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FAQs about Dwarf or Malabar Freshwater Puffers, Carinotetraodon travancoricus

Related Articles: Sexing the Dwarf Puffer, Carinotetraodon travancoricus, by Amy Janecek Freshwater Puffers, Puffers in General, True Puffers, Brackish Puffers, Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes, Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers, Boxfishes, Puffy & Mr. Nasty, Small Puffer Dentistry By Jeni Tyrell (aka Pufferpunk),

Colomesus asellus and Carinotetraodon irrubesco, comp. – 07/16/08
Thanks for your help with my previous marine question! Answered so quick too!
I have another query. Would 2 c. asellus and a c. irrubesco be compatible tankmates in a 120l tank (30x15x18)? I've heard it said they can get along, but don't know what size is meant for 'getting along'. I love both types of puffer fish and wondered if this was a possibility?
Thanks again, your website has been so helpful in my research over the years!
Jo
<Jo, I can speak from personal experience here: Yes, this combination works great! I have a trio of Colomesus asellus and a male/female duo of Carinotetraodon irrubesco living in my 180-litre community tank.
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/Projects/pufferfish.html
For the most part they occupy completely different parts of the tank, the Colomesus asellus swimming about the open water, and the Carinotetraodon irrubesco sticking close to the ground, usually lurking under the rocks. Occasionally there are contretemps over food, the Colomesus asellus invariably using their greater speed to whip food away from the Carinotetraodon irrubesco, but that's about it. Most pufferfish make poor fish for multi-species system, but in my experience both of these species work quite well. Colomesus asellus can be a bit nippy towards slow moving fish, but my Carinotetraodon irrubesco seem completely harmless and even get bullied by the female Pelvicachromis taeniatus who cohabits with them and sometimes wants a particular cave the puffers though belonged to them! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Freshwater puffers; Carinotetraodon irrubesco and Colomesus asellus cohabiting 7/17/2008
Again, thank you for the advice - I do have a twig catfish - that would likely be nipped and need re-homing yes?
<This is Farlowella or Sturisoma sp.? Then YES, these catfish would be completely unsuitable for a tank containing Colomesus asellus. My Colomesus certainly do nip at Corydoras for example, though catfish that hide away like Synodontis are ignored. Not sure about Carinotetraodon irrubesco; never seen them nip fins, though some specimens have been reported to attack and eat small fish. Never seen that myself though, I hasten to add. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Freshwater puffers; Carinotetraodon irrubesco and Colomesus asellus cohabiting 7/17/2008
Thanks for the quick reply, Neale. Thought as much. Was going to have the puffers and maybe some quick moving larger tetra (x-rays).
<Mine live with Diamond Tetras, Bleeding Heart Tetras and Glassfish. Have cohabited with Cardinals, but the Colomesus did seem to take occasional nips at them.>
I have two unpaired Bolivian rams (they've never bonded) and wondered if they would be able to fend for themselves like kribs in your tank?
<Likely, yes. Have kept Mikrogeophagus ramirezi in my 180-litre set up without problems. Provided the cichlids have caves and cover, they should be fine.>
Would leave me a tank free for a peaceful setup with my twig cat (the Farlowella) and some nice sparkling gourami's/peacock gobies or such-like if the rams could go with the puffers, but if not they've done fine with twig so far.
<Sounds like a plan. Do bear in mind Farlowella are fast-water fish, and one reason they often congregate by the filter outflow is their need for not-too-warm, well oxygenated water. So think about creating a mountain stream tank for Farlowella, with lots of water-worn boulders, bogwood, and water current. Danios, minnows, etc would be ideal tankmates. Bearded Corydoras (Scleromystax barbatus) would also be great additions to such a tank.>
I know I'm going through a tank shift when I move house so trying to organise some new set-ups!
Thanks again
<Good luck, Neale.>

Re: Freshwater puffers; Carinotetraodon irrubesco and Colomesus asellus cohabiting 7/17/2008
Thank you for all the advice! Liking the sound of that set-up suggestion for Twig.
<Cool. They're nice fish, often kept badly. Cheers, Neale.>

Dear Sir,
I have 2 Freshwater Dwarf Puffer Fish. I am considering Freshwater Stingrays. Will they co-habitate? 2/4/08
Thank you in advance for your time.
Sincerely
Debbie
<Hello Debbie. No, these species will not coexist. If you don't mind me sounding like a rude clerk in an expensive jewellery store, if you need to ask, you probably shouldn't be keeping freshwater Stingrays just yet. In all honesty, these are incredibly difficult fish to look after. They need huge tanks (bottom of the tank needs to be something like 90 cm by 200 cm, capacity upwards of 200 gallons). They need perfect water quality. Not good water quality, not excellent water quality, but perfect water quality. You can't let them get sick because most medications we use for things like whitespot will simply kill them outright. Almost all people who buy stingrays end up with dead fish sooner rather than later. So please do be very careful before making this step: there are some excellent Stingray books out there, and you absolutely must buy and read one of them from cover to cover before even thinking about buying the fish itself. Good luck! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Question If you Please... Puffer comp... Dwarf FW... ? 2/4/08
My husband has had a large selection of fish most of his life including bat rays
<<? Myliobatids? Not likely... perhaps FW... Potamotrygonids... RMF>>
in a 500 gallon tank. I am just getting started, and although my husband is very helpful, ( and yes he said they are very hard to keep also) I was wondering if you know what kind of fish to mix with puffers. My husband wasn't much help with the rays since he raised them in there own tank many years ago. The puffers were purchased to save them from an untimely demise at the hands of some fish hacks, they are doing very well, but know I have the problem of what now? Do you have any suggestions?
<Dwarf Puffers -- Carinotetraodon travancoricus -- are not good community fish. They are confirmed fin nippers, and despite their small size, aggressively territorial. They are best kept alone or in groups, where each specimen is set aside about 20 litres/5 US gallons of space. In a tank filled with rocks and plants, groups can work quite well. Some people have mixed them with Otocinclus spp. catfish and medium-sized shrimps such as Amano shrimps, so that's an option too. Otherwise, Dwarf Puffers aren't really worth mixing with anything else. Cheers, Neale.>

Dwarf Puffer/Polypterus Compatibility 2/3/08
What a wonderful site you have! I learned so much from browsing! Y'all are doing a wonderful thing!
<Thanks.>
I'm not new with aquariums but I am expanding my knowledge base and experience. Do you think a single dwarf puffer would get along in a thickly planted cave-filled 55-gallon tank with one of the smaller species of Polypterus?
<Absolutely not. Dwarf Puffers -- if by that you mean Carinotetraodon travancoricus -- are persistent fin-nippers. Bichirs are easily targeted by fin-nippers because they are slow, clumsy, and rather docile. The other day I came across a retailer with some Polypterus senegalus with various Mbuna cichlids, and the poor bichirs had their fins bitten down to the bone. On the other hand, an adult Bichir might simply view a small puffer as food, with unfortunately consequences for both. Don't do it!>
I plan to have ghost shrimp, Asian clams, the ubiquitous snail, and not much else. If the puffer will eat pieces of the Polypterus, then I'll just have to give him his own tank and put somebody else with the Polypterus.
<Indeed.>
And can the puffer eat Asian clams or are their shells too hard?
<Puffers might not eat the clams outright, but they will attack the siphons, which would equally certainly assure the death of the clam. Besides, Asian clams -- Corbicula fluminea -- are extremely difficult to maintain in anything other than an aquarium set up to their specific needs. They AREN'T scavengers and the THEY WILL NOT survive just by taking "stuff" out of the water. They need feeding every day with some sort of filter feeder food of the type used for corals and the like. In 99.999999% of the cases where people buy these clams, they're dead in a few months. Sure, they die slowly, but die they do.>
Not that I drink too much or anything, but people who drink too much alcohol and want to cut back might find that the aquarium addiction is SOOOOOOO fun ... my beer goes flat because I'm talking to all my creatures.
<Indeed?>
Thank you for any advice you can offer. Take care --
Randi in Ohio
<Cheers, Neale.>

