The Puffer Forum

So I recently purchased a South American puffer for my very mildly brackish (1.004-1.006) 20g coastline tank (planted with black mangrove + sea purslane). I know that this species is usually referred to as a freshwater species, but the LFS had it in 1.005 and it looks like they often migrate to brackish estuaries, so it seems like it should be OK in that respect.

However, this tank is thick with MTS, which I gather have shells that are too hard to be a food source for a puffer. However, is it OK to keep a puffer in a tank with MTS so long as I keep him well fed? Has anyone either had luck with that, or bad experiences? He's been in there for 3 days so far and I don't seen any signs of distress, but I'll take him back to the LFS if that's the consensus opinion.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

It it is very possible the puffer may try to bite the snails, resulting in broken teeth. In addition, this species is a "schooling" puffer & prefers company of it's own kind:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... focus/sap/

OK, so what I'm hearing is maybe it's time to head back to the LFS and get something more appropriate for this tank. Thanks!