DP's 10 gal question (Pics added)

[Petefranc]

Glad to see these boards are still going strong, I lost my old info and searched my email with no luck. Anyway I'm about to do another fishless cycle on a 10 gallon, I've never tried dwarfs before. I read over how you should stock dp's on here, I was planning on 2 in the 10 but is there any problem with that? Would having 3 reduce the chances of aggression in anyway?

Thanks.

*EDIT* added pictures.

[Pufferpunk]

Welcome back!

library/puffers-in-focus/dwarfpuffercare/
library/puffers-in-focus/sexing-carinot ... rf-puffer/

[Camaro95]

My personal opinionis that a 10 is too small for 2 of them, let alone 3. Try a 15 long or a 20 long if you want 3 dwarves. With those sizes you can also add a few ottos and both you and t he fish will be much, much happier with the setup.

[Tang]

2 is fine... You could get away with 3, just have a lot of plants and caves. I had 3 DP's in my 10 gal and there was little to no agression between them. The only agression in my tank was the male DP chasing my platy around a little bit.

[Camaro95]

2 is fine... You could get away with 3, just have a lot of plants and caves. I had 3 DP's in my 10 gal and there was little to no agression between them. The only agression in my tank was the male DP chasing my platy around a little bit.

I can fit multiple shirts on one hanger if I really want to. How do you fit lots of caves and plants in a standard 10gal? Espepcially without losing water volume and space to move. What's the point of having a complex setup if there's no way to explore it?

[Tang]

I dont mean packed with plants to the point where you cant see any open water... Im just saying enough to where they have hiding places and can feel safe. Not to mention they would enjoy them selves alot more with a heavily planted tank, because they wouldnt get bored.

[Camaro95]

To full enjoy the active, curious and adventurous nature of the dwarf puffer, they need more than a jail cell. There is only so much complexity you can have in such a limited space for such an active fish. If we were talking Dario Dario or Bumble Bee Goby, then a properly decorated 10g would suffice for a smaller group of four or five.

Increase the size slightly to a 15 long, and you can add proper caves, a small forest, a maze, crevices and whatever else. It's the perfect size for one, but would work a whole lot better than a 10g for three of them.

[borgey]

I agree 100%. No way can 3 DPs live in a 10 gallon. More then likely the only reason yours did not show aggression towards each other is because they are just juvies. They tend to stick with each other when they are young but when they sexually mature they get VERY aggressive. Of course each Puffer is different and some are not aggressive at all but chances are they would end up killing each other. I had just 2 in a 10 gallon and the dominate male almost killed the female. There was A LOT of plants, caves, other hiding places anything you can think of. I had to separate the two. There is without a doubt a difference between a fish just living and a fish thriving. A lot of people think just because their fish made it through not optimum conditions it's OK to do. That's just my $.02 anyways.

[Petefranc]

I really appreciate all the input everyone. I didnt think this thread would spark such an argument! Due to limited space in my bedroom I went with a 10 gallon, I already had a stand and hood for it so it was the easiest route for me to go. The tank is currently in its fishless cycle phase. Once the ammonia levels hit 0, along with nitrites, i'll put several live plants in. I have a small piece of driftwood, and 2 caves in the tank. I'm not going to go overboard with the plants, i'll make sure there is open areas. If I go with 2, instead of 1, would agression later on not be as likely if I were to have 2 females or 2 males?

Thanks again and i'll be sure to post pictures!

[jus85411]

id go 15 high, dimensions are the same as a standard 10 gallon, just a little taller(like 6 inches). your current hood and all should still fit it without a problem, so you would just need a tank. which you can probably get off craigslist for cheap. sometimes petco have really good deals on just the tanks and a 15 wont be expensive brand new. and dont do 2 males, 2 females to 1 male is the ratio you want

[jus85411]

sorry meant to link this page too

http://alysta.com/books/fishtank.htm

[borgey]

Yeah he's right a 15 high is a very cheap tank. You can most likely get one for 20-25 dollars new. Sometimes Petco has that $1 per gallon sale also. If you do decide to go with a 10 gallon tho then you're going to HAVE to very heavily plant the tank for 2 of them to work. Trust me they are very aggressive. Also it's going to be hard to sex them if you're buying them for a LFS, since they most likely will not be adults. I have never had 2 females together so I can't comment on that, but I've had 2 males together and 1 male and 1 female also. Both combos had aggression but the 2 males were def. more aggressive to the point where they had to be separated.

[Petefranc]

Awesome, thanks again for the input. Im really tight on money right now with college, the ones im still looking at are juvi's so i'll start them in the 10 and then plan to upgrade them to a 15 high within 6 months. I wish I would have researched 15 high dimensions before I set up the 10! Oh well. I'll keep you all posted.

[borgey]

No problem, it's pretty much a gamble when getting them at a young age. But once they mature then you will be able to tell the sex of each fish very easy.

[jus85411]

also post a picture of your setup and little friends when you get them. try to do your best at an ID for them, sometimes puffs are very wrongly labeled in pet stores. that way you dont get stuck buying a few GSPs unknowingly and have to get a 90 over time. ive seen pictures/threads of GSPs labeled at dwarfs, SAP, ceylons. F8 puffers are often labeled as ceylons as well, dwarfs, and sometimes you will see a really out there label(ie. fahaka labeled as a dwarf :0)