DP 10 gallon

[ILoveLola]

. . . Males tend to have blurry spots that kind form a line down there side all the way to the tail. . . . You can see the difference in their spots male/female. She is on the right, male left. . . .

isn't it the other way, then? Isn't the male on the right in this picture?

[JRC3]

You are correct. Thank you for noticing.

[Puffboy55]

so I should get one male and one female? Just making sure

[Puffboy55]

Also, for food I read that they eat snails, worms, other assorted mollusks and inverts. Which should be the "daily" food source?

[JRC3]

I would shoot for 2 females. That way if one turns out to be a male you're safe. Feed frozen(not freeze-dried) bloodworms as a staple.



You keep them in ur freezer and thaw as needed.

[Puffboy55]

MMMMMMMMMMM........ yummy

[Puffboy55]

So would a couple snails everyother week be a good treat

[Puffboy55]

So would a couple snails everyother week be a good treat

[ILoveLola]

Frozen bloodworms and/or snails seem to be the most common staples. Dwarfs dont have to grind down their teeth on snails like other puffers do (plus, they slurp them out of their shells) but if you have a snail breeder then you can gutload the snails with veggies & algae wafers to ensure that your puffs are getting good nutrition.
Avoid dry prepared foods like flakes and pellets (they wont eat it), frozen brine shrimp (very little nutritional value) and especially krill (causes lockjaw).
I made my own food blocks, I blended squid, scallop, shrimp, clam meat (all from my grocery store) and bloodworms, then froze it and cut it into little blocks for daily thawing.

[Puffboy55]

Ok, I don't have a tank to breed snails in, but I'll give it to em' once in a while, as a treat

[JRC3]

So would a couple snails every other week be a good treat

As Lola said snails aren't necessary but are a good treat if you have them on hand. But I wouldn't start breeding snails for a DP.

I take larger snails and squash them with a pair of forceps and feed the flesh to my DPs. They love it.

[Puffboy55]

Also, what plants are recommended? I really appreciate the help you guys have been giving me

[ILoveLola]

You can get pond snails for free at Petsmart, they're considered pests since they proliferate so freely, haha.

Um, are you planning on doing a planted tank? They are gorgeous. I only have fake plants though, I don't know too much about them...

& no problem! it's awesome that you're doing your research before you buy your fish! plus its always nice to help people out, especially after you've been helped. everything comes full circle.

[edit] I found this thread that may be helpful to you, the very first post is about a planted dwarf puffer tank and mentions the plants used!
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=23030&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... er+planted

[Puffboy55]

So, do you think I should do real plants, or should I do fake plants. I just want my puffer to be as happy as could be.

[ILoveLola]

That's another one that's up to your personal preference. Like I said, I don't know too much about planted tanks. They look amazing, but I don't know how much care they do or don't need. I think it might be cheaper in the long run than buying fake plants, but fake plants are quick & easy, haha.
I have read about some Fig8s and GSPs munching holes in leaves while looking for snails, don't know about DPs.
But either way, planted or fake, your puffers will be happy if there are things in the tank to explore I would skim the link just to get a feel of what planted tanks are like, and make your decision then. I might read it in a little while here just to learn about them, haha.