The Puffer Forum

Hey all.

I have an empty 10 gallon tank.
I have had DPs before, liked em, I was wondering if they are the only option for a 10 gallon tank though?

Feeding snails is not a problem, but I dont care to be trimming teeth like with a SAP.

Thanks, JArred

Yup, DPs are pretty much all we recommend for a 10g tank.

A single C. irrubesco would be happy with 10 gallons, too.

OK, on the puff listed, can they have any types of tankmates? I am thinking something along the lines of a bristlenose pleco, or cory cats and or kuhli loaches

Nope, not IMO. Especially not in a 10g.

I second that, Boxermom!

I personally would not allow any living thing into the tank with my C. irrubesco unless I was giving her live food. She takes (or tries to take) a bite out of everything, including the scenery, daily. She is an extremely aggressive feeder, a determined hunter, and is inquisitive and "in your face" 24/7. Essentially, she would terrorize and kill anything I put in there. In fact, she does kill everything I put in there (snails, worms) with determination and efficiency. I once put a snail in that was too large for her to suck out or crush. She knew the shell was full of snail, so she kept attacking it, and attacking it, constantly for about 15 minutes until she got a chunk out of the snail's trapdoor, at which point the snail was history. She is my lovable adorable homicidal maniac!

Frequent water changes, an algae scrubber pad, and careful feeding will ensure that no clean-up tankmates are needed. I have found that Poofer is an economical eater. She never spits out clouds of food like other puffers do. If she can get it into her mouth she will swallow all of it. But, I have no idea if other irrubescos are like this. If your puff turns out to be a messy eater, I'd recommend water changes more often than once a week to deter algae growth.

ok, are they ok with a planted tank?

Are they ok with crushed argonite sand? (would mean a high pH, only slightly countered with the tannins released from the driftwood)

Are MTSs a big no-no?


And how readily available are they? I have never seen one for sale anywhere, and dont know where to get one.

Also, are females smaller than males by chance? (I feel this would be a good thing, as I like the look of the female over the male, and it is only a 10 gallon)

My girl does take small chunks out of plants, but isn't too destructive. She pulls the roots off all the duckweed and kills it, though. She seems to really appreciate heavy planting (live or plastic) for exploring/hunting/hiding.

MTS are generally discouraged because their shells are too hard. Ramshorn and pond snails are great, though! You can breed them in a 5-gallon bucket with an airstone, or something fancier if you prefer.

I don't have experience with using aragonite substrate.

Availability will depend on where you live. I can tell you where to get one in the California Bay Area, if that's any help.

I don't know if the males are bigger or not.

Yeah, knowing where to get them in Cali helps me out none at all. Anyone know some online sights that I could order them through? I still havent decided for sure though which puff speies I want, this one, or 1 or 3 DPs