The Puffer Forum

ok i need some help my tank is getting very dirty with algae. i neeed a plec or some snails if i can do you think id get away with anything in there with him im not so boatherd about him killing snails but i dont want him killing a plec

Piggy say, "YUM, tankmates!!!" Sorry, you're going to have to do your own maid service in there.

Pufferpunk wrote:Piggy say, "YUM, tankmates!!!" Sorry, you're going to have to do your own maid service in there.

I'm afraid she's right. I tried some tank mate with another puffer (not a pignose), just to check out what happened. That was a kind of pleco. I thought its armored body would protect him, but luckily I knew puffers well enough to keep a close eye at the situation. It didn't take long before I had to take the pleco out of the tank. The puffer went for its belly, the only soft part of the fish. The poor pleco got a bad wound there. Luckily he has healed nicely, and has no problems because of the attack.
Snails are natural food for puffers, so snails would certainly be yummy for the pignose.

thank you for the advice. im not going to even try i knew that was the case anyway i just wanted expert advice. im going to get some apple snails anyway as i have nothing to lose if they survive great if not he gets a nice healthy meal

I don't suggest that either. If the puffer kills the snail, that is a lot of rotten, uneaten flesh. A potential tank system crash.

Have you tried the algae cleaning magnets? I swear by them and it only takes maybe a minute to clean the glass and you don't even get your hands wet!

The best thing to do is up your watewr changes and look at what other factors cause algae, sunlight in the room, no plants etc