The Puffer Forum

Good afternoon!
i bought a 5 gallon fluval spec, and was trying my hand at live plants.
soon i discovered that these live plants, came with klingons... snails. more appeared every day
so i asked around and was told that the wee dwarf puffer was just the carnivore i was looking for.
i have attached some pictures of what i believe to me my new female puffer.
she has already eaten one snail as i watched.
question, i have read a few conflicting bits.
one, i have mostly eco substrate with some gravel from my 80g that i used to help the cycle.
is this ok for my gal? some places say sand only. however i am not up for doing an overhaul now that shes in there.

also, i read that 50% water changes weekly are good for her?
shes alone in there for now
i was thinking of putting in an otocinclus for the algae, some say she will tear it to shreds, and some say the oto is an ideal tankmate.

your thoughts?

next qustion - water flow, i have the spout as low as it will go , but still, when she wanders towards the top, she takes a fast lap thanks to the spout
is this ok? i have read they dont really care for that.

and lastly, i use in my water: prime or stress coat, and flourish excel for my plants (i put this in daily)
is there any other additive you suggest to help my wee gal be happy and healthy?

I don't see any pics?
Here's somewhere to start: library/puffers-in-focus/dwarfpuffercare/
Your substrate is fine. She should love the plants. Many keep ottos with DPs. Puffers seem to like playing in current. Yes, 50% weekly WC. Most of us use Prime. That's all you need.

In a 5g I would keep just the dp. Not only are ottos hard to keep alive in a 5g there is the risk of the dp snacking on it.