Hello from sunny Singapore!

[paws_bells]

Hi all! I'm paws from Singapore and like a lot of the newcomers here, I'm a first-time puffer keeper. So, please treat me kindly and be patient with me if I ever happen to ask silly questions that may seem painfully obvious to you experts out here. =)

My infatuation with puffers started quite recently, actually (but I feel like I'm fast approaching the point of no return, haha). I have always toyed with the idea of having a small aquarium in my room but none of the fishes I have seen in the local fish shops has ever made me feel like they'd be worth the effort to actually do so (I'm an opportunistic procrastinator, lol). Then, roughly three weeks ago, I was strolling about the neighborhood with my best friend and we walked past this dinghy-looking fish shop. Out of boredom, we decided to go in to take a look. The living condition of the fishes in there were...not good, but it was in there that I first paid close attention to - and started to fall in love with - puffers. It was a small, ten gallon tank lined amongst dozens of others along a dimly lit, narrow isle, the florescent light that illuminated it was old and dusty, but what made it stood out from the rest were the openly inquisitive, roly-poly creatures that were buzzing around inside it like ditzy ping pong balls with vibrating fins and tails, and it was like a light bulb just went off in my head.

I thought to myself, "I would love to keep a few of these little fellas as pets." And that was it.

It was kind of strange, since that was certainly not the first time I have seen puffer fish in fish shops before, but it was certainly the first time they really made an impression on me, enough to warrant standing in front of their tank for a significant amount of time to observe them intently. Maybe it was their big eyes that can move independently of each other, maybe it was their pixie-like, darting movements, but I was really charmed by how expressive and lively they were, and I was really surprised by how much personality they have in their little bodies.

I was sold, and was really tempted to buy a few of these home just on impulse alone, everything else be damned. It went to the point where I was seriously contemplating temporarily housing these 2 inch sized little guys with my 2 foot long Red Arowana when Common Sense in the form of my best friend came over and thwacked me over the head, barely in time to stop me from committing culpable fishslaughter. Left with no choice, I did what any responsible twenty-five year old would do; I sulked a bit and then shuffled home to do my research.

It was lucky that I had, for those cute little puffers whose breed I did not know back then were actually what most of you would easily recognize as the GSP, brack water dwelling juveniles that would eventually need to live in full-on salt water conditions, not to mention, they would certainly not fit in the 5 gallon tank that I have in mind for my desktop. So, I continued to do my research - for awhile, I was really tempted to have Figure Eights, but didn't think it would be fair to stuff one into my tiny tank - and last weekend, I finally took the plunge and came home with a trio of juvenile Dwarf Puffers (named Chinook, Apache and S.Puma), an Otocinclus, and four Amano shrimps.

I'm starting small right now (didn't exactly realize how small until I first set eyes on the little puffs), but I'm determine to work my way up the species list eventually, once I accumulate more knowledge on these lovely fishes. Gotta keep 'em all!

Meanwhile, Chinook says hi!



It's really great to be in this forum; I hope to be able to learn a lot here and get to know many like-minded people from around the world! See you guys around! =)

[defool89]

If you want to catch em all youll need a lot of space as some species are giants. Welcome, congrats and hello.

[Pufferpunk]

If you're not a writer, you should be!

Dps require 5g/fish, so 1 would be perfect for your 5g, along with a couple of shrimp. Maybe your friend has room for the others? I'm sure you'd feel bad taking them back to that shop. Also, I'm afraid you didn't cycle that 5g before adding those creatures to it?

library/puffers-in-focus/dwarfpuffercare/
library/puffers-in-focus/sexing-carinot ... rf-puffer/

[paws_bells]

@defoo89: Thanks for the welcome! I'm aiming for a GSP next, but we will see how that goes! =D

@Pufferpunk: I'm glad you pointed out that DPs require 5G/fish. I have read up on a lot of DP care sites prior to getting my fishes and almost all advocate the 5G/fish rule, due to the fact that these small puffers can be very territorial and will fight each other to the death if need be, not to mention that they have very high bioloads. I went to the fish shop with the intention of getting only one, but somehow ended up with three. It was very irresponsible of me, I know, but I could not help myself - they were all so tiny, only 80 cents SGD a piece, and my younger brother (and the LFS assistant) actually commented that I could have bought a few more - I'm glad I didn't listen to them.

