The Puffer Forum

So I'm sure you guys see this often...But I'm obsessed with puffer fish! My boyfriend recently got me a 20g aquarium to replace my cycled 6.6g that has some neon tetras, a vampire crab, and two baby loaches in it. My local Pet Supermarket sells dwarf puffers and I ADORE them and really, really want one. I'm setting up the 20g today with my old 10g filer, plus a new 20g filter. I have tons of plants and hides (although they're glass...Tetras aren't bright enough to know the difference honestly). I'm going to let it cycle for a week or so just to get things up and running again and then I want to get a dwarf puffer! Sooooo I have some questions after reading up on them:

1. What should I feed it? I don't really have a ready supply of snails, which I read they like. Would they eat ghost shrimp? Those are about $2 for 10. I used to buy them for my now passed on betta.

2. Hypothetically, would he do well with my tetras? They're fast little buggers and they tend to chill in one of my glass hides.

3. Would he go after my crab? It's about a inch and a half long and female (small pinchies). She spends most of her time in her dry dock and not in the water.

4. I have a ton of plants in my tank, mostly anacharis and pennywort. Are puffers diggers or would they eat my plants?

5. Do puffers like any forms of enrichment? I've kept bettas and they love ping pong balls and laser pointers. Even my crab enjoys getting into "fights" with her own reflection. I'd hate to have a bored fish.

6. Since my caves are glass, should I invest in more opaque ones or can I just surround them with plants? My tetras enjoy chilling in one that is shaped like a star (Dollar Tree is awesome) and don't seem to notice that it's clear.

7. I enjoy a lively tank. If my tetras don't work out, or if they do, what other thank mates can I get that my puffer might not go after?


I hope these questions aren't too stupid...Thanks!

1. When I tried dwarf puffers they didn't do very well, probably because I was feeding them the wrong things. Based on experience since that time with my Fig 8, green spotted, and red eye puffers, I would go for bloodworms, mysis, and similar meaty foods. Frozen is fine as long as you thaw the cubes or chunks in some tank water before feeding. I usually siphon out tank water using a turkey baster then plop in the cube or chunk of frozen and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to thaw. Then use the turkey baster to suck up the worms or shrimp and squirt it into the tank. Dwarf puffers enjoy snails but don't seem to need snails to wear down their teeth like some of the species with faster growing beaks, e.g. SA/asellus puffers.

2. I wouldn't mix dwarf puffers with tetras but it might work temporarily. Largely depends on whether you have a 20 high (24x12x16) or 20 long (30x12x12), but even so, it's risky.

3. They like to eat things with shells. Again, might work, but I would not risk either the crab nor the puffers.

4. They don't dig nor eat plants. They like to hide in plants.

5. Not sure about this one. I would avoid laser pointers - you don't want to blind them accidentally since they're quite fast. Ping pong balls might be too big. Rearranging the decor could be enough.

Puffers are NOT community fish of any sort. I would set up a separate tank for them. Look through our Library for care/feeding & articles on more common species & the profiles of most puffers in our Pufferpedia, for other ideas.