Sick Dwarf Puffer 11/23/07
Hi,
I recently bought a 1/2 inch dwarf puffer to kill off the bazillion snails that are taking over my guppy tank (5 adult guppies/10 gallons). I removed the guppies, heated the tank to 80 Fahrenheit, and made sure it was ammonia-free.
But rather than doing some snail extermination, the little guy has just been laying in the sand with his tail curled since I bought him two days ago. He jumps up a few inches whenever a snail tries crawling on him, but then he spirals back down.
I don't know what to do. I'm hoping you might help...otherwise, I'll have to exchange the poor little guy.
Thanks,
Jessica
<Hello Jessica. Pufferfish are basically hardy animals provided their twin needs for correct water chemistry and good water quality are met. So the things to check here are water chemistry and water quality. Dwarf Puffers -- Carinotetraodon travancoricus -- are freshwater puffers that appreciate pH 6.0-8.0 and moderate hardness. Water quality must be good: zero ammonia, zero nitrite, and nitrates less than 20 mg/l. Water changes need to be around 50% per week. Your water temperature is a bit too high: aim for 25C/77F. As water temperature goes up, oxygen content goes down, and pufferfish are intolerant of stagnant water. Pufferfish need a varied diet, not just snail. Bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia and even small amounts of plant material are required (in planted tanks they will take bits out of the leaves occasionally, but otherwise supply things like tinned peas). Now, talking of snails... pufferfishes aren't the solution here. Snails turn excess organic matter into more snails. It's a simple equation. If you put too much food into the tank, or take too little organic detritus out, the snails will eat that surplus and make more snails. If there isn't anything for the snails to eat, they obviously can't multiply themselves (contrary to popular misconception, snails don't magically break the laws of physics and make baby snails out of nothing!). So anyone who confesses to a plague of snails is actually saying they overfeed their fish and don't clean their fish tank out properly once a week. Denying this is akin to a fat person saying they don't eat that much. If they ate the right amount, they wouldn't be fat! Likewise, if you control the amount of food going into a tank and remove organic wastes from the tank regularly, the snails won't breed rapidly. In a balanced tank the snails can only eat algae, and that might allow them to survive, but not much more, so you end up with a steady, small population of them you can remove by hand if need be. Cheers, Neale.>

My fish... Mis-mixes... FW dis. issues 11/23/07
Hi WWM crew
I have 5 fish tanks at the moment all freshwater. I had 4 but I had to buy a new one because my big convict cichlid was picking on the littler one.
Was this a waste because I could have put my little convict in (1.5 inch) with my grey bichir but I decided since my grey bichir (4 inches) is my favorite.
could I still mix them and have an extra tank? or should I just leave them be.
Also on my goldfish I noticed a black spot on his fin is this bad or should I just ignore it? Thanks for all of your help.
<Ave! Mixing a female Convict cichlid with Polypterus senegalus could be possible, though it would depend on the temperament of the two fish. An aggressive Convict could harass the Bichir. Polypterus senegalus is a very mild-mannered species that does best in quiet aquaria. A couple of days ago I visited an aquarium store in London where the retailers had mixed Polypterus senegalus with a variety of Mbuna; the result was that most of the Polypterus senegalus had their pectoral fins nipped right down to the bone. Very nasty. So, in a biggish sort of tank (at least 30 gallons) with plenty of hiding places for both fish, I'd try it out and see what happens. A female Convict will probably be fine with the Bichir. As for the black spots on the Goldfish, these could well be Black Spot, a relatively uncommon disease that is caused by larval flukes. Normally the infection clears up by itself and causes no problems to the fish. So for now, just keep an eye on things. If you notice a large increase in the number of black spots, that would be more serious, and you should then treat with an anti-helminth of some sort. Jungle Labs 'Gold Care Parasite Care' is said to treat Black Spot Disease, and there may be others. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Sick Dwarf Puffer 11/24/07
Hi again,
<Greetings!>
Thanks for the advice, but water quality wasn't the problem. I vacuum out around 10% every week and use carbon and Zeolite in my filter. I'll replace 50% now, as you suggested. I double checked the water--nitrates/nitrites, ammonia, pH, hardness, and chlorine/chloramine content are all safe. Since you mentioned ammonia being a serious threat to dwarf puffers, I purchased a detector that hangs inside the tank. I lowered the temperature to 77, too.
<OK. Removing 10% per week is completely inadequate even for generic fish, let alone puffers. So I find it hard to imagine the nitrate levels were low. Carbon is useless in this sort of tank and so is Zeolite, so remove those and replace them with more biological media. To cut a long story short, carbon removes things water changes dilute anyway, and Zeolite removes ammonia which is being used up by the filter bacteria more efficiently. So neither does any good. Their main purpose is to remove money from the pockets of less experienced fishkeepers. Simple as that.>
I admit I was definitely overfeeding the guppies for a while to ensure that their fry got enough food near whatever rocks they were hiding under, and God only knows how much my mother gave them while I was away at school.
<Hmm... overfeeding is never good.>
So I decided to feed the growing snail population algae discs to make them nutritious enough for a dwarf puffer (and to get them to leave my plants alone).
<Won't work. Snails will either completely ignore plants (e.g., Malayan livebearing snails and Nerites) or view them as a salad bar no matter what you feed them (e.g., Apple snails, pond snails). Putting aside extra food for your snails is simply going to cause the snails to feed and breed more rapidly.>
It turns out that my puffer was killed by an unknowing pet store worker. A much more knowledgeable worker told me today that the symptoms I mentioned are from the puffer having puffed air, which is fatal, which he must have done while he was being caught and transferred to the bag.
<Nope. Pufferfish are perfectly able to gulp air and puff themselves up safely. They do this when captured by terrestrial predators like water birds. It certainly isn't fatal! What sometimes happens is they can't deflate themselves. This doesn't kill them directly, but means the fish can't stay underwater, and its gills dry out, and it suffocates. So unless the Pufferfish was floating upside down at the top of the tank with its belly out of the water, air wasn't the problem, and I have no idea where that store worker got that idea from. The "cure" when puffers do this, by the way, is to hold them head-upwards by the tail so the air can bubble out. This problem is exceedingly rare. Almost all, REPEAT, ALMOST ALL, pufferfish deaths in captivity are caused by improper water chemistry and/or water quality. They are otherwise extremely robust and easy to keep animals. So please, make sure you do large, regular water changes using a good dechlorinator and, in summer, if it gets too warm provide extra aeration to prevent the water becoming stagnant.>
I received an exchange puffer, and this little guy is having all sorts of fun chasing snails and a couple fry that I had missed when I moved the guppies. Thanks for suggesting other foods for him--I ordered bloodworms and blackworms online today.
<Very good. He will off course attack the Guppies, so not a good idea mixing them.>
Thanks again for your help!
Jess
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Sick Dwarf Puffer 11/24/07
Hello once again,
<Indeed, Hello again!>
Sorry, I actually clean 20%-- two gallons out of 10. Sometimes more, when I've got an empty cat litter container I can use. I don't do the math thing very well sometimes...

