Can I???

[pufferlover19]

I plan on getting a dwarf puffer or a few for Christmas.... I have a few questions. For a 25-29 gal. tank, would it be okay to have just one? would it get lonely?? and would it be AT ALL possible to have a dwarf gourami?? I think they are BEAUTIFUL fish, but I know my heart is set on a dwarf puffer. Thanks!

[Srkoe]

You can have up to five dwarfs in that size tank and nothing else. I'd say no on the gourami. The dp's with probably nip it to death. I have kuhli loaches and otocinclus with mine and they are fine. Maybe you could do a pair of Dp's, 2-3 otocinclus and 3 kuhli's. Kuhli's are fun to watch but feel safer being kept in groups of 3 or more. Otocinclus will eat algae. I believe they like to be kept in at least 3's as well. Mine usually stay pretty close to one another. If you do add otocinclus wait for the tank to be established for a few months and they will be more likely to survive.

[pufferlover19]

Thanks! That helped a lot!!!

[Flutter]

In a tank that size I would love to have 3DPs (one male, 2 female) and a group of 6 kuhli loaches. Six months down the road you can look at adding a few ottos if algae is a problem however there are ways around that like manual removal and lighting changes.

[pufferlover19]

If I only want two, would it be okay to get 1 male and 1 female? And is there a way to get the otos in sooner???

[Flutter]

It's less desirable, I wouldn't do it. They can be bullies and it's best if the males aggression is spread out between two females instead of one. A lot of ottos die in captivity because they can be picky eaters and most tanks don't have enough algae for them. I've always been told to never add ottos until the tank is at least 6 months old.

[pufferlover19]

What if I get 2 females? I understand where you're coming from with the otos. Do you recommend any tank starter kits?

[RTR]

Strater kits at Pet stores are aimed at folks who know nothing about the hobby and are in fact likely to be short-term hobbyists. Puffers are not short-term fish. They need and deserve better and more lasting equipment. Besides which it is cheaper in the long run to do it right initially and have smooth operation from the start rather than begin with a kit and replace most or all of it within six months.

HTH

[Pufferpunk]

2F are always best.

[Srkoe]

You should try craigslist. Find a good deal on a 29 with a stand, lights and hood. Buy all the other accessories. Good filters to use are Aqua Clear. Get one rated for a larger tank as you need over-filtration with a puffer. It's a hand on back pump and easy to take care of, you never have to change the media, just clean it. A lot of people like canister filters as well. I personally do not. They work great, but in my opinion are a pain to clean...on the other hand, with having 13 tanks I like to keep things simple. . Right now my Petco is having their $1 a gallon sale so you can get a 29 gallon cheap. It's just the tank. You'll have to buy a hood or glass top. I prefer the glass tops, they are easy to clean and look nice.

[pufferlover19]

I hope to get everything except the fish and decoration for Christmas from my mom. I want to know the easiest way to get a tank going, and get all the pH, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels where they should be. I saw on this website (http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/) on the cycling page, to use Bio- Spira. Does that work well???

[Pufferpunk]

B-S is a SW cycling bacteria. Safestart is for FW but better yet, is fishless cycling.

[pufferlover19]

So Safestart is best to use for a fw tank??

[Pufferpunk]

Best to use is fishless cycling. No product is 100% guaranteed a successful cycle.

[pufferlover19]

so how do i do a fishless cycle? sorry. this will be my first tank ever and I'm only 13. But i love fish