Getting to the Bottom of Dwarf Puffer Stocking -- (+ Member Intro)

[gilltyascharged]

Hello! After lurking on this forum for several months, decided it was time to make an account. While not new to the fishkeeping hobby, I am planning on getting my first puffer --- C. travancoricus, or the Dwarf Puffer. I'll likely make a separate thread to discuss this further, but the main question I have revolves around some confusion regarding stocking. I have read the caresheet from both PufferPedia and Pufferfish Enthusiasts Worldwide (https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... vancoricus), and there seems to be some conflicting information between the two---can you keep an individual dwarf puffer?

While the Pufferfish Enthusiasts Worldwide (for convenience, I will be abbreviating this organization to PEW) says that dwarf puffers are generally found in large shoals in the wild, and that therefore captive puffers should be kept in groups of 6+. HOWEVER, I have also found information to support that this behavior generally only occurs in young puffers, with adults becoming quite solitary and aggressive. The article also mentions how large groups show less aggression as all puffers are more comfortable. My assumption would be that this is similar to how mbuna cichlids (a vegetarian, yet highly aggressive and territorial group of African cichlids) are often kept overstocked, so that no fish picks on individuals. This feels like adults being less of a shoaling species but one where aggression is dispersed so that no casualties occur.

If this is the case, is it humane to keep an adult dwarf puffer as a single specimen? I'm hoping I can get advise from DP owners as to what their experiences have been.

Thanks in advance!
GilltyasCharged

[Pufferpunk]

I have a 29g with around a dozen in there & they appear quite happy. PEW is one of the BEST sources out there!

[gilltyascharged]

Interesting! If I were to get a dwarf puffer, they would be going into my 25L (approximately 6.6 US gal)--waste produced isn't my biggest concern, so much as territories and overstressed puffers. The tank is already heavily planted with a sponge filter (although I have an oversized HOB that I have on hand and a sponge to minimize outflow), and I plan on adding scuds and possibly detritus worms to help provide further enrichment and (in a way) waste management. However, given not only the article but my experience with other "aggressive" fish, more is definitely better when it comes to a group; I just need to have the space to accommodate. Spacewise it would be best to only have one, but I couldn't live with myself depriving the fish of what it needs to thrive...and given what you're saying, it's probably a group.

If it turns out puffers aren't the right choice for me at this time, I can accept that--I was actually planning on getting softwater fish like wild-type bettas, licorice gourami, or even some Dario dario. But if there are other, more solitary puffers that would be ideal for a tank that size, I would be happy to hear about them!

[Pufferpunk]

I'm sorry, that tank is too small for any of the puffer species.

[gilltyascharged]

Ah, thank you for letting me know. I saw older (as recent as 2019, which is now 4 years ago) threads in which it was deemed okay to keep a single dwarf puffer in a 5gal, but understand how information changes as we develop a better understanding (just 20 years ago it was considered acceptable to keep a red-tailed black shark in a 10gal, lol).

Thank you for all the information! This gives me the opportunity to explore different species at this time---perhaps I'll be able to convince my parents to let me buy a 10gal at some point

Have a good rest of your day!

[Walking-with-Chris]

I’m super new here and still trying to figure out how this forum works, so hi! I’ve been following PEW’s advice for years now and never had an issue, which is why I trust their stuff so much. I even had a chat with Macauley. He’s the go-to guy for all this puffer stuff. Super nice and helped me understand some things that weren’t super clear.
He wrote a new article specifically on shoaling with pea puffers which has been helpful to put my head in the mentality of the fish. I hope its okay to link it... I'm still getting used to the forum layout and rules. https://www.pufferfishenthusiastsworldw ... ea-puffers