So carbon and Zeolite are useless?
<Not useless, but rather they have specific functions in freshwater aquaria. In the average tank, neither is essential and indeed wastes space in a filter that could be put to better use.>
A few sites said that Zeolite was okay if I cannot find Bio-Spira, which I can't.
<They don't do the same thing at all, so I have no idea what those sites were babbling about. Zeolite is an ammonia remover; nothing more, nothing less. You use it *instead of* biological filtration. Suppose you had an aquarium at pH 5.5 for acid-loving Apistogramma, you'd have to use Zeolite, because filter bacteria won't live at this acidity. Bio-Spira is a culture of filter bacteria used to jump-start a new aquarium's biological filter. You add it as per the instructions when setting up and (in theory at least) the tank will be near-instantly matured, read for adding fishes.>
I used to have some, but all the stores in the area have stopped selling it. Do you know of a good alternative or a site for information about it?
<This one, for a start. But regardless, once an aquarium has been running for more than 6 weeks, the filter bacteria will be more or less fully established. So Bio-Spira becomes completely redundant.>
The point of the extra food was to make the snails breed more. Once I had decided to get a puffer, I wanted to have lots of healthy prey for him, and a forum suggested using a few of my pleco's algae discs. I know the fish will kill guppies; that's why I moved most of them. I missed a few fry, but losing two out of 30 is not a big deal. Besides, they're good food for the puffer, I hear.
<They're not good food for the puffer at all. No captive pufferfish needs to eat live fish. Some people enjoy feeding live fish to their pet fish, and that's a different issue. But there are absolutely no advantages whatsoever to feeding live fish to vast majority (99.999%) of aquarium fish sold as pets. Quite the reverse in fact. In any case, the natural diet of your species of pufferfish, and indeed Carinotetraodon spp. generally, are insect larvae. If you look at their mouths, they are slightly upturned and are used for snapping up small insects they find around and among water plants.>
I know that larger puffers can puff air, but every site I've gone to says that dwarf puffers will nearly always die if they do.
<Some aquarium sites are great, some not so much. All I can tell you is that the writers at WWM know what they're talking about. Go look at a copy of this month's 'Tropical Fish Hobbyist' and you'll see an article by me all about freshwater pufferfish including your species and its maintenance. But let's suppose air somehow "killed" your puffer -- the symptoms would be obvious. The pufferfish would be floating upside-down with its air-inflated belly sticking outwards. Its gills would be unable to get below the waterline easily, and that's how they die, they suffocate. Unless your pufferfish did this, air wasn't the issue. End of story. Simply lifting a pufferfish out of a tank and putting it into a bag won't kill it. If the fish was swimming underwater when it arrived in your aquarium, then it hadn't inflated with air, and air wasn't the issue. So, was your fish floating upside-down or not?>
Another person on here had one with the same symptoms as mine, and the helper didn't know what was wrong. I was just hoping that maybe someone else would know...
<Not sure what your symptoms were. You may need to remind me. If we're talking about "the fish was kind of unhappy in my tank, it didn't eat anything, stayed at the bottom, and then died" that's almost certainly a water chemistry/water quality issue.>
Maybe it's nobody's fault and he was simply stressed from being shipped to the store, stuck in a tank full of other puffers, chased by a big net, not very carefully tossed into a bag, and driven for half an hour.
<Nope. That's not enough to kill this species at all. I've done far, far worse to pufferfish and they've settled down afterwards just fine. I just rescued a species about a month ago that was emaciated, had no tail-fin, and couldn't eat because its teeth were overgrown. It's fit as a fiddle now. Pufferfish are really and truly very robust animals. I'm not saying that things can't go wrong, but if you do this precisely by the numbers, there's no real difficulty keeping these fish, and they're certainly well worth keeping.>
Sorry for being a nuisance and thanks again for all your help,
Jess
<One last thing. Do check your Dwarf Puffer actually was a Dwarf Puffer. Sometimes brackish water species -- and even marine species -- get sold as freshwater fish. The name "Dwarf Puffer" really applies to Carinotetraodon travancoricus, but sometimes a variety of other puffers get sold under this name. Different species have different requirements. When I was at university, I picked up two "Dwarf Brown Pufferfish" from a freshwater aquarium store. Imagine my surprise when I discovered these were juvenile marine pufferfish (Arothron hispidus) that grew to more than 40 cm in length! This is why experienced hobbyists sooner or later abandon common names and stick with Latin names -- it's simply so much easier! I hope this helps, Neale.>

Dwarf Puffers, gen. 10/11/07
Hello All,
<Hi Eric, Pufferpunk here>
I have a question in regard to Dwarf Indian puffers (C. travancoricus). For the background, I have, I'd say, an "intermediate" level of experience with fish keeping.
I started out about a year ago, with fresh water fish in a 10gal (and no WWM, unfortunately). I was taught the basics by my roommate, who has had freshwater fish for years.
Then, about 6 months ago I discovered saltwater fish and had a 20gal high and a 55gal marine tank. I currently have the 55 gal tank running and with much help from WWM and MUCH, MUCH reading and emailing (a few times) questions, I believe I am on the right track there. Thanks for all the help!
<Glad to heat that. Successful fishkeeping is very rewarding & a joy!>
My question for today is in regard to my 20gal high tank. After it was thoroughly cleaned and re-setup, I am ready for some freshwater fish.
Here is the setup:
20 gal high
-Aquaclear Mini Hang On Filter
-Maxijet 400 powerhead
-Heater
-Standard fluorescent lighting

I would like to add some Dwarf Indian puffers, as I'm a huge fan of puffers in general and these I believe, are the only strictly freshwater pufferfish that are both available at local retailers and are actually OK LONG TERM for such a small volume tank.
<Actually, there are many freshwater puffers that would do fine in your 20g. See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/fwbracpuffers.htm
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Freshwater/ >
If I do choose to add the Dwarf's, how many could I have? I have read the "1 per 3 gallon rule"... so that would be six total and hopefully 1 male and 4-5 females, correct? Or is that pushing it?
It is better to keep 1/5g but if you have the tank heavily decorated (DPs love live plants & spawn readily in them), breaking up lines of sight, 1/3g (actual water volume) is fine. Your plan for a harem is good!>
Also, as I know is true with Cichlids, it's best to overcrowd because the larger will pick on the smaller fish and if there are higher numbers it lessens and distributes aggression between a higher number of fish. Is the same true with the Dwarf puffers?
<No, puffers are territorial & need their space.>
If yes and I need to add 5 or 6 fish, how do I acclimate them? Should I add them all at once?
<That is usually best.>
If so, I doubt the tank will be sufficiently cycled, correct? (I could use Bio-Spira but will that be enough??)
<Sure will! Add the Bio-Spira directly to your filter, right before you add the puffers.>
However, I'm also aware of the downsides of adding one or two at a time. I guess my real question is, what is the lesser of two evils?
<If you can really be sure of the sexes, you should add them all at once.
Sexing Dwarf puffers:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/sexing-Carinotetraodon-travancoricus-the-dwarf-puffer/ Just be prepared for the ones that don't play well with others & have an alternate plan for them. Maybe ask the LFS about the chance of exchanging them if they all don't get along or their sex isn't what you thought, when they mature.>
I have read a lot about puffers on WWM and have gone to the dwarf puffer website that Pufferpunk recommends but I have yet to find an answer to this. If you have any other suggestions for this, I would really appreciate it!
<Well, here you just came right to the source!>
Also, I've read conflicting information on this but is sand OK for freshwater tanks, as long as it's less than 1 inch? I'd much prefer that.
<A shallow sandbed is fine. I have been reading a lot of complaints lately about folks not being able it keep it clean though. Otocinclus make good dwarf puffer tank mates & may help with some of their maid service.>
Thanks a lot for all the help! Eric
<You're very welcome! ~PP>

