Indian Dwarf Puffer...

[AndrewRenard]

hey, i was thinkinng about adding an Indian Dwarfd Puffer to my tank, i know htey only grow 1" and all my other ifsh get at least 1.5" so...would it be ok to get?

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

Don't you have Corys and platys and such in your tank? Idian dwarf puffers are aggesive, but in a densly planted tank like yous you might be able to get away with it. you would have to check with Pufferpack to be sure.

 

[AndrewRenard]

check out the pics of my tnak in another thread frank, my tank is wicked heavily planted, and all my fiah are at least half an inch bigger than the puffer...ill check with pufferpack if nto the lfs....

 

[Lithril]

Ok I've been reading around as I'm getting some puffers soon and I'm sure that pufferpack will correct me if I'm wrong

Dwarf puffers tend to be very aggressive and even though the other fish are bigger it may not be able to eat them very easily but it could quite easily take big chunks out of gentler prey. Dwarfs are not normally recommended for community tanks. Have a look at this link Info on Puffers

 

[Pufferpack]

Hi AndrewRenard

Although Dwarf puffers are small don't let their size fool you, they can be nasty if they want (I had a pack of 6 juvies, about 1/2 inch each, take down a 2 inch Mbuna cichlid that tried to bully one of them, overnight they killed one Mbuna and intimadated 3 others, when I checked them in the morning there was 6 Dwarf puffers swimming around happily, one dead cichlid, and 3 cichlids floating nervously in the corner). Dwarf puffers are not eaters of fish and usually will only chew up fish that have tried to pick at them or are real twitchy (like cories). IME fish that are non aggressive or relatively static (like Ottos) have the best chance of being successful tankmates for Dwarf puffers.
I have 8 Dwarfs in with someOttos, guppies and swordtails now and there is only a little fin nipping, but neither of those species are aggressive towards the dwarfs (the male sword was but they did him in a few months back) and don't twitch too much (except the 1 male guppy, and he has learned to avoid the Dwarfs), these same Dwarfs chewed up an Albino cories fins so bad that he didn't survive. Whenever you try any puffer species in a community setting you are taking a gamble. You would probably have more chance of success with Colomesus asellus (South American puffer) in a community, they are less tempermental. With your heavly planted tank you may have a good chance of success with Dwarfs, they will likely spend most of the day hunting in the plants for snails.
If you do decide to try Dwarfs you will need to be prepared to relocate either the puffers or the tankmates in the event of trouble, I find that once a puffer takes a dislike to another fish they will not leave them alone.

Good luck, hope you enjoy keeping puffers as much as I do.

Edit: Just to qualify one statement, although Dwarfs are not fish eaters for the most part, they are not above a free meal of fry. They prefer live foods like bloodworm, shrimp, and of course snails (a must to keep teeth trimmed down) but will eat fry just as readily. I feed frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and mysis shrimp to mine mostly because i don't like mucking with the live bloodworms and am too lazy to raise my own shrimp.