putting them in a freshwater tank.

I just called the LFS, because I wanted to make sure they were FW before I sounded like an arse. The sales associate I talked to said that dwarfs live where freshwater meets saltwater, and that they've found they do better in brackish water than in freshwater. I plan on going back there as soon as I can to speak with the manager if I can.

Don't get me wrong, folks, I don't believe my LFS that they do better in BW. I do plan on buying one or two, and I do plan on putting them in freshwater.

I'd like to get mine as soon as possible, so that the ill effects from the BW don't get too ridiculous. The problem is that my filter is running as a secondary on my established tank, so it can develop a bacterial colony. Does anyone know if I can keep a dwarf in one of those breeder tents that fry are often kept in? I wouldn't dare keep two in it, but if the LFS manager doesn't heed my warning, these fish will die within little time. The tent would be rather small for a week or two until the filter is suitable to manage it's own tank, and it would have very little cover for the puffer to explore and hide in. Would this prove to be more harm than good for my potential dwarf, or would you say it is worth the risk?

Thanks again for all your help, folks, you've silenced my doubts.

 

[MAM]

DONT' put one ina breeder net. too small. be tooo stressful. what fish do you in you established tank? maybe you could temporarily keep him in there......

 

[TorPeteO]

I'll just wait to get my dwarf puffers, then. My community tank has swordtails, platys, tetra, and a cory, so I wouldn't dare put a dwarf puffer in that tank. Thank you for all your advice.

 

[LiquidLife]

A good site is (www.)dwardpuffers(.com)--has some pictures, has a lot of info, how to take care of them, diseasea and cures, tank maintenance, foods, etc. They are freshwater completely. Some of the folks on the dwarfpuffer website are even breeding them and raising young--all in completely freshwater. Plus, dps (dwarfpuffers) need to chew on snails, small snails that can't handle salt. Check out the website, print out the info and take it to your store.

 

[SirMinion]

(dwarfs are) the only true freshwater puffer fish.

...you mean apart fron fahakas, dragons, congo, stanley pool, mbu, red-brown, leopard, golden, greenbottle, remotus, silius, Bornean redeye, dwarf imitator, redtailed redeye, crested, striped redeye, bluespot, bailey's, abe's, fang's, emerald, kretam, eyespot, pignose, sabha, brown, waander's and assel puffers....

All true freshwater puffers that stay in freshwater for the whole of their lifecycle.

Others, like the green spotted (like godric's) start in fresh and migrate to brackish or even marine as they mature.


We are the pround owners of a pair of Dragon (humpback, king kong) puffers. True freshwater puffers.

We also have dwarfs, happy in their tapwater home.