The Puffer Forum

A very special thanks to the three of you!!! I will definitely check out the classified section to those websites and the newspaper. How did you know I am working with a limited budget? The thing is though, that I'm limited in space because I already have 3 fish tanks.

I have a 29g tank with cichlids, tiger barbs, and a pleco. The 6g Eclipse hospital/quarantine tank that's currently used for my GSPers. And, I have a 2g tank for a male betta (he'll probably go in the hospital/quarantine tank when the puffers have vacated it).

So for lack of space, when I get the GSPers their new tank, I'm considering either a 20g, a 20g Long, or a 29g tank. I know this doesn't seem like much, but it's better than their current 6g Eclipse tank. I'm hoping to get married and move out of my parents house in another year or two. When I do, maybe then I'll have space for a 55g tank for them. In the meantime, this is the best I can do.

-- Sphiero

By the way. . . would it be okay to add one, or a few, of the fresh water Dwarf Puffer fish into my 29g cichlid-tiger barg-pleco tank? Thanks again.

To be honest, if you can't do the 55 now, you need to get the 29, and then you need to get rid of one puffer, whether by finding it another home or by giving it to a local fish store. After a few months in a habitat smaller than the 29g, they will be stunted, thereby shortening their lives by years. And while two would be okay in the 29g for a couple of years, the waste that they produce will start to be too much for the amount of water they're in, and you'll find yourself in a pickle. Once you have the 55g right there in front of you, then it's a good time to get a second GSP.

As for your question about the DP... probably not. While you may have the space for it/them in there, they're not very good community fish. They'll bully even their larger tankmates, nip fins, and be pretty nasty to basically any other fish in there. There are only a few species that they do well with, such as otocinclus catfish. So, probably, no.

Look into "off" shaped tanks - a 65 gallon is notably bigger than a 55, but because it's 18" front to back, it's only 3 feet long, instead of four - that's only six inches more than the 20 long you were considering, and it would set them up for a long time, two would be good there for life.

Sphiero, everyone is on a limited budget.
I looked around and found a 125g tank with stand and all equipment for $150. This is now Annabelle's tank. You just have to act fast. Deals like that don't last long. Check your local listings every morning and call, email, text whatever you have to do to get that deal. And don't give up until you talk to a person. Someone on here not too long ago (can't remember who) found a great deal and kept calling until he/she reached the guy and got the tank they wanted. Where do you live, maybe someone from here is close to your area and can help you find that deal.