The Puffer Forum

Hello all! I'm getting my tank ready for some beautiful little dwarf puffers

But this being my first puffer tank, I want to make sure my new friends are happy. I have a fluval 12gal currently cycling with some mature media as well as substrate. I also have about 40 plants on the way to make sure there is more than enough hiding for everyone going into my tank. I plan on definitely having some otos catfish to keep my tank clean, and am also interested in possibly some adult ghost shrimp to help as well (I understand the possibility of them being attacked, but I think if they are big enough and as quick as they are they should be okay?). I am curious- with this system, would I be able to comfortably house one male with two females? I don't want to overcrowd anyone, but I would also like to take a shot at breeding. Anything I can do bring down amounts of WC! I have done a lot of research and believe I'm mostly ready, but any pointers would be absolutely appreciated!

I had 2 DPS in a planted 10g with 5 oto's before everyone moved into their 20 gallon long. They did quite nice and everyone got along. 3 might be pushing it but, i'll let someone with more experience determine that. I think I read 5 gal for the first and 3 for each thereafter but, I think 5 gal each is much, much more comfortable.

One thing to consider with oto's is that they are very fragile fish. I've had my best luck with them when they were in an established system. Make sure they have nice round bellies when you buy them. Good luck with your tank!

One more thing, your shrimp will be food.

Thank you for your advice! I know introducing the otos will be delicate.. And I figure the shrimp will be food, somewhat of a supplement to blackworms and snails, but they can help clean up the tank until their time comes!

You are welcome. You have come to a great place to get advice. People are very knowledgeable here. Pretty much every day I hop on I am learning from them.

I'd still wait to let a more experienced member weigh in on 2 vs. 3 dp's for a 12 gal however. I'm still just a rookie myself.

The thing is a 12g tank won't hold 12g of water, more realistically maybe 9g. 2 would be the max but you need to factor in that a) 1m and 1f will unlikely work as the male will harass the single female and b) ottos produce bio-load too further reducing the amount of fish in the tank. I would either get 2 females and perhaps push it with an otto or two, or if you wish to try breeding them get a bigger tank.

I would take out the ghost shrimp and get Amanos, much easier to keep alive! I want to say 3 dps are fine, but most people here wouldn't agree with me... I feel like it's impossible to have just one dp since they seem braver with others around. I also wouldn't bother with otos, have never been able to keep them alive...

Edit: I say Amanos cause ghost shrimp are like the dumbest of all lol, Amanos are much smarter at hiding and taking care of themselves

Thank you guys! I definitely want at least two, if breeding isn't applicable, that's totally fine by me. I just want to give back to the hobby. I will definitely look into the amantos shrimp! I've heard otos are difficult, I plan on letting my tank get nice and mature before adding them in. I absolutely do not want to kill them! Is the issue with space cleanliness or room? Because I have a comet cycling so as to up my bioload capacity. It's a fluval edge, I'm not sure if that helps in any explanation on amount of water able to be held.. But It is to be filled all the way to work properly.

Also, I've never tried my hand at an aquascape and hear that RO water would work fine so I don't have to mess with a c02 set up. (Which I really do not want to do lol) Any thoughts on this? If c02 is needed, any methods to keeping it from making an unstable pH.. As well as possibly an article with a full explanation of how to set it up? For some reason I only seem to find bits and pieces. I know I don't want to do a full on DIY but was thinking about using paintball c02?

Don't use RO for FW, unless you know how to reconstitute the minerals. Nothing wrong with your tap water, is there?

Not in particularly. It's definitely hard, though. My LFS advised me on RO instead of a c02 set up as to stay away from pH fluctuations. Any other options for keeping plants alive and healthy without either?

For such a small system CO2 is generally not necessary unless you want to establish high light plants or carpeting plants. You will be more than fine with low to medium light plants in the system you described and plain tap water. A "proper" CO2 system can be very expensive to set up (tanks, refills, dual regulator valves) and unless your plants are the focal point of the aquarium, generally not worth it until you hit larger tank sizes. I've experimented with a DIY system using sugar and yeast as well with a good bit of success. dIY CO2 reactors are easy to make but are unpredictable and generally not worth the hassle for a small system as you have to continually replace them. If you want nice, healthy plants just keep a decent light on them (not too much light mind you or will farm algae instead). The fish will provide all the plants nutrients they need. An alternative source of carbon for your plants to respirate is a product called Seachem Flourish Excel. It's decently priced. You put a cap full in the tank each water change and 1-2ml every other day. Since its a consumable, it's cost does add up eventually, however.

I apparently like to ramble over certain topics like planted aquariums...if you were smart enough to skip the entire post and get straight to the summary: no RO for freshwater like PP said. You don't really need a CO2 system either. If you really want to get into a bottled or DIY CO2 setup however don't hesitate to ask...even though my planted tank is in complete disarray, I do enjoy a good discussion.

I'm glad you enjoy rambling. I think aquascaping is amazing, and I plan on delving more into it once my puffers are happy, so I will absolutely keep you in mind!! This has all been excellent advice. I'm currently experiencing brown algae in my maturing 20gal.. any tips for a gal? I know its common in young tanks, but it bugs me so much!!

*cough* surprised pp missed this! Please don't cycle with a fish there's an article in the library on fish less cycling

Because I have a comet cycling so as to up my bioload capacity.

Thanks, I totally missed this! I have ADD & can't get thru long posts, so I tend to skim thru what I can. Please NO CYCLING WITH FISH!!! It's barbaric, old school & totally unnecessary. Find that poor fella a good home please: library/water-filtration/fishless-cycling/

I haven't had success finding ammonia at my LFS. I also haven't checked out the article, though. Hopefully there is a store bought variety that's acceptable. My levels haven't started fluctuating, yet though so I think I could switch?

JennLynn wrote:I haven't had success finding ammonia at my LFS. I also haven't checked out the article, though. Hopefully there is a store bought variety that's acceptable. My levels haven't started fluctuating, yet though so I think I could switch?

I know Ohio is a big state ... but there's clubs in just about every city with fish geeks that love to help out fellow fish friends in need of some bio to get your tank up and running. I know you have your tank up and going, but someone can give you a helping hand to get fully cycled in no time, and without using a fish.