Re: Dwarf Puffers, puffer sel. period 10/13/07
Hello Pufferpunk,
<Hi again, Eric>
Thank you very much for the help in regard to the puffers! I actually went to one (national named) LFS and saw about 5 dwarves but they were awful looking. It was a sad sight. Needless to say, I did not buy them. I can't encourage that type of care.
<Congratulations for not "rescuing" those fish! I can't stress enough to folks that think they're doing the fish a favor by rescuing them, DON'T DO IT! The shop will see them as a good seller & just order more of them to be mistreated/killed, while removing them from the wild--depleting the natural population of the species.>
As for the other puffers, I have read the articles/areas you suggested. I thought that the Green Spot. and the Figure Eight were brackish, no?
<Correct. F8s are best kept at a SG of 1.005. GSPs prefer marine conditions as adults & are brought from low-end BW on up, throughout their growing years. I know that 1st link is confusing, as they have the BW & FW on the same page.>
I really like the Tetraodon pustulatus but there's not too much info on them on the web. (Google search on WWM produced no results under the scientific name).
<That IS their scientific name. Beautiful fish!>
I have never seen them in any store around here either.
Are these quite rare?
<Good luck ever finding one & they are quite expensive. Maybe you could try & follow this thread: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9955&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=pustulatus
They also get large--the same as a fahaka puffer, about 18".>
And just for some further clarification, are you suggesting that instead of my powerhead, I should instead have 2 Aquaclear HOB filters?
<The AC mini will not be large enough to handle the messy habits of a puffer in a 20g. I suggested 1 larger filter.>
Again, thanks a lot for your help!
<Good luck on your search! Check the Pufferpedia at the link I gave you for other FW puffer ideas. ~PP>
Eric

Goldfish and Dwarf Puffer Update 8/10/07
I am sorry for forwarding this, I didn't intend for these to go on the FAQs unless you want to share but I do want to make sure you get them. I am going to do a read receipt this time to make sure it gets there. Enjoy the pictures. :)
<Thanks Bob!>
Dear Crew,
<Shellie >
It has been some time since I have mailed you due to an absence of any problems. However, with all the problem posts you have, I thought it might be nice to get one telling you everything is fine. I have enclosed a picture of the tank so you can see how much they have grown!
I didn't leave out Pufferpunk, there is one of Lightning as well. As you can see, he has a permanent scowl.
<Those wrinkles at the beginning of his eyes means he is a male.>
He never did get another friend and seems quite happy to have the whole 10 gallon to himself.
You could add 2 females for him.
Here is how they are sexed:
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/sexing-carinotetraodon-travancoricus-the-dwarf-puffer/>
I even catch him fighting with his own reflection.
<At least he keeps himself occupied!>
I apologize for the algae in the picture, I need to replace the plant bulb now that I no longer have the plants.
I was thrilled to see a picture of my Sara as the heading on one of your Goldfish Disease pages.
<She's a star! (For all the wrong reasons...)>
One last thing, Sara did finally develop pop-eye, bad Fisher kept burying him in the gravel. He is doing wonderful for now, that was some months ago. For a long time we thought his one eye would be permanently flat. As you can see, the telescoping effect finally came back.
<Resilient fish. Huge weekly water changes are recommended for the messy goldfish. Serious GF keepers do 90% weekly.>
I thought others that have had a problem with this might like to know that sometimes the eye does return to normal. Enjoy the fish! Shellie
<Thanks for the pics! :o} ~PP>

Is it OK to feed dwarf frog tadpoles to my dwarf puffer? 7/15/07
Hi, it's me -- Betty --
<Hi Betty, it's me--Pufferpunk.>
owner of dwarf frogs Slim and Chance, and also the owner of a dwarf puffer named Puff-Diddy.

Well, my dwarf frogs have finally mated successfully and now I'm the proud owner of lots and lots of teeny, tiny tadpoles. I don't really want any more dwarf frogs (although I do love Slim and Chance). I'm aware that they'll eat their babies if they're in the same tank, so I'm cool with that. I was wondering if I could feed some tadpoles to the dwarf puffer? Will he eat tiny tadpoles and will they be OK for him to eat? Also, could I try feeding tadpoles to Flash, my male Betta?
<I don't think they would hurt but I also don't believe that would be a natural food for a puffer. I suppose they might come across tadpoles in nature. Try it & find out. Just be sure to remove any uneaten parts. ~PP><<RMF would raise the ADFs, sell them for big bongo bucks, buy frozen foods to feed the GSPs with the profits...>>
Betty Williams

Re: Is it OK to feed dwarf frog tadpoles to my dwarf puffer? & Breeding Frogs 7/17/07
OK, here's a follow-up: Today I noticed the tadpoles were dead or dying, so I went ahead and gave some to my dwarf puffer, and he scarfed them down like potato chips! It was neat to watch. However, I did hope that some of the tads would survive to adulthood. I have a friend who would like a pair of frogs like mine. So I'd like to know when Slim and Chance are likely to mate again? If well conditioned and the water stays clean you have a pretty good chance of them going again.>
How many times a year do dwarf frogs typically mate?
< Depends on the pair and on the conditions. I am not sure but I think they can breed at least twice a year but the pair must be well feed.>
I also realize I wasn't exactly prepared to raise tadpoles; I didn't have them in a heated tank, and I never could find a place that sold LiquiFry. I just crushed some Fish and Tadpole Bites and scattered them in the bowl they were in. So I'd like to be better prepared next time the blessed event occurs. Any recommendations?
< Try Spirulina powder sold in health food stores. It is a powdered form of algae. Or try crushed Spirulina flake food from OSI.-Chuck>

Ich-look-alike? Skin parasite on Dwarf Puffer – 06/17/07
Hi Crew,
I really need your help with my male dwarf puffer. First, the vitals:
two dwarf puffers, heavily planted six gallon tank, one Amano shrimp tankmate. Water tests with a consistent 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, 5 Nitrates (which is how it comes out of the tap in these parts). Weekly 30% water changes, and their diet is 80% Grindal worms that I raise on a high-quality dog biscuit and 20% snails from my large planted tank.
About six weeks ago, he began developing a handful of white specks that looked to me like a classic case of ich.
<These are almost certainly Cercariae...>
I thought it fairly strange, since I've had him & his female tankmate seven months with no additions to the tank. But I began a heat/salt treatment right away, bringing the temp to 82 with the addition of 1/2 tsp of salt per gallon of water.
After two weeks's time and no change whatsoever in the appearance of the spots, I began thinking I was mistaken. Perhaps these were just skin flaws of some kind?
<Mmm, no. Please read the second, third ref. here: http://www.google.com/search?q=cercariae+on+puffers&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7PCTA>
I have treated many cases of ich over the years successfully with heat & salt, and have always seen that familiar dropping off of the cysts after a few days of treatment. So I brought the heat back down and waited. A few more weeks went by with no change, and then in the course of a week the spots began to increase. I tried again, this time with the temp at 84 for two weeks. No change. Heat back down to normal. Spots are now increasing slowly but steadily. The poor boy is at least eating and remains active, but I am seeing occasional flashing so I know this is bothering him. Whatever it is, it's spreading, and I am stumped. The female is totally unaffected by the way.
Any ideas? Is this some kind of ich-look-alike skin parasite? There are no visible worms, no red spots, no clues of any kind. I am in terror of using anything stronger than salt on such a sensitive fish as a DP, but the heat and salt are obviously doing nothing.
I've attached a couple really poor photos which will likely be too blurry for a diagnosis of any kind but will at least give you a sense of scale and placement.
Thanks in advance for your help.
<Will need to use an anthelminthic... My choice? Prazi/quantel... particulars are posted on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Ich-look-alike? Skin parasite on Dwarf Puffer – 6/19/07
> >> I really need your help with my male dwarf puffer...
> >> About six weeks ago, he began developing a handful of white specks that looked to me like a classic case of ich.
> > <These are almost certainly cercariae...>
> >>Thanks in advance for your help.
> ><Will need to use an anthelminthic... My choice? Prazi/quantel... particulars are posted on WWM. Bob Fenner
Bob, picked up PraziPro on Sunday and began treatment (bath, following label instructions). Two full days now and no change at all in the cysts. If anything he seems to be getting weaker. Recommendations? Is there anything else it could be?
<Yes... and I absolutely hate this guessing... Do you have a microscope? A way to send along pix from such? BobF>

