The Puffer Forum

I read in Tropical Fish Magazine that dwarf puffers can do good in lightly brackish water. Has anyone else heard this? Has anyone tried this? I have a 29 gal brackish with a GSP and an F8. I wouldn't put the little guys in there just cause they are so small but I would like to pair them with bumble bee gobies in a nano brackish tank (I got the idea from TFM) I have a 7 1/2 gal that I ain't using and a 29 gal that isn't in use either. What do the experts think? I would like to thank you guys ahead of time for the feed back and ask that you don't flame me for putting a GSP and an F8 in the same tank. They do good together. Thank You.

Not trying to flame, just a caution for the future, since I am sure its ok for now, but eventually the GSP will need to be in a higher salinity than the F8.

As for the DP in low brackish, I don't know. I would not think that they would particularly enjoy the higher salinity, they might be able to live, but maybe uncomfortably, and maybe not as long as they would normally live. My understanding was that they were sensitive to salinity changes.

I killed my 1st 3 by putting them in a BW tankof 1.005. Which edition is that?

I bought it recently. It had an article in it about nano tanks. It's Volume LVII, Number 4, #633. December 2008. I've always heard that the people in there know what they are talking about but I figured I'd ask you guys before I ran with it.

The first ever bred in captivity dwarf puffers were in slightly brackish water (I think it was 1.003). There are actually parts of their natural habitat that become brackish during the dry season (coastal lagoons of Kerala).

It is possible not all populations of dwarf puffers can stand brackish water, most of their biotopes remain pure freshwater all year. Unless you know your dwarf puffers came from a coastal brackish water environment, I'd keep them in pure freshwater.

*Sigh* It's no wonder we get so many people in the Hospital forums when magazines are suggesting that Dwarf Puffers can live in a brackish environment. They probably tested it out on baby GSPs or baby F8s, and thought, "Hey, they're doing great!"


Also, GSPs and F8s DO do well together, it's just that GSPs require high-end brackish towards maturity, whereas F8s do best in low-end brackish. You could always keep your spare 29 gallon for the eventual change to high-end brackish (or marine, which is much easier and potentially allows other tankmates, as marine fish are generally more aggressive and thus tolerate puffers) for your GSP. Remember, your GSP will (in a few years) be twice the size of the F8, which cause substantially alter the level of aggression.

Dwarf puffers are fresh water.

*looks at her lil guys*

Yup they're thrivin. 2 years old now.

Thanks for the reply pandora but I know that dwarf puffers are freshwater. I just read in a magazine that they can tolerate brackish water. I always value Agnates replies and i respect your information. It's obvious that your very knowledgeable but why would a reputable magazine like TFH print such information? Corvus, you stated that the first captive bred dwarf puffers were in capitivity and that they actually do live in brackish water during a certain part of the year. What are your sources?

I know that many brackish fish aren't brackish year round and vice versa. And actually do very well in a brackish tank like an F8. Sorry for being so thorough but this is something that I want to do except I don't want to compromise the livelihood of a fish.

lexbubble wrote:Corvus, you stated that the first captive bred dwarf puffers were in capitivity and that they actually do live in brackish water during a certain part of the year. What are your sources?

I stated that one part of their habitat, the coastal lagoons of Kerala (so called back waters) becomes brackish during the dry season, the rest of their habitat like rivers and lakes off the coast remains fresh water all year. Therefore, only a small part of the entire Dwarf puffer population experiences brackish water in nature, but this small part of the population does. To me it seems the first import in the late 90s came from this area.

The habitat and salinity is discussed e.g. in
Britz, R. et al (1999): Carinotetraodon imitator, a new freshwater pufferfish from India (Teleostei: Tetraodontiformes), Journal of South Asian Natural History, 4 (1), p. 39-47.
and
Schaefer, C. (2005): Taschenatlas Aquarienfische und Wirbellose (pocket encyclopedia aquarium fishes and invertebrates). Ulmer. (in German).

I'd also like to repeat the last sentence of my last post: "Unless you know your dwarf puffers came from a coastal brackish water environment, I'd keep them in pure freshwater".

thanks corvus. I guess since that I won't know where they come from for sure I won't be doing this little project. My 7 gal will house cichlid fry ( got a clutch on the way ). once againthanks