The Puffer Forum

I've been considering tank mates for my 5 dwarf puffs and 4 amanos for several months now. I already know the risk, so I have a backup plan.

How do you think it would work out with some Tatia perugiae (oil/driftwood catfish)? Nocturnal, very fast moving, peaceful, and - looks almost like a puffer!!

What about siamese algae eaters (the real thing, of course, not the more aggressive lookalikes)?

Omg that is adorable. Not familiar with it but as long as it is faster than the puffs you should be OK. What size tank are you working with. The SAEs get big. Well respectively to a tank that 5 dps would be in.

Do you think there could be a chance the puffers will be stressed by catfish roaming around at night? And vice versa in daytime? Will puffers nip on fish sleeping in caves?

The tank is 112 litres, and yeah, it's really too small for SAE, so I would have to buy juveniles and give them away when they get bigger... In fact, I don't like how that sounds... :/ I also consider otos, but I think they like colder water than DPs?

Just to update on this - the LFS claims that the mentioned catfish may actually eat small fish. I don't know if this is correct, the only info I've seen so far indicate that they are mainly insectivores, but can eat fry. I've not seen any evidence that they eat adult DP-sized fish. Well, it's not worth the risk, so I'm not pursuing this idea anymore.

That's too bad, but it's true that all catfish are opportunistic eaters. You could try corydoras cats, they won't eat other fish(unless they're already dead).

Big fan of species-only tanks here. I have DPs with DPs, and fancy goldfish with fancy goldfish. I think it's less stressful than trying to force them to co-exist with entirely different species. Just my two cents though.

Goldfish can only live with other goldfish because of temperature. I think that it's fine and much more interesting to put different species together as long as they don't fight.

DPs have been known to eat the fins of cory cats.

pufferjw wrote:Goldfish can only live with other goldfish because of temperature. I think that it's fine and much more interesting to put different species together as long as they don't fight.

More interesting for US, yes. For them, I maintain that it's more stressful.

Aaah... I wrote a reply, didn't post it immediately, and coming back I was logged off and the reply disappeard... Well, in short - I partly agree with you Pufftastic, and that's probably why this tank mate business is taking me so long - fish keepers version of sense and sensibility

I've just cycled a new tank for my Tylomelania snails, and they will get company of a school of small Pseudomugils. This will keep me occupied for a while, I guess. Tank mates - nay, more tanks - yaaayy!