Re: Ich-look-alike? Skin parasite on Dwarf Puffer 6/20/07
>> >> I really need your help with my male dwarf puffer...
>> >> About six weeks ago, he began developing a handful of white specks that
>> >> looked to me like a classic case of ich.
>> > <These are almost certainly cercariae...>
>> >>Thanks in advance for your help.
>> ><Will need to use an anthelminthic... My choice? Prazi/quantel...
>> particulars are posted on WWM. Bob Fenner
>Bob, picked up PraziPro on Sunday and began treatment (bath, following label instructions). Two full days now and
>no change at all in the cysts. If anything he seems to be getting weaker.
Recommendations? Is there anything else it could be?
><Yes... and I absolutely hate this guessing... Do you have a microscope? A way to send along pix from such? BobF>
No, not anymore. Years ago I could've gotten you a lovely scanning electron micrograph.
<Look into the cheapy but great QX-3 to -5 units... on the Net>
What to do? Malachite dip?
<No... perhaps a regimen/one-shot treatment with Flagyl/Metronidazole... but this is only speculation... starting from the more likely to be efficacious to the outright guessing... B>
Thanks again.

Floating Puffer (Carinotetraodon travancoricus) 5/16/07
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I found my pea puffer in an odd position, floating vertically with her nose at the surface of the waterline. I've never seen this before and she stayed like that for several hours yesterday.
<Is it possible she swallowed some air at the surface?
See: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/ >
I didn't see her eat any bloodworms or little snails that we added to entice eating and her belly doesn't have the roundness that it usually does. Today, she is only in the surface position intermittently and does swim around and contemplate for a few minutes before returning to that odd position.
<It is possible she could have internal parasites.>
We added 3 small mollies to help with clean-up
<Mollies prefer brackish water.>
and completed a water/filter change as we always have over the past 2 years but no other change was made. Do you have any ideas about what may be wrong and how we can fix it? It is so disconcerting to watch our puffer in this one position for so long, with very little interaction or curiosity. Thank you for any advice to help
our Puffy feel better.
<If it is indeed internal parasites (Maybe brought in by the mollies) & the puffer is not eating, you can try treating with Flubenol 15: http://www.flubenol.co.uk/
You can also try enhancing appetite by soaking it's food in garlic. If after eating again, it's still skinny, you can soak it's food in Levamisol: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7
I hope your puffer is feeling better soon! ~PP>
Puff-n-Diablo

How Many Dwarf Puffers? 5/5/07
Hi there
Its me again.
<Hi Lesley, Pufferpunk here.>
You've been so helpful in the past, I thought I'd ask you about my latest passion.
<Of course!>
I have a small 30 litre tank, heavily planted with some small rocks, which has been home to a Siamese fighter for the last year. He died last week, (of old age) and I went to the LFS to get another and I saw and fell in love with the dwarf or Malabar pufferfish. Having read all the articles I could find on your site, I have a question: Could I keep 2 females and a male in this little tank. No other fish, just these three. Would they be happy bunnies? Or would they kill each other?
<since the rule of thumb is 1 dwarf puffer for every 3-5 gallons, 3 would be 1 too many. I'd go with 2 females.>
Secondly, I haven't looked at the ones closely in the shop, but is it possible to sex them when they are 1/4 inch long?? I understand the boys have a brown strip on the belly and the females don't?
> a soon to be published article written by one of the moderators at www.thepufferforum.com:
"Male Dwarf Puffers are generally the easier gender to identify. They have several distinct features that females do not. One of the first characteristic features to appear on a maturing male Dwarf Puffer is yellow body coloring, especially on the belly and tail. Males also have “wrinkles” around their eyes, markings that almost look like iridescent cracks in the skin surrounding the eye socket. A dark belly stripe, running from just under the chin to the anus, is another easily visible male characteristic. The male body color is often darker shades of green on the top part of the body, and the spotted markings will tend to blend into lines resembling blotchy stripes running laterally down the sides and into the tail of the puffer as it matures, instead of the random, isolated spots of a juvenile. Males will often “display” to the females and other males, raising dorsal (topline) and ventral (belly line) crests and darkening their body colors to an olive green.
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. The body spots are generally isolated round or irregular, in no distinct pattern. The lower body is generally white or light colored, with no belly line running down the center. Females are often less shy and more active than males, spending most of their time on the search for anything edible."
HTH, PP>
Many thanks. Love this site!
Lesley

Combining Puffer Species 3/18/07
Hello,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have 2 dwarf puffer fish and 2 green puffer fish.
<By "green puffer fish" I assume you are speaking of the green spotted puffer, Tetraodon nigroviridis?>
Can you suggest a fish that would be compatible with these fish, that would help keep the algae down in my tank?
<You are keeping 2 completely incompatible puffers together. The tiny dwarf puffer is strictly a freshwater fish. The "green" puffer will grow quite large (6"), become very aggressive to the point of murdering those cute little dwarves & require high-end brackish conditions. I'd rethink your fish so far, before adding anything else.
See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm
Also check www.thepufferforum.com for more information on puffers.
As far as your question, puffers are very aggressive fish. Even the dwarf puffers have been known to take "rides" on fish 10x their size. They have however, been tolerant of Otocinclus catfish in their tank for algae duty. The GSPs will have to be housed separately from your dwarf puffers. There really aren't any cleaners that will survive the high-end BW conditions they require or the wrath of puffer teeth. ~PP>
Thank you

Dwarf Puffer Tankmate? 2/20/07
Hi Crew,
<Hi, Pufferpunk again, Betty>
It's Betty (the beginner who can't leave well enough alone).
<LOL, you're preaching to the choir--I have 9 tanks!>
Pufferpunk may remember me from the "Can dwarf frogs get ich" question.
<Sure do>
Since then I've acquired a dwarf puffer that's cute as a bug's ear (and not much bigger). Puff has his own 5-gallon aquarium (see attached photo), Flash, my betta, has his own 5-gallon aquarium and my dwarf frogs, Slim and Chance, (who are thriving despite their ill-fated names), also have a 5-gallon aquarium. My question concerns my serpae tetra, Jet. He's in a 2 1/2 gallon aquarium which sits next to Flash's tank (see attached photo). When I purchased Jet, I failed to notice that he's a "schooling fish." (Actually, I purchased two tetras, but one of them was bullying Jet, so I returned him.) Then Jet contracted ich and I really didn't expect him to make it, but I treated him and he recovered. I've made him as comfortable as I can in his small tank. Although he was extremely shy at first, he's gradually coming out of his shell. I really don't have room for another 5-gallon, so I was wondering if Jet might share a home with (a) Flash, the betta, who appears to be flirting with Jet and who builds his bubble nest on Jet's side of the aquarium; (b) Puff, the dwarf puffer; (c) Slim and Chance, who are rapidly nearing adult size; or (d) none of the above. Everyone is so healthy and pretty; I'd hate for anyone's fins to get nipped off. I suppose I could return Jet to the pet store; he's my least favorite but I've sort of grown attached to him. What do you advise?
<A school of fish includes 5-6 of the same species. Puff will tear him up. No room for him in the other tanks. I'd return him & hope he's purchased with some of the same tetras, to live out his life in a nice, comfortable school.
For more info on your puffer: www.thepufferforum.com ~PP>
Betty Williams

