The Puffer Forum

With the death of one of my DPs i'm now left with just 1 in a 20G tank, and while i assume he loves having all that space to swim around in i'm not really sure what to do.

I have a few options that i'd like opinions on. The first is leave Button in the 20G and get 2 more DPs (if i can find them) to add to the tank. Is it hard to add more DPs into a tank where 1 fish is already established?

My second option is to move Button into a 5G which is heavily planted and move my female betta fish over to the 20 G and get 5-8 harlequin rasboras to fill out the tank.

The third option is to do nothing, to leave everyone where they are and let Button enjoy the massive space all to himself. When i removed Vettel from the 20G Button had a 3 day freak out, he was surfing the sides and zipping around the tank. He seems to have calmed down a bit now though.

If I were you I'd add some cherry shrimp to the 20 G and a little java moss for breeding

You won't have a happier puff

Will he not eat the shrimp? I've seen him tackle snails 3 times his size, he's a pretty feisty and gluttonous little fish. I'll look into it though, i'll contact my LFS and see if they have any cherry shrimp.

Are cherry shrimp more hardy than ghost shrimp? i got some of those but they all died within 3 days.

ohhh he's going to eat the shrimp all right.

but if you have the moss they will breed in that and he will pick off the babies.

I have never kept ghost shrimp but cherries are VERY easy to keep and breed.

That's a great idea!
I also don't think you should move him, he's beeen through enough, if he's comfortable, I'd leave him be.
Button's Shrimp Shack!

I like the idea too, also Button's shrimp shack makes me laugh!! i'm going to contact my lfs some time today and see if they have any shrimp available.

He's definitely been through enough so i'm going to leave him be and get him some more plants and generally make his tank as nice as possible.

That sounds like an awesome idea.

I had 2 dwarf Puffers and added 3 small sized ghost shrimps to my tank with plenty of hiding spots and moss...

My puffers made a game of killing them all. Not even eating them- just killing them. It was a HUGE mess- i had to take out all my plants and decore to clean it all up. My ammonia even spiked

If you buy shrimp to add to the tank be very careful and watch them closely.

I would personally add some more puffers to the tank and skip the shrimp. If you experience aggression- put Button in a breeder net for 24-42 hours, change the decor around, and then reintroduce him to the tank. His territory would then be rearranged and he would have to find a new territory with the new puffers. Make sure you try your best at getting 2 females and 1 male total. The aggression would be the least in this instance. Also make sure it is very heavily planted- i really think this makes or breaks the aggression issues.

You could instead try a school of otos if you want. My DP never touched the otos. I had to suppliment their diets with spinach though (the otos.. lol not the puffer)