All boys club - is this a problem for DPs?

[TOPuffers]

Hi Puffer Forum ^_^

About a month ago my husband and I added 3 dwarf puffers to an established 20 G freshwater tank. The puffers now share the space with 3 Amano shrimp and 2 Gold Algae Eaters.

When we bought the puffers we asked the LFS clerk for 2 females and 1 male, or 3 females. He scooped out 3 fish after studying them (we thought) carefully, and said we were good - 1 male and 2 females.

I have learned quite a lot on this forum, the most important thing being that many LFS staff have no clue what they are talking about when it comes to their own stock. That being said, now that our DPs have been with us for a few weeks, and their color is good, they are happy and settled, it has become obvious they are ALL males. :S Each DP has a clear belly stripe and little eye-wrinkles. Occasionally they will swim in a circle of 3, head to tail, trying to see who is 'tallest' by flattening themselves. They are uber males

To date, there have been no fights or nipping we have witnessed. At feeding time they line up in a row and wait to be fed, no chasing. They are more irritated by us taking our time opening the lid and handing out dinner than each other.

I am worried about the tales of caution about male puffers housed together. We love all 3 of our little dudes, and don't want anyone getting chomped. It would be a sad day, but would you advise we return 2 of the little guys and try to get a pair of females? Our LFS does not seem to be great at sexing DPs, and to be fair, these fish all looked pale and 'gender-neutral' when we bought them.

Not sure what to do, perhaps we should leave things as they are and see if the harmony continues

[Hillehaus]

Not very useful comment coming: "its really hard to tell". In my experience, DPs are very personality driven. 20 gallons, especially if it is a 20 long tank is a large footprint for them to develop individual territory. I cant stress the need for a lot of decorations though, even if you have a male/female mix. they could all get along just fine and dandy, then again...they might not. It's hard to tell but, with 3 males your chances definitely lean towards aggression. If the LFS has more and you feel like trying again, see if you can swap them out and try again.

If you have a lot of decoration/nooks/crannies/etc. in your tank, there is a chance they will be fine with minimal aggression only showing during feeding time.

To be fair, when they are very young, its incredibly difficult to sex them. The LFS may have given it their best shot. When I was picking mine, I was sure I had 1 male and 2 females...turns out I had 2 males and 1 female. D'oh. It happens.

[Welch4]

My store seems to only get babies so no discernable way to sex. I landed with a mixed bag 2 males 3 female. I am upgrading to a larger tank as I do not want to swap them. As hill stated if you can break up the sight lines you can try keeping with them but chances are aggression will arise.

[TheStig]

I had a male and female, and despite a heavily decorated 10 gal tank (will try to upload a pic), the male was obnoxious. He chased the female, and when he wasn't bullying her, he was aggressively trying to court her. He nipped @ my Otos, and I'm sure was responsible for severely injuring one. He died in the hospital tank.

So I took him back to my LFS. It was hard cos he was very healthy and matured into a very pretty fish. His fins were tinged w/ yellow. But the tension immediately lifted after he left. And the female uses ALL the space... so its not just a matter of handling bioload, which is the only factor for some fish keepers, but also space for their wellbeing. (just an observation, not picking on the OP)

Hence, I am of the opinion that it wld be best for 1 DP in a 10 galL. I am all about buffer.

But all DPs are different. Mine was just really... alpha.

[Pufferpunk]

its not just a matter of handling bioload, which is the only factor for some fish keepers, but also space for their wellbeing.

YES!!!!!!!!!

Now that I see how much happier my fahaka is in his new 180g (from a life in 125g), I so want to repost all the minimum tank sizes on our Pufferpedia.

[TheStig]

PufferPunk,

I totally back you on updating the minimum tank info for puffers. Too many keepers go for the minimum, and then try to cut corners by bargaining w/ themselves (and other more experienced keepers) that a smaller tank would suffice cos of fish size to filter size, etc.

Keeping fish is a constant learning process, and what we thought was kosher even maybe as recent as say, last year, could be improved upon with new info and deeper understanding. Am I being confusing?

I would add 5 to 10 galls more to tank minimums for the smaller puffers if I were to buy them, just so they have more space to move and exercise. Unlike dogs, I can't take them out to a bigger tank. It's a big sacrifice for them to be confined in a glass box. I owe it them to give them a spacious home.

So yea, go for it! I think you are right on!

[Pufferpunk]

Unfortunately, I am not tech savvy at all & have no idea how to edit anything in there. I have been running this site for too many years by myself now.