Puffer Fish... fresh and brackish tog.? No, comp. 2/18/07
Hello,
<Hi Sue. Marco here>
I have 2 dwarf puffer fish and 2 green puffer fish.
<Nice. I hope they are not in the same tank. With regard to the green puffers please read http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/green_spotted_puppies.htm>
What type of fish would you suggest would be compatible with these types of fish for algae control?
<Both species are unpredictable and may attack algae eaters even after some months of success. Some have their dwarf puffers with Otocinclus or Amano shrimp, but it cannot be guaranteed that yours will tolerate them. For algae control keep the water quality pristine with weekly water changes and give them some competition with fast growing plants. Have a look at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwalgcontrol.htm and the related FAQs.
Thank you, Sue
<Welcome>

FW Dwarf Puffers in a BW Tank 2/11/07
Hi guys! I love your site, thank you so much for having the awesome info!
<Thanks Michelle, Pufferpunk here tonight.>
Ok, let me first say that yes, I did read all the articles & FAQ's I could before dropping you this e-m. Perhaps I missed something?
<We try but not every detail of fishkeeping is in there.>
Anyway, I have had a brackish tank (39 gal) for about 2 months now. I have one F8 puffer, 3 Dwarf puffers and 3 Bumble Bee Gobies.
<Dwarf puffers are not BW fish.>
My tank has 8 plants in it, a crush coral/gravel substrate, two small clay pots (cleaned thoroughly before placement), the bottom of one of pots is balanced between the two creating a cave as well, and finally, a large hollowed out conch shell.
<Sounds OK so far.>
My numbers are as follows: salinity: .005,
<You mean specific gravity of 1.005?>
ammonia :0, Nitrates: 20 -40,
<Nitrates should be below 20.>
Nitrites: 0, PH: 7.6,
<pH is best kept at around 8. How much crushed coral is in there? It should keep the pH higher than that.>
Hardness: 50 & Alkalinity: 120. I do 15 -25% water changes every week. I feed them krill or krill w/Spirulina twice a day (a half a frozen block, also feed on a schedule) and fresh snails 3-4 times a week. Water temp is 82-84.
<A bit on the high side. Aim a bit lower, 78-80.
For feeding ideas: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/ >
I have an Emperor 280 (LFS said it should take care of bio-load). And I just replaced my tank light bulb with a full spectrum florescent. Alrighty, with all that said... My dwarves are not nearly as colorful as the pictures I've seen on your site and others, though they act "normally", I think they are still juveniles. Any idea's?

Second, my F8 is very, very, shy and won't let me look at him unless we are feeding, even then he runs. He spends most of his time swimming up and down the corner of the tank where the heater is.
<He may be frightened by the much more aggressive dwarf puffers. Depending on how long you've had him, he may also still be adjusting to his surroundings. See if he acts differently, when you remove the dwarves.>
And his mouth appears in the last three weeks to have turned dark. His color is also faded. Now, I have read up on this as much as I could. I read that the "black chin" could be from too high Nitrites, so I got the test kit, did water changes, etc.. and got them to 0. My LFS said perhaps the salinity is too low, so I brought it up from .004 to .005.
<1.005 is perfect.>
 He seems to eat normally but I am worried. I don't understand why he just swims up and down the corner. The shyness I guess could just be his personality.. :( The plants vary in height from smallish Java ferns to a tall Anubis, I have the caves "covered" by Sagittarius grass so he doesn't feel like he's out in the open. Oh he's about 2 inches, so I think he's a juvenile too.
<Not really--generally grow to 3".>
Do you have any idea's?? I am worried and want to do what's best for my fish. I really like them a lot and hope to have a fish w/live rock some day soon but if I can't take care of these guys properly, I don't want to risk it.
<Good of you to start "small" & work your way up to SW. More info on your F8 puffer: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library/puffers-in-focus/f8/
Check out the forum within that website also. ~PP>
Thank you for your help and sorry for the long windedness but I want you to know everything.
Michelle A.

Feeding Juvie Dwarf Puffers 1/29/07
Hi, all!
<Hi Candice, Pufferpunk here>
I've had DP in the past but they were much larger than the two that I just bought. (I sort of saved them from the LFS who when asked if they had any and said no and then when I found them didn't know what they were).
<Common>
Anyway, they are about a quarter of an inch long.
<Awwww!>
So I'm thinking they're relatively young. I got some bloodworms to feed them but they don't seem to eat them as well as adult DP do. They just kinda "chew" them and then spit them out.
<Many puffers eat this way. They're still getting something from that.>
I assume this is normal for such young puffers and I've had them about two weeks and they seem fine. My questions is: Do you have any suggestions on feeding them something else? Any info would be great. Thanks, by the way, in advance.
<You could try freeze-dried plankton. You may have to crush it up a bit to fit their tiny mouths but don't forget, they have teeth too. You could try thawed, frozen glassworms, if anyone sells them anymore. Check out www.thepufferforum.com, for more info. ~PP>
Candice

Puffer Care & Feeding 11/9/06
Hi,
<Hi Christina, Pufferpunk here>
I have a green/gold puffer that is about 3/4 of an inch long.
<By your description, I am thinking it might be the green spotted puffer but it might also be a dwarf puffer. You can look here for proper ID: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/?sid=2e4443f5da7cc80865ecbedfc44ba28e >
It lives in a 29 gallon tank with 3 rasboras, 3 German rams, 1 loach, and 1 dwarf Indian Botia. The tank is quite heavily planted and the puffer seems to spend most of its time amongst the plants.
<Typical behaviour of a dwarf puffer.>
I never see him eat anything, he never comes up to the surface and I worry that the other fish are eating all the food before the puffer can get any. I never see the other fish pick on him or vice-versa. I feed them all flakes, freeze dried brine shrimp and frozen food. I've had the puffer for a little over a week. Do you think he is getting enough food? Is there something else I should feed him?
<Puffers do not eat like regular tropical fish. Here's an article on feeding puffers: http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/puffer/food.html
Feel free to poke around at that forum too! Either way, whether it's a freshwater dwarf or the brackish green spotted, puffers do not belong in a community tank & will eventually nip/bite/maim/kill your other fish ~PP>
Thanks, Christina

Dwarf Puffers, Not Eating 10/29/06
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I recently bought 3 dwarf puffers and they are tiny, I mean pebble size and the problem is they won't eat anything. They chase the frozen brine shrimp and the flakes but won't eat them. Tomorrow I'm gonna go catch some snails but what should I do? I don't want them to die and also when I treat them to brine shrimp how much should I give?
<Was the tank cycled before you added the puffers? Fish (puffers especially) introduced into an uncycled tank, live in their own waste. I know that wouldn't make ME very hungry! Otherwise, you could try live blackworms, rinsed well. I don't know of any healthy fish that would turn those down. You could also try soaking food in garlic juice to increase appetite. In addition to snails (tiny ones--as large as their eye), you could try freeze-dried plankton. Brine shrimp isn't very nutritious (mostly water) but can be fed as an occasional treat. Feed till their bellies are slightly rounded. ~PP>

