Dwarf puffers

[Jim]

If i get some MTS will it be a nice snack for them? will they have time to multiply before they all get eaten?

can i feed them my guppy fry that are rapidly multiplying?

How many dwarf puffers is healthy to put in a 10gal?

Thanks
Jim

[Mettle]

MTS may or may not be eaten by dwarf puffers. If they make their way up the glass they could definitely become snacks. The puffers would simply tear the meat out of the shells. I've watched it happen specifically with MTS.

I have never fed guppy fry, but I know someone who did. The fry have to be quite small as the puffers aren't that big and would likely otherwise ignore the fry.

DP fantatics will tell you 3 will make for a fully stocked 10 gallon tank. I did 5 with no problems. It depends on how heavily planted the tank is. The more foliage (real or fake) there is, the more lines of sight are broken, the more territories are created, etc. Also keeping a single male with many females will also cut down on aggression issues.

Cheers.

[Jim]

ok thanks mettle.

[Jim]

Do they prefer a certain type of substrate?

[aidensmomma2000]

I thought MTS was Multiple Tank Syndrome?  

[Mettle]

It was Malaysian Trumpet Snail long before it was Multiple Tank Syndrome, Robin.

Jim... I've never read anything about them prefering one subnstrate to another. I personally would go with a sand substrate so that you could get some khuli loaches as bottom feeders for the tank. But not playsand as it's not good for bottom-dwelling fish/creatures.

[Jim]

alrighty then thanks.

[DonCorleone]

1 DP per 5 gallons, and even if you have more than 1 in a 10 gallon there's no gaurentee that they won't be at each others' neck. Planting the tank heavily does help.

And be careful when feeding MTS dwarf puffers, as their shell is too hard for the puffer to crack, and could damage their teeth.

[oenology]

I think I need a puffer in my angel tank - I have so many MTS that it seems there are more snails than sand. They don't even bother to disappear into the sand during the day!

[gvv]

I think I need a puffer in my angel tank - I have so many MTS that it seems there are more snails than sand. They don't even bother to disappear into the sand during the day!

Not sure it is good idea to place angels with puffers...
Clown loaches always work well for this case.

[oenology]

I think I need a puffer in my angel tank - I have so many MTS that it seems there are more snails than sand. They don't even bother to disappear into the sand during the day!

Not sure it is good idea to place angels with puffers...
Clown loaches always work well for this case.

Actually I was just joking but maybe clown loaches - I love the look of them. (I think I'm going to get in trouble for thread jacking....)

[oenology]

I think I need a puffer in my angel tank - I have so many MTS that it seems there are more snails than sand. They don't even bother to disappear into the sand during the day!

Not sure it is good idea to place angels with puffers...
Clown loaches always work well for this case.

Actually I was just joking but maybe clown loaches - I love the look of them. (I think I'm going to get in trouble for thread jacking....)

[Jim]

Hey mister let me give you a piece of my mind! j\k its ok.

I like clown loaches too allways liked the look of them.

[gvv]

Do they prefer a certain type of substrate?

I should say that in crushed coral and pool sand substrate they feel great. Just pool sand is better as they not so visible on it.
The problem could be not in substrate, but in pH/hardness, as in solf acid water their shells could dissolve, but this is true for any type of snails.

Regards

[Jim]

I think i'm going to get sand.

[Mettle]

1 DP per 5 gallons, and even if you have more than 1 in a 10 gallon there's no gaurentee that they won't be at each others' neck. Planting the tank heavily does help.

And be careful when feeding MTS dwarf puffers, as their shell is too hard for the puffer to crack, and could damage their teeth.

Two things. More than one dp per 5 gallons is definitely doable. Like I said, I had 5 in a 10 gallon tank. Never had an issue. Then I had 10 in a 29 gallon. Again no issues. I even kept 3 otos with the 5 that were in the 10 gallon. They never had so much as a single fin nip. So I think it's subjective... The main thing would be to make sure you monitor water quality and that the tank is planted as much as possible. My 10 gallon was so heavily planted that there was literally no real open swimming space - planted front to back and side to side. Puffers are messy so they can spoil the water quickly. But again I had no issues in either tank because of large amounts of plants and a regular maitenance schedule.

As for feeding MTS to dwarf puffers. Dwarf puffers will from my experience very rarely crack a snail's shell until it's incredibly small. They are more likely to simply pluck the meat out of the shell, which I've watched them do with MTS.

I guess different people have had different experiences. But these are my experiences from owning them and caring for them. So take my opinions for what they're worth.

[DonCorleone]

Don't want to offend, but why would you want to keep a tank which offers no open swimming space for the fish? If that's the natural habitat of a puffer, then I stand corrected.

A lot depends on personality of the individual puffer, and the 5, or for some people, 3gallons/DP "rule" is just a guideline, much like the 1" of fish per gallon "rule",  not set in stone... I've heard of accounts when people with 10 gallon tanks housed 2 puffers and they didn't get along, so what works for me may not work for you...

I have read of people that have had bad experiences with keeping MTS with DP, and I've always thought if there a chance that they will harm themselves, why take the risk in the first place?

And good choice on the sand!

[Mettle]

I have read of people that have had bad experiences with keeping MTS with DP, and I've always thought if there a chance that they will harm themselves, why take the risk in the first place?

I've only read of people having issues with MTS and larger puffers who are more likely to try and crack the shells of snails. As in - pretty much anything aside from DPs.  :lol:  MTS have VERY hard shells that can damage a puffer's 'beak'. And not only that, their pointy shape, if accidently swallowed whole, can prove to be an issue in itself... But I could see this being an issue with DPs as MTS proliferate so quickly and thus there'd be a lot of babies about..

[Jim]

The sand is in!

[sarahbella]

Hey Jim, i came across this site , you may find it informative. http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/

No more than 3 DP in a tank that small and you want to try to keep 2 females and a male.  The males have been known to fight to the death.

5 in a 10gal is not a good practice at all (ive spent days researching both marine and dwarf puffers)  puffers poop a lot and they also need space to swim...