The Puffer Forum

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum and first off wanted to thank everyone for sharing their puffer experiences... I’ve been researching puffers for a while and this site has been a great resource.

On to my question. I am considering getting a Tetraodon Schotedeni and was hoping for some advice/feedback on whether my set up would be adequate. I was originally thinking about getting a few dwarf puffers but I’d really like to be able to get an algae eater such as a Pleco or some ottos to keep In the tank as well. After reading some horror stories I started to worry the DP’s could be aggressive with another fish and I’m not really comfortable throwing a Pleco to the sharks, haha. So I started second guessing my original dwarf puffer plan and I thought the more peaceful schoutedeni puffer might work better.

I have a 26 gallon Fluval bowfront with the longest side being 24 inches which I’m halfway through cycling. I’m growing out a ton of plants now so it will be heavily planted. I have totally fallen in love with the little spotted Congo guy but I’m worried the tank might be a little too small, especially if I get an algae eater as well. The tank gets a lot of sunlight so algae grows like crazy. I keep hand cleaning it from my glass but it’s harder to clean the driftwood and plants. Plus I just like little Bristlenose Plecos and imagine one would be really happy in my algae filled tank.

Right now I have a Fluval C3 hang on back filter and a sponge filter, but I’m open to replacing the hang on back filter with a canister filter if that will make my set up more doable.

Any thoughts on keeping a spotted Congo puffer and Bristlenose Pleco together in a heavily planted 26 gallon?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for the help!

26g seems a little bit small, but a lot of growing, healthy plants should help a lot with water quality. Not sure about schoutedeni/pleco compatibility though. I'd like to know too, I may attempt that although in a much larger tank...

So in terms of the sizes of those two fish, a 26 bowfront will suffice. However, plecos and puffers both produce massive amounts of waste. Even with plants, you will likely need one of three things: a larger tank, a sump filter, or frequent water changes. Out of the three, I would suggest that you choose whichever makes the most sense based on your time and budget.

As for the pleco/puffer combo, I've kept an L46 with two Colomesus Asellus, so you SHOULD be fine...

I have two green dragon plecos (one male and one female) in with my schoutedeni in a 55gal with a 120gal canister filter with no issues. There are lots of places for everyone to hide, and I still do water changes weekly because I am adore my puffer and am paranoid .

astrid37 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 28, 2018 7:52 pm I have two green dragon plecos (one male and one female) in with my schoutedeni in a 55gal with a 120gal canister filter with no issues. There are lots of places for everyone to hide, and I still do water changes weekly because I am adore my puffer and am paranoid .

Really? I can't imagine any puffer I've ever owned not doing at least SOMETHING to a fish with that long of fins

Nope! It's been 7 months, and all is well .

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies! It sounds like it would be a pretty big challenge to attempt that in such a small tank so I think I’ll actually go with several dwarf puffers and a small group of ottos instead and hope for the best. I think I’d feel better understocking my tank than overstocking it. So does 3 dp’s and 5 ottos sound more doable in a planted tank with lots of hiding places? I’ve read mixed reports on dp/Otto compatibility but with some luck, hopefully there won’t be anything more than an occasional nip.

That sounds like a good stocking list.
Do you know how to sex a DP?

I’ve heard conflicting reports on sexing them. Some say if you get them as juveniles they can “choose their sex,” and when one starts to develop into a male they secrete a hormone that causes the rest of the DP’s to stay female. Not sure how accurate this is. I do know about the eye wrinkles and other physical differences but heard they don’t really develop these until they’re older. If the whole “choosing their sex” thing is a myth then it sounds like it’s just the luck of the draw if your LFS only has juveniles??

None of that is true.
I'm sorry the pics don't show up in this:
library/puffers-in-focus/sexing-carinot ... rf-puffer/
library/puffers-in-focus/dwarfpuffercare/

Thanks Pufferpunk... great articles!