Deceased Dwarf Puffer-Hoping You Can Help Me Understand 8/24/06
Dear Crew,
<Hi Shellie, Pufferpunk here>
I was hoping I would never have to write you one of these letters but the time has come. I purchased two dwarf puffers for my son's 10-gallon tank. Since the goldfish were in it, I have kept it cycled in order to avoid a wait time for new inhabitants. One puffer seemed full grown while the other is rather tiny. My water numbers were all within the correct ranges (sorry I cannot be more specific for you)
<Always helpful to post exact numbers in a letter like this.>
and there are tons of plants for them to hide among, preventing aggressions. They were bought three days ago and the bigger one crossed to the rainbow fish tank after less than two days.
<Sorry to hear that! :o{ >
I have looked all over the web for what might have ailed it and cannot seem to find what might have happened. It will not bring my poor baby back but it might help me understand. I have had a lot o reassurance that he or she was sick when I got them for the fish to have died that quickly but I will always wonder if there was something I did wrong. The larger Puffer, DJ, seemed to have two seizures early Monday afternoon. Since there are so many plants I assumed he was having trouble getting out of the spot he was in. Until later that day there were no other signs of the problems to come. That evening I noticed that his body was very stiff when he swam and his tail stayed curled. For a while he could stay afloat regardless and I still had hope. I lost the hope about the time he would head for the surface with his curled tail and then fall back down in a swirling motion due to the curl. I watched, horrified, as the poor thing laid there in the sand breathing but unable to go anywhere. Every time he tried, the same thing happened. I prayed to whatever fish God there is and was up until two A.M. reading your site and the Dwarf Puffer forum to no avail. In the morning he was gone. Despite that being yesterday and only having him for two days, I am still very upset. As you know from my care of the goldfish and their tank, I am extremely conscientious with my tank cleaning. The little one continues to thrive but I am anxious every morning and constantly scan the tank for the tiny fish.
<A couple things come to mind. The 1st being, if you didn't completely clean out your tank after raising GF in it, there could have been some pathogens that the GF might have been carrying. GF are very dirty fish & can carry a lot of diseases that tropical fish can't handle. My other thought is that your puffer could have had internal parasites & come to you sick.>
On another note, I have managed to get a Puffer to eat something besides live or frozen and maybe this tip will help others. He has Omega One pellets (protein), freeze-dried brine shrimp and freeze-dried bloodworms. I put a little of each in a baggie and smash it to nearly powder with a meat tenderizer. Amazingly he does eat this since it is so tiny the current swirls it like live food. I do intend to get him snails and some black worms but I wanted to let people know it is possible to get them to eat other things.
<Yes, in rare cases puffers will even eat flakes! Some of mine ate algae wafers too. A varied diet is best for them.>
I apologize that I cannot seem to send you a short post. Hopefully this is not too long and the point was not lost in the length. I hope you can help me and DJ, although he is beyond help.
<No problem, I'm glad to hear your whole story & I hope you have more luck with your lil puffer (& your new one). Check out www.thepufferforum.com, for more puffer info. ~PP>
Thank you again, Shellie

Re: Grieving the Loss of a Puffer... 8/27/06
Dear Pufferpunk,
Thank you so much for your reply. I was very careful about cleaning the tank since it was for goldfish and actually had to go through quite a process to get it ready for the Puffers. I know actual numbers are best on test kits but I still have those darn strips until the first of the month. I apologize for that. I am still sad about the lost Puffer but Lightning is helping. He is definitely a delight and always curious to see what we are up to. It's hard to find him in a 10-gallon tank yet often he finds me before I find
him. For now he's a lone Puff and he seems happy that way. I did purchase his black worms and frozen bloodworms yesterday with the result being a tiny pot belly. I will quit worrying about what I did wrong in the case of the bigger one and simply enjoy the little squirt. I am finally content I did everything I could and just had the bad luck to purchase a sick fish.
<I'm sure you did your best. You still have room for 2 more... Just try to be sure you keep the 1m-2f ratio. ~PP>
Thank you, Shellie

Keeping a Puffer in an Uncycled 1G Bowl 8/16/06 Researching Puffers
<Hi Steve, Pufferpunk here>
I have a puffer that has been pretty cool. I did have to separate him from the rest of the fish due to his nipping.
<No surprise there. Did you do any research on this fish before buying it?>
I put him into a small tank (1 Gal) and he was fine until lately he started to discolor. I am not sure if the tank had not cycled yet or maybe he has become sick.
<Nothing belongs living in a 1g bowl. You cannot cycle a tank with a puffer! It will be poisoned by it's own waste. In addition, even a small juvenile puffer (1") needs at LEAST a 10g tank & a 30g tank when a 6" adult.>
He has now begun to look fuzzy and his color continues to darken. What will happen to him from being in a 1 gallon tank?
<He will probably be dead within 24 hours.>
Can he be brought back to health??
<You could buy him a larger tank TODAY (10g minimum but expect to upgrade to a 30g when he gets over 2"). You will need to add Bio-Spira to cycle the tank. If you can't get a hold of that product, you could add into the new filter some of the filter media from your established tank to help the tank along w/a cycle. Do 50% water changes on the tank DAILY (use a water conditioner, like Prime), while testing for ammonia, nitrites & nitrates, to see how the cycle is doing (ammonia & nitrites need to be at 0 at all times [highly toxic!], nitrates <20). Here is an article on them: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm> You can also go to www.thepufferforum.com & post there about your puffer. I really hope you can save him! ~PP>
Thank You, Steve West

Re: Green Puffer. Researching Puffers at Wal-Mart??? 8/16/06
This Puffer is a Dwarf Puffer but no, I had no prior knowledge on how to care for a puffer nor did I have time to research him.
<What do you mean "no time"? If you see a fish at a store you know nothing about, you go home, get on the computer & find out about it. Then you may or may not go back to buy it. It's hard for me to believe that they are selling dwarf puffers at Wal-Mart. They are known to be selling tons of GSPs lately though. I've gotten literally hundreds of letters just like yours...>
I have had several years experience with the standard types of fish with good success. This is a very new type of fish to me and he is really cool. I was only informed by the attendant at Wal-Mart that he may be ok to put with others.
<And you believed him?>
I really want to keep him and care for him so I will take you advice and try to help him.
<Check out the Gallery at the forum I linked you to, for proper ID. ~PP>

Losing Battle with Dwarf Puffers 7/27/06
Crew,
<Hi Roy, Pufferpunk here>
I need some help! Although I have been in the hobby since Axelrod was Innes and have kept all manner of both fresh and marine tanks (I currently have 2 thriving Nano-reefs), I am at a loss as to what is killing my Dwarf Puffers.
The tank is a 20 long, lots of silk plants and caves and hideaways.
Cycled with the addition of Bio-Spira and with the occasional thawed mysis shrimp for about 25 days. The tank parameters after cycling are:
 pH is 7.2
 Temp 80
 Ammonia 0
 Nitrite 0
 Nitrate 5
 They were the same this morning:
 pH is 7.2
 Temp 80
 Ammonia 0
 Nitrite 0
 Nitrate 5
I measured after another DP turned up dead!
About one month ago I placed 5 Dwarf Puffers (and a Dwarf Albino Cory) in the completely cycled tank. I did not quarantine because the tank was new and all occupants were together in the LFS. I have been feeding them a combination of live enriched brine shrimp,
live black worms and freeze dried bloodworms once a day. I have been loosing one a week; only one remains. The Cory seems fine! The only thing I can think of (short of them being ill when purchased) is that I overfed them.
<Hmmm... tough one! I would think if you were overfeeding, there would be much higher nitrates. Either your tests are off (try testing again at your LFS), your puffers were from sickly stock, they had internal parasites or you had all males. Check: www.dwarfpuffers.com & www.thepufferforum.com, for more info.>
Any insight would be appreciated.
<Sure sounds as if you're doing all the right things with your puffers. Sorry for your loss! ~PP>
Roy

