Dwarf puffers

[Jim]

I'm going to put in 2female and one male because i don't think my tank will have enough plants.

How many khuli loaches can i put in?

[Mettle]

I'd say three would be fine - from personal experience. But again my personal experiences seem to go against the things a lot of people preach. -shrug-

[sarahbella]

Steph, certainly no disrespect to you at all.  I just happen to have researched this thoroughly over the past few days as these are fish we will be adding to our home in the near future.  Im getting my boy DP's for his birthday and dh wants a marine puffer.  I have absolutely no practical experience *yet* with these fish...  

If you go by the 1"/gal rule theoretically you could house 10 in a 10g tank, however, due to their agression and the bioload they create, having more than 3 could make for a very toxic & violent environment.  

(as a side note)  puffing can be very stressful and sometimes fatal and should in no way be induced.

[Mettle]

Sarah - I'm just going by what I have actually done, personally, in my home, with success. And that was keeping five dwarf puffers in a heavily planted 10 gallon tank. I also had otos in there... I think it's doable. But I am also religious about water monitoring and water changes. And quite conscious about not over feeding.

The problem with some of the info out there, I think, is that people take it for granted. One person publishes or posts on a specific species and soon everything is taken for granted. Just look at the discus cult for example. There are some pretty hardcore people out there and if you step out of line from what they're preaching (which I have) then they say your fish will die... Mine haven't as of yet.

I think the same goes in this case. There are these general 'rules' that people simply take for granted when it comes to dwarf puffers. No one is willing to challenge them. Believe me - I've been all over different puffer forums, including the dwarf puffer one, and seen the posts. People are told what to do and do it. I did something else and it worked for me.

Reasons for my success? I had a good combo of bio media and mechanical filtration in my filter. The sponge was cleaned weekly. Water changes twice a week. (But only about 15%-20% each time.) Tons of live plants, which no doubt helped with keeping nitrates down. A ratio of 2 males to three females (luck of the draw on that one).

It's just a little insulting to be told you're wrong when you've seen it work for yourself... I'm not guaranteeing it'll work for everyone. But that's how it was for me.

[sarahbella]

Steph,  sure a lot of things CAN be done, but it doesnt necessarily mean it should be, ya know??  im not questioning your success.  i believe you did keep that many without fatalities.  But with such a heavily planted tank, and you said it yourself, with no swimming areas, i see it kinda like being in prison without yard time.   In my opinion i dont think it's the optimal environment.

But, i have no experience with these fish as of yet,  maybe after ive had em for a while i'll think differently...

[Mettle]

Dwarf puffers don't actually need a ton of open space for swimming from what I've seen. (I later kept 10 of these guys in a 29 gallon tank with lots of free swimming room.) They spend 99% of their time hiding out in bushy areas and looking for food. They're ambush predators and the excess amount of plants gives them places to explore, territory defition and basic feeling of security.

[Jim]

(as a side note)  puffing can be very stressful and sometimes fatal and should in no way be induced.

I read that only 1 in 100 puffers actually "puff".

And i will be doing plenty of water changes.

Thanks 4 the advice!