The Puffer Forum

I just found this forum today and am glad I did. I've been keeping fish for 4 years, but just got my first dwarf puffers 1 1/2 weeks ago. They are cute and inquisitive little guys. Hopefully I can get some tips and pointers for these guys as I am going to need it lol.

Welcome to the forum.

Wlcome to the forum. What part of Fl ? North Palm Beach here .

Fort Myers

Welcome from Jax

Hello! I'm in Jax

It is important to try your best to sex these puffers as males can fight to the death:
viewtopic.php?f=70&t=28462

Tell us more about their tank.

Fight to the death? So not what I wanted to hear

Right now all my tanks are a mess. I have a 20 long for them that I am having to treat with meds for a month long as it crashed and the fish that were in it keeping the cycle got sick. So I'm not going to risk getting the puffers sick so it's getting debugged and getting the cycle going in the right direction again. I currently have them in a 5 gallon tank that is planted but it has also crashed no bad bugs in it though as it only had shrimp. I had the puffers temporarily in a 1.5 gallon and it crashed so I moved them to the 5 gallon. Well the 5 gallon is stinky and the water still looks like mud.

The PH is up to about 7.4 nitrate and nitrite 0 and have trace ammonia which will be fixed when I do a water change. I got a pic of one of them last night it don't seem to be a very good eater so I am going to see if my LFS has a shipment of blackworms coming in today. They both are on the skinny looking side but one looks worse than the other.

Wow.. They looked really skinny! Best to keep them eating and treat for IP. Sounds like U are going thru hell with the repeated tank crashes.. Any idea what caused them? Important to note that puffers need to be introduced to a cycled tank. And any form of med are likely to kill the bacterial too.

Those emaciated puffers are on death's door with IPs. Please start treating today!

I started treating last night. I'm going to pull out the shrimp and dose the tank as well as their food. I've been running errands all day and am just now getting home.

Welcome! We're happy to help with your fish.

My grandparents used to rent a place in Fort Myers. I used to go down every winter. They haven't done that for a long time but they used to be in a park almost directly across from the Shell Factory. I went back just to drive through in the spring and the area has changed a ton. I miss Florida.

I've lived down here almost my whole life and don't think I've ever been to the shell factory. Shoot I hardly ever go to the beach either lol.

Honestly, it's really not worth it. I loved it when I was little but it was pretty much unrecognizable. Trashy, gimmicy, yet completely overpriced. The beach though... How can you not go to the beach? It has warm water and sun. The water is so warm in Florida compared to here, even in the winter.

I dont go to the beach either......Living here for so long the beach just doesnt have any allure