Re: Dwarf Puffers Passing Away. "Leopard" Puffers (Tetraodon nigroviridis) 8/1/06
Pufferpunk (& crew),
Thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately I lost the last dwarf.
<Sorry to hear that. Sounds like a bad batch--maybe with internal parasites.>
I tested the water again with a new set of Seachem test and my Hagen kit, both confirmed 0 Ammonia, 0 nitrite and (now) 10 Nitrate. The Cory is still fine and not exhibiting any problems. I moved him out to my 10 gal Betta tank for a bit.
I want to try my hand with a Leopard Puffers. I have seen mixed information as to whether the are Freshwater or Brackish.
<These are BW fish that prefer marine conditions as adults.>
Even some sites I have looked at recommend some aquarium salt but adding aquarium salt to freshwater doesn't make brackish water! I would need to use marine salt... Correct?
<Yup>
My 20 long would not be a long term solution, I would be moving them to larger quarters.
<30g minimum, per adult fish. Mine would have been happy in a 55g by himself. I wouldn't keep more than 2 juvies in a 20g past 2".>
I am also getting mixed messages about keeping them in groups. I would try one or three (wouldn't attempt two)... what do your think?
<Only if introduced as juveniles. I kept 2 together without any problems. With puffers, you never know when they may turn on each other. See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/gspsart.htm & www.thepufferforum.com ~PP>
Thanks, Roy

I've got a dwarf puffer that I've had in a guppy tank for some time now. 7/13/06
<<Why in a guppy tank? Guppies eat so quickly compared to DP’s, and DP’s are notoriously vicious for their size.>>
Yesterday, I walked past the tank, and I noticed that the dwarf puffer had a fry coming out of its body. I quickly did a bit of research, and I found that dwarf puffers lay eggs, not birth live. Yet there are about 3 or 4 babies swimming around the tank, each with barely-there puffer spots.
<<??? DP’s certainly do lay eggs. That’s quite confusing indeed!>>
My question: How is this possible? Could it be that it's not a dwarf puffer, but a different type?
<<No.>>
I've owned many dwarf puffers over the past few years, and they always look the same as the one I had. Is it possible that maybe a guppy gave birth to fry, and this puffer ate a baby whole, and it didn't break down in the puffer's body and he passed it as it was when he ate it?
<<I’m not sure. I do know that live artemia have been expelled out of some fishes’ digestive tracts, but I’ve never heard of this happening with DP’s. What exactly does the fry look like?>>
I've never seen anything like this, nor have I heard of anything like this happening, but none of my guppies have even looked pregnant, much less given birth before.
Help!
<>

Link regarding Dwarf puffer fry 7/6/06
Dear Mr. Fenner,
 <Susan>
 Hello!
 I came across some French content on puffer fry which I translated into english via Google. The article is VERY informative and the photos of the eggs and fry are very nice. So I thought I'd share them with you perhaps you can add them to your WetWebMedia puffer pages. Recently my puffer laid eggs. Your pages have been very useful to me always.
 http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Faquariums-bonsai.ifrance.com%2Ftetraodons.htm&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
 Thank You,
 Susan
<Thank you for this. Will post/share in turn. Bob Fenner>

"Pea" Puffer ... health, sys. - 06/30/06
Dear XXXX,
<It's Pufferpunk here.>
About a month ago I bought 2 pea puffers and they have been doing pretty good. But it seems like there starting to lose some of the color on there spots any tips.
<what size tank are they in? How well is it decorated? What are you feeding them? Water parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH)? Without really knowing what's going on in your tank, it's hard to tell. See www.thepuffeforum.com & www.dwarfpuffers.com ~PP>
Thanks, Austin

Keeping Dwarf Puffers with Tankmates 6/26/06
Pufferpunk,
<Yup, it's me!>
By your title, I'm guessing you know a lot about puffers!
<You've got that right! Here's my website: www.thepufferforum.com.>
Well I have a compatibility question for you: Can cardinal tetras be kept with "pea puffers"?
<Absolutely not! Dwarf puffers have been known to take "fin rides" on fish 10x their size. Very aggressive lil buggars. Some folks have had luck keeping them with Otocinclus & large shrimp. They need 1 fish/3-5g & keep 1 male/3 females.>
Also, how large do they grow?
<1 inch>
Do they need live food like other puffers?
<They love love blackworms & will eat small crickets & snails. Freeze-dried plankton will work well too.>
The man at the pet store (A VERY good LFS!) said they can eat regular flake but I am unsure of this.
<Generally not.>
I can't seem to find much info about them...
<Also try www.dwarfpuffers.com>
Oh, and "Wen" is the Japanese word for an oranda's crown. (I don't know any other name for it!)
<Thanks! A great GF site is www.goldfishconnection.com ~PP>
Just so you know, Anthony

Lackluster Dwarf Puffer 5/20/06
So, I have a question.
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
Just recently we set up a tank with three pygmy (dwarf) puffer fish.
<How recently? Did you cycle the tank 1st?>
For a while the newest fish (Seiko) and the oldest fish (Yasu), hung out together and played while the other one (Kichi) hung out by itself. However, a few days ago Seiko got sucked into the filter and died unfortunately.
<Sorry to hear that. Is there a strainer cover on your intake tube?>
So, we brought home yet another one (Aku). Now, Aku and Kichi hang out together all the time and Yasu has been acting strangely. Yasu hangs out on the bottom of the tank and just lies around. Yasu lacks the energy he had and doesn't really play the way he used to. Do you have any idea what would change the fish's mood or if he is sick.
<Info on water parameters would help. Ammonia, nitrites & nitrates. If those are good (ammonia, nitrites 0, nitrates <20), then maybe the 2 that are getting along, have paired off & left out the 3rd. Be sure your tank is large enough (at least 10g for 3) & there is plenty of decor. I suggest visiting www.dwarfpuffers.com & www.thepufferforum.com for more info. ~PP>
Thanks, Samantha

Dwarf Puffers + Cichlids + sharks + koi +.... - 5/3/2006
I wasn't able to find the specific information I needed, so I was going to go ahead and e-mail you guys (and gals).
<<Go for it!>>
I have had a dwarf puffer for about two weeks, and he's the happiest little thing in the world.
<<Sweet little things, aren’t they?>>
He was the absolute tiniest in the fish store, so I had to rescue him, and he's subsequently known as Spot. Well, I've also decided that rescuing cichlids and taking a koi a friend bought me was also a great idea. I have a 40 gallon tank with a dojo loach, a 3" koi, the puffer, a one eyed Bolivian Ram (he's about 3"), a red finned shark, a baby Convict, and a baby Kenyi female. They're all very small, the loach and the koi are the biggest. There's almost no violence in the tank, the worst that happens in that I can't find the puffer in the tank sometimes. The filtration is very good; I have under gravel filtration + a power head, and a good cleanup crew.
<<I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how over/improperly stocked you are though, right?>>
My worry is that, not that the puffer will be aggressive (he's such a gentleman, due to his young age) but that my cichlids will be more aggressive to him as they get bigger, and he doesn't. He's had a few encounters with the koi almost taking him as dinner although he seems to never notice, and he's very active. I've been thinking about getting an albino Oscar.
<<Certainly not for that tank?!>>
I'm worried about the puffer.
<>
Is there any chance he'll get eaten or bothered by the other fish?
<<Yes. Also, DP’s will take on fish many times their size. Your puffer will be out-competed for food in time, if he is not already.>>
Or would it be a better idea to downgrade him into the 10 gallon tank and put the ram in there also?
<>
I'm really at a loss as what to do, since the lure of an Oscar is overwhelming. I feel bad for the puffer, especially due to his increased curiosity and happiness in this tank. What do you recommend I do?
<<If you really want all of these fish, please do purchase more/larger tanks to house them properly. I know the lure of certain fish can be great, but it is our job to take care of them properly. Good luck my friend.>>
Thank you so much!
<<You are quite welcome. Lisa.>>

Dwarf Puffers with Barbs? 12/7/05
WWM Crew,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have a 20 gal freshwater setup with 4 tiger barbs, a pleco and a spotted Pim. I really want to add some dwarf puffer fish (was thinking 3). Just wondering if the barbs would bother the puffers and if you think it could work out.
<The main problem I could see with that combo is that the barbs may outcompete the puffers for food. Check out www