Enchanted by my dwarf puffers

[Pufftastic]

I've had my dwarf puffers for a little more than 2 weeks now. I started out with 6 (had planned on having 5 DPs in my 29 gallon, but while bagging them for me, the LFS owner found one little scraggly skinny runt hiding in a cave -- I couldn't just leave him there). Unfortunately, it seems the skinny little fellow didn't make it, as I haven't seen him for close to a week. I didn't find a body when I cleaned the tank the other day, though. But I think it's safe to say that I'm the proud owner of 5 dwarf puffers.

I'm 99% sure of the sexes of 4 of them -- I have 2 males, 2 females, and 1 unknown that I reeeeeaaaaaalllllly hope turns out to be female.

These little fish are just amazingly social. They come swarming to the front of the tank any time I stop by to view them. Once their tank lights are out for the night, though, it's like POOF! They disappear. I tried really hard to make an interesting environment for them, so they have plenty of caves and hiding places and even a large shipwreck to sleep in. I took the advice of folks on this forum and added more plants to my tank to make things denser.

They're eating great, sucking down anywhere from 5 to 8 thawed bloodworms apiece at each meal. I've fed them thawed brine shrimp as a treat a couple times, which they seemed to like, but they turned their little noses up at mysis shrimp. Glass worms were tasted, spit out, and subsequently ignored. Bloodworms remain their favorite and it's so much fun to watch their little tummies get rounder and rounder while they eat.

This is my first foray into the world of puffers, and I'm totally hooked. The only negative to the DPs (at least in my eyes) is their size -- I wish they got larger. Other than that, they're really terrific.

DP owners: How large are your adult dwarf puffers? I know that one inch is the standard body length, but would you compare that size-wise to, say, a small marble? A big pea? Something larger? Can anyone point me toward photo(s) of DPs that show something in the background for perspective? It's so hard to tell fish size from close-up pics, and since plants vary in size so much, those don't help much either.

[pufferpuggirl]

Yes, they are endearing little fellows, aren't they? Sounds like you are doing everything right and your puffers are very happy, the way it should be.
Mine love bloodworms also, sometimes eating a little cut up shrimp, but they hold out for the good stuff (bloodworms).

I've got a couple that are quite large, not so much in length, but in roundishness (is that a word?). I don't have any photos because I am probably the worst photographer on this site, but some dwarf puffers can get quite big for what they are.
Even though I have a variety of different puffers, I would still say that the DP's are one of my favourites. They have big character in a little package, which I think is very cool!

[Myaj]

I would say a fat, full grown dp would be about the size of a marble, plus tail/nose? That sounds about right, but its been a long time since I've seen an actual marble, hehe.