The Puffer Forum

cleaning critters IMO should be added first ... think of a cannary in a coal mine Also the critters will establish their feeding grounds which your puffers we become accustomed to

But that is just an opinion.. not based on fact.

Yes thanks! I had intended to put the shrimp in first anyways. Will I still have to quarantine them in a different tank though? Or can I just put them in the future dps tank and treat them there?

"Feeder" shrimp or ghost shrimp are more likely to carry ectoparasites than are cultured shrimp such as red cherries. If you look at them closely, the wild-caught shrimp are not strangers to ectoparasites. But those will not transmit to fish as a rule - most parasites are more host-specific, it is unusual for them to be able to go from an an invert to a vertebrate. Certain multistage endoparasites such as certain flukes do transmit from invert (usually large snails) to fish.

Cultured inverts tend to be a bit "cleaner" than wild-caught. They have less exposure to the wild world.

Thank you for your input! I will try to get some today.

Lil' Green:
Is it possible to keep a betta with a DP? I know you have lots of experience with bettas. The LFS have only a couple bettas left in those little tiny containers that Chinese restaurants put sweet n' sour sauce in their take out in...and they said they won't be ordering any more like that. The bettas look so sad...rice paddies are definitely NOT small mud puddles!

If you're going with cherries, and because they are larger, ask the owner when he got them in.

Have the owner bag some and check the bellies for eggs. Those are the ones you want! Nothing like a buy one get 80 free special

I went and got my DP today. They ordered it for me cuz I asked. ITS JUST A BABY!!! (or is it???) I knw they were small but mien is REALLY small! Pics in a few!!!

OOOOhhhh...I can't wait!!!

He has really nice golden coloring...
It doesn't really show because I don't know how to work my camera that well yet to zoom up that close and still get a nice picture. Plus, I don't have a hood on the tank yet.

Oh come on now, he's not THAT small! Not for a dwarf puffer anyways! LOL

And this thing can take out 3 inch ghost shrimp? I don't believe it!!!

Oh you just wait until you see it stalking something.. these little guys have an evil streak a mile wide! I think they plot to take over the world...

Myaj wrote:Oh you just wait until you see it stalking something.. these little guys have an evil streak a mile wide! I think they plot to take over the world...

He is doing that to me right now! He has to have at least one eye on me...

I tried feeding him bloodworms...he ate one but left the rest alone. It might just be the stress, but idk maybe he just doesn't like them.

There were a couple of bloodworms floating around near the front of the tank and he zoomed up to the front to take a look, went all cross-eyed and started circling around it, saw me. Gave me that "o hai wassup?" look and slowly turned away and started swimming off, while never breaking eye contact. So cool!

Still just zooming up and down the glass...doesn't care about all the nice plants I put inside!!

Put a background on, background-less tanks always annoy me!!! ROFL sorry.. seriously though, just tape up a piece of black or dark green or blue construction paper, or even a black garbage bag. It will look much nicer and sometimes that helps with the pacing.

The little dude is just nervous, I'm surprised he ate right away for you. Colors look great, just need to fatten him up a bit heeeheee... have fun, and don't have nightmares, he'll be watching you sleep!