I immediately took steps to correct my mistake, at least, as best as I could manage. I came across a site maintained by a Japanese DP keeper who has successfully kept (and eventually bred) his three DPs in a 5 gallon tank - he initially had 6 of them in there but they started to fight for territory when they matured so he rehomed three in another 5 gallon tank - he managed to breed that trio too (http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/rensaquarium.htm). I wondered about his success in keeping the DPs happy and content and noticed that all of his tanks were really heavily planted. Presto! Cue light-bulb moment. It made sense! If line-of-sight is greatly restricted, then aggressive encounters will be kept minimum, and the DPs can have lots of hiding places to themselves, be swimming along side on opposite sides of the foliage and still be none-the-wiser! (I'm a genius! XD) Not to mention, the plants will help to keep my ammonia levels low, and they look really great in the process. They are really the best things since sliced bread!

Here's what my tank looks like concurrently:


I know it looks like a crazy forest in there, but this is my first time going planted and I have also deliberately plunked in as many fast growing and hardy water plants that I can think of. I like all the green though, I find it soothing, and my DPs seem to enjoy the habitat as well, so much so that I seldom get to see all three of them at the same time (except during feeding). I admit that there's a bit of territory disputes sometimes, but there's no nipping or physical encounters - their fins and tails are always intact when I give them a look over every evening, no open wounds on their bodies - just halfhearted chases that end as quickly as they begin and even those are seldom. They also rarely fight over food, so perhaps I'm lucky in that aspect. I still maintain a close eye on them though; the puffs don't appear to exhibit signs of stress, they do their own thing in there, and all seem well for now, so I'm taking a wait and see approach. I do have spare tanks though, but I don't see the need to use them for now when all is peaceful in their tank. However, at the smallest hint of violence, I will definitely be pulling one or even two out.

To combat the possible problem with the additional bioload, my tank is roughly 20 liters but I got a good hang-on filter that cycles approximately over 200 liters per hour (I think it's 230L but I can't really remember the exact specification). I'm also really careful during feeding (following the helpful advice that I have gathered from hours of ninja-style lurking in this forum =)); not letting dirty water enter the tank, picking up after my puffs as best as I can after feeding, religiously doing 25% to 50% PWCs every now and then, and testing the water conditions (with API Freshwater Master Kit) like an obsessive nut every other day. It used to be daily for the first week but with the introduction of the plants, I now feel safe enough to do it on alternate days, unless prompted to do so by obvious signs of stress exhibited by the fishes (that has not happened yet, thankfully).

As for the tank cycling, I admit I took something of a shortcut. I cycled my tank for only a few days before getting my puffs (dechlorinated with Tetra Aquasafe, added Waterlife's Bacterlife), but in my defense, my intention was to perform a planted fish-in cycling, hence packing nearly 75% of my tank with plants and keeping 8W worth of light on them for at least 10 hours a day. I also took filter media from one of my Dad's Arowana tanks and added it to my own, and for now at least, all seem well. Not sure if what I'm doing constitutes as overkill, but I read that pufferfish are sensitive due to their lack of scales and my little puffs are so small that it won't take much to kill them, so I'd rather be on the safe side. That being said, my ammonia and nitrite levels are currently at 0 ppm (I try never to allow them to exceed .25 ppm), whereas my nitrate is at the 5.0 ppm range. Hopefully the nitrate rise would mean that the cycling will be completed soon, but I'm not sure if the readings are affected by the fact that I just dosed the water with Parzi Gold (Praziquentel) to treat my littlest puff (S.Puma) since I noticed his droppings look a bit pearl-necklace-like, if that makes any sense. The other two are pooping out black strings though, but I still dose them all as a preventive measure.

Sorry for the longwinded post. I sometimes feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants in this puff-keeping endeavor, so I thought that I might as well try to provide as much information as I can so that in the event I'm doing something really wrong, someone here would be kind enough to let me know (provided he/she is patient enough to wade through all my ramblings). =)

[scpion]

Welcome! You are one of the rare female hobbyist in Singapore eh..

[paws_bells]

@scpion: Thanks! I'm still a beginner at this though. We usually only rear the larger, hardier fish breeds; Oscars, Flowerhorns, Aros. Small hobby fishes are generally lumped under the category of 'long kang' fish regardless of species and are usually only procured for the sake of preventing mosquito outbreaks in areas with stagnant waters, lol. I was definitely surprised to learn now that it's not easy to keep a well-balanced, small tank as well.

[scpion]

Soon, u will find yourself being addicted to them. Just like how all of us started. They all have different character and they are not shy to show it. They are extremely sensitive and when there's something wrong, u will be able to tell straight away from their behavior. Stay with them long enough and u will understand what I mean. And, who could resist their puppy eye stares..

[sgtmyers88]

Welcome! A lot of us are GSP owners. If you are considering one you should check out my threads with pictures of my puffers and how far they have come from 1 inch babies 10 months ago living in a low brackish tank to 2-4 inch long fish living in full marine conditions today. Others have pictures of 5-6 inch adult GSP's which will really surprise you! You need to aim for getting a 55-75 gallon tank especially if you plan to get more than one GSP.

