The Puffer Forum

Hi all! Brand new to puffers, loving the wealth of knowledge here!

I impulsively (I know... I KNOW! ) rescued three DPs from a LFS that is closing down. I say rescued because this LFS was TERRIBLE! The owner told me he was going to "toss them" if they weren't gone by the weekend. They're in QT right now and obliterated the few pond snails I tossed in there for them. I picked up some live black worms for them to try tonight as well.

NOW, my problem is this - I know they're young, so sexing is difficult - But I am pretty sure I ended up with two males and one female. (The QT is divided, no worries.) Assuming this is the case, I know that the poor lone female will be bothered heavily if left with two males in their new tank and I don't want that. I'm absolutely willing to buy more females, but I'm still worried about the two males getting too territorial with each other and not letting up. I don't want any horrible fights/injuries that could have been easily avoided.

What has your experience been with this? Has anyone successfully kept two male DPs in a group of females? Was it a total disaster when spawning was a factor and hormones are crazy? How many females would 'balance' it out?

Here are my thoughts, all will be very heavily planted, driftwood, hides:
20gal tall - 2 M, 2 F (Way too small? Not enough females?)
55gal - 2 M, 4 F (DP mansion, anyone?)
3-way divided 40gal - 2 M, 1 F (Plan A, I love for my fish to have lots of room to roam, not just the minimum.)
40gal - 2 M, 3 F (Plan B, but not sure if that's a good balance or not.)
10gal tanks, one for each. (Safety first! Plan C)

I think this depends on two main factors: each individual puffer's personality, and the aquarium setup. Plenty of space, dense plant cover and lots of hiding places increase the probability of peaceful coexistence. I've also heard that Dps are less aggressive when kept in groups. They are more social than other puffer species (in nature, they form loose schools), and when I study my own tank with 1 male + 4 females, I'm convinced they actually like "hanging out" together. I'd go with plan B (don't quite understand what the plan A tank is like) or, even more awsome, the 55 gal Dp mansion, and you could easily fit more than 4 F with 2 M in both (given the tanks are decently long). I personally would not be afraid to try keeping multiple males in a large'ish tank, but in a smaller tank I don't know... In any case, I would strongly recommend having a backup plan and be prepared to separate them.

I'd like to add a few more Dps to my own tank, so I'm also interested to hear about the experiences of other Dp keepers on this topic Therefore, I'd also like to add a question - would it be beneficial to keep more than 2 males to spread out the aggression so that one don't get it all??

Each fish will vary in personality. Kept a pair of males together with no issues, although they wouldnt say boo to a goose. Happy with shrimp etc. However, give them space and acquire a few more females, heavy decor too. It could work. It might not though so keep a plan b ready. You just don't know with these guys.