Ello Ello! From Plymouth, UK!

[danielh144]

Hello all,

Thought I'd say hi to all you puffer veterans! I've never kept puffers before but really looking forward to it, I first saw a South American Fresh water puffer in my local fish shop which sparked my interest in them and considering what tank size I can fit in my flat have decided dwarfs would be the best to start. I'm currently cycling a 10 Gallon tank for one maybe two Dwarf Puffers and maybe a Otto to keep them company! Its been running for about two weeks now I've got some white cloud mountain minnows helping to cycle the tank (don't worry they have a home to go to when the tank is ready)

I'm also thinking of starting a snail/shrimp breeding tank so if anyone would like to share some advice starting this or anything else regarding these fantastic little fish I would be very grateful!

Look forward to hearing from you

Dan

[xrayjeeper83]

welcome

drawf's look like a fun puffer to keep, though I havent kept them personally. But with your tank you can keep 2 easily. Now with the oto's they do best in groups of atleast 3 which would over stock your tank

snail tanks are super easy to do. Just a tank some water and a sponge filter and your set

[Lil' Swimz$]

Dwarf's are really awesome. My puffs love frozen bloodworms. Some may be picky though and only eat live foods, so get ready for that.

Snails are nice for puffs, but for dwarf's they need to be teeny tiny, smaller then there eyes for sure. They really don't need them, as it seems most dwarf's don't have teeth problems.

DP's are waaay too small to actually eat shrimp IMO. They pick at them and pester them until they die, but not really eat them.

But if you want, a snail jar tank works great. I have a 1 gallon pickle jar with a layer of marble chips on the bottom, a dead, dry, brown oak leaf on the bottom (if you want I'll get up an article on great leaf curing) for food, and a small bubbler to prevent the water from becoming stagnant. They make mini filters for such a small tank, but IMO they are a waste unless you don't already have a cheap bubbler already. Just focus on keeping the water from becoming stagnant. I do 95% water changes each week. Good luck!

[danielh144]

Hi Guys,

Thank you for replying so quickly and the welcome , I did wonder if anyone would really notice!

Judging by what you've said maybe I'll forgo the Otto Idea I wouldn't want them to feel out of place! But if anyone else has a suggestion i'd be pleased to hear it!

Lil' Swimz$ your snail jar sounds like a great idea and if you could upload that leaf curling article i'd really appreciate it! I don't have a spare bubbler but I'd be more than happy to do 95% water changes if it meant my little guys had some healthy snails to munch!

Maybe I should just try the puffers with shrimp to start with then if they ignore it they'll make a nice addition to the tank if not i'll see if i can breed them?

btw what kind of snails and shrimp would be best?

[Lil' Swimz$]

Cherries are the most common dwarf shrimp that breed like crazy if given the correct conditions.

Common pond snails or ramhorn snails are good snails for puffs. Do not get Malasian Trumpet snails as their shells are waaay too hard.

I'll go get some links.

BTW, Ottos are schooling fish that appreciate groups of 3+ and a nice bed of algae. Is this tank planted? If its all fake, I would definately not get ottos, or shrimp for that matter. You could get shrimp but give them cucumber and shrimp pellets, but they won't breed usually unless they have a nice planted tank with tons of cover and muchies.

[Lil' Swimz$]

Almost forgot, Welcome to the forum!

Leaf Litter: http://www.planetinverts.com/shrimp_and ... itter.html

Cherry shrimp breeding: http://www.planetinverts.com/shrimp_reproduction.html

Snail Breeding: library/feeding/basic-snail-breeding/

I'd really try to get a bubbler or mini filter.

Bubbler at Petsmart, $10: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=3742976

[danielh144]

Thanks Lil' Swimz$ for the links

Yes i'm slowly planting the tank (puffer tank) currently i've got some Java Fern, a grassy thing which I don't have a clue what it it but looks good and nana anubias, I posted in the intro forum as well and someone kindly said the same thing so I think i'll drop the Otto idea unless there is another small solitary catfish. (I've always wanted a Bristlenose but i know they wouldn't be suitable ) The tank doesn't seem to suffer from excessive algae growth so I would have to supplement with wafers etc

The snail/shrimp tank is at concept stage you could say so i'd prob plant it with the same, + Java moss + more!

When I got the plants some snails must have been in them as i've got little snails crawling about (btw they've amazed me how quickly they can move) but I can only assume they are common pond snails.

Thanks very much again!

[Lil' Swimz$]

I love Java Moss. I have a two rocks nestled over each other with java moss growing inbetween and on the side. The puffs sleep in it. I'd definately get that for your puffs as well.

Great! You can use those for the shrimp tank.