[bertie 83]

Hi and welcome. Dps produce a lot of waste so 5g is not big enough for 3. Plants will not reduce ammonia.

[Pufferpunk]

I do feel you are underestimating the bioload of these lil fellas. Filtration does not remove bioload--it's like sweeping dirt under the rug. The dirt is still there, just stored for later removal. Yes, there is nitrifying bacteria that will support the bioload--of a single puffer, maybe 2. Best you can do for them now, is 50% WC, 2-3x/week.

[Puffermania]

Hi Paws,


Where in Singapore did you buy your Dps from? Coincidentally, i've set up a 29g planted tank and is probably going to set my Dps from Seaview next week. Can't wait.

[paws_bells]

@scpion: I know what you mean by those puppy dog eyes! I'm a dog lover myself, so I suppose it's not surprising that I became attracted to puffers eventually.

@sgtmyers88: Thank you for the warm welcome I'm still pretty far away from the GSP of my dreams though, and I only have intention of getting one when I do. Funnily enough, it's not the juveniles that attract me, but the adults - they move like aquatic airships, haha. When I finally get my GSP, I'm going to do everything to ensure that it lives to a ripe old age!

@bertie83: Thanks for the welcome. I have always been under the impression that aquatic plants do help to control the levels of Ammonia and its byproducts, under the proper conditions. I dose my tank with a few drops of liquid fertilizer weekly, a small CO2 tablet in the filter every two to three days, and 8W of light for 10 to 12 hours daily. I'm still a completely newbie at this though; am I doing something wrong?

@Pufferpunk: I understand what you mean, and upon reflection, you guys are right. Also, no worries; I have actually been religiously performing 50% PWCs every alternate day since I got my puffs home with me. I'm really reluctant to only have one in the tank by itself; they are so tiny and will look pretty lonely in there! However, I intend to heed the advice that you guys have given to me. Right now, I'm treating them for IP as a preventive measure and I understand that the full medication cycle will take at least 5 days. After that, though, I will be pulling out one of the three and finding a new home for it. As for the remaining two, I'd really, really like to keep them together for now, so I'd prefer to take the wait and see approach and take further action only when something crops up. I know it's not the optimal solution, but please do bear with me - I have gotten quite attached to these little guys and it's not easy to let them go.

@Puffermania: Hi, I got my puffs at Seaview too! That was a week or so ago though, but I also went there last Sunday to pick up IP meds for the DPs and I saw that they had replenished the stock. Lots of little puffs bobbing around in the DP tank, all looking quite healthy as well (but Seaview's stocks are usually pretty good) so you'd probably be able to get your choice of DPs there. How many are you planning to get, by the way? Will you have room for one more? This is such a coincidence, but if you read my longwinded replies above, you will know that I will need to rehome one due to overstocking. You seem to be setting up a tank purely for DPs and have probably also done your share of research on them as well. I will be very grateful if you can help me out; it will make me feel a lot better to know that the little fella that I'm giving up will be in good, knowledgeable hands.

[Pufferpunk]

library/puffer-care/alone-but-not-lonel ... fers-solo/

Sometimes, the "wait & see" approach ends disease from stress, etc & in the death of all.

[paws_bells]

library/puffer-care/alone-but-not-lonel ... fers-solo/

Sometimes, the "wait & see" approach ends disease from stress, etc & in the death of all.

You know what? After your post, I thought really hard about my puffs' well being, and I was really struggling with the notion of having to give them away (and possibly to individuals who would keep them as little snail eating machines to clean their community tanks. In fact, the label for the DP tank in my LFS does not even properly identify them as Dwarf Puffers, but rather, just 'snail-eaters.' There aren't a lot of puffer enthusiasts in Singapore; most of the local hobbyists tend to prefer Aros, Discus, Bettas - the more showy species - and the few who do usually go for the Figure-Eights and up. The more I thought about it, the more distressed I got.

Then I thought to myself, "Okay, so what now?"

...Really, the answer was staring me in the face.

I don't want to give my puffs away, I want them to keep in the same tank; ergo, I should just put them in a bigger tank. Problem solved.

Besides, now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure I have a 12 gallon tank (possibly two) sitting in the storeroom gathering dust. Not sure if my desk can take the weight of all that water, though, but I want to give it a shot. I'm slapping myself for fretting so much that I actually forgot about the larger tanks in storage. Argh.

...12 gallons will be big enough to allow me to keep all my puffers, right?

[Pufferpunk]

LOL, how did I know you were gonna say this? I could tell from your 1st post, what a caring pufferlover you are.