The Puffer Forum

Hi, this is my first post. Well... the problem is that an adult female DP (Olga) is bullying the other two DPs i keep. She chases them, bites and shakes them. Any solutions? I don't want both the 2 puffers dying, or take back Olga to the shop

Are you absolutely sure it's a female? Puffers are hit or miss... some just don't know how to play well with others. How large is the tank? Are their many broken lines of sight with heavy decor? Posting a full tank shot would help here.

Pufferpunk wrote: ↑Sat Jan 14, 2017 10:37 am Are you absolutely sure it's a female? Puffers are hit or miss... some just don't know how to play well with others. How large is the tank? Are their many broken lines of sight with heavy decor? Posting a full tank shot would help here.

It is a female INDEED... it has white and rounded belly. The aquarium is a 60 liters one with other fish (neons, mollies and even shrimps!). Curious thing is that she doesn't attack other fish species, only DPs. The aquarium has some plants but not covering it all.

It is a female INDEED... it has white and rounded belly.

Not at all how DPs are sexed: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... rf-puffer/
Unfortunately, the photos in our Library are gone.

Female Dwarf Puffers are less streamlined, and have rounder bellies and slightly larger bodies than males. Their markings will differ with each individual fish, but often remain similar to juvenile colors and markings.

My puffer has all these characteristics, so... it's a female.

Did you even read that article? Males are identified by tiny wrinkles behind the eyes.
I still need to know about your tank.

It's not always their sex that determines the degree of aggression. My male DP has never shown any signs of aggression, he is the sweetest little thing. And yes, he is defenitely a male (eye wrinkles, brown line on the yellow belly)! My females range from very mild mannered to quite aggressive. The most aggressive female relentlessly chases the others away from her favourite spot, but she has never been violent. She seems to need a personal space radius of approx. 15-20 cm when she's in that mood, because she will stop chasing after this distance. However, I've noticed that she will often allow the smallest and least aggressive female into her spot. I've had my puffers for 2 years, and their individual, distinct personalities have been the same from the very start. An initially aggressive puffer will probably never become peaceful. It is often said that aggression increases with age. Mine actually squabbled more as juveniles, before finding their place in the group and the tank.

Some extra cover may reduce the friction, have you tried that? Add as much plants as possible - tall ones, bushy ones, break up lines of sight. Make sure each DP has some overhanging driftwood/caves/cover to make their own territory and retreat to. The other fish may also be a stress factor. If you have both neons and mollies in with your DPs, it sounds like your tank may be overstocked, especially in terms of space, but maybe also in terms of water quality? I'd remove the other fish and see if the bully calms down. In any case: Be prepared to move the bully to a different tank, because biting and shaking doesn't sound good...

(On a side note, I'd like to add that neons and mollies have very different water parameter requirements, and thus should not be kept together)