The Puffer Forum

I already tried pufferpedia in the stickies but i got a 404 error.

Hello everyone. I bought a couple puffers from my LFS a few months back and was told they are Green Spotted Puffers. Never thought anything of it until yesterday. One of them was missing for about a week but figured it just didn't want to come out. Well, I got worried and started removing all of the hiding places and found it. The fish was under a rock and looked pale as a ghost. Assuming it was dead I went to net it and it swam away and immediately the larger puffer attacked it and it puffed up. So, I removed the smaller, half dead looking puffer from the tank and placed it in a temporary container. I went out and took advantage of the current PETCO $1 a gallon sale and got it a 20 gallon tank. After doing some research, I don't think these guys are GSPs. It is entirely possible that the LFS guy said "spotted puffer" and I heard "Green spotted puffer" So I have a couple questions.

1. WHAT IS THIS. I took a slomo video of one of them eating a snail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9ctUj ... e=youtu.be
It looks more like a dwarf puffer to me

2. Will one puffer eat snails until it dies? I had to sacrifice parts from my 10 gallon snail tank for a refuge for this little fish so I need a place for my snails.

The only reason I care is because, unless i'm wrong, GSPs are brackish and Dwarfs are fresh water. Correct? I would hate to get the water wrong.

Please help. And thank you.

Hello and

That is definitely a Dwarf Puffer (AKA Pea Puffer)

Totally freshwater.

Snails are crucial to their diets to keep their beaks worn down. If the beaks overgrow the puffer will starve.

+1 definitely a dwarf puffer! Sorry sgt, by I got call you out on this one, dps are one of the few puffers that DONT need snails. I've had one over 2 year and never fed him any snails. Mine prefer blackworms.

+1 to the live blackworms. And definetly a dp.

Awesome. Thanx guys. I was worried because my other fish aren't brackish and I was trying to keep the water in the middle. Now I don't have to worry As for the smaller one eating all of the snails, I put it in a 10 gallon tank with all of the snails and so far it looks like it is eating everything it sees. Both of these puffers don't do well in a 40 gallon. Do you think they would be ok in a 55 gallon with proper foliage to hide?

Thanx guys. Here is a pic of the other one. He doesn't look too healthy right now but he is in a tank all alone with lotsa food.

UPDATE - I picked up a 55 gallon tank and put the smaller one back in it with maybe 8 more misc fish and transferred the fish from my old tank all at the same time. No one had a chance to be "in charge" and it looks like they are all getting along. I have have 10 regular fish, 2 puffers, 1 pleco, and a frog in the 55 gallon. Looks like I am good to go.

I already tried pufferpedia in the stickies but i got a 404 error.

Try the drop down one, under the Learn Tab above.

smitty wrote:UPDATE - I picked up a 55 gallon tank and put the smaller one back in it with maybe 8 more misc fish and transferred the fish from my old tank all at the same time. No one had a chance to be "in charge" and it looks like they are all getting along. I have have 10 regular fish, 2 puffers, 1 pleco, and a frog in the 55 gallon. Looks like I am good to go.

I hope it's not a xenopus frog (AKA african clawed frog)... They get fairly large and eat ANYTHING that can fit inside their mouths; DPs would fit easily inside the mouth of a mature Xenopus frog.

The dps could potentially take out any fish or frog, this has to be considered too

All is well in the tank. No one is picking on anyone else. The frog is an African Dwarf Frog. I've had him for years and he hasn't grown at all. The smaller DP is doing well and the two have been swimming together with absolutely no issues. I've started feeding them live black worms also. Thank you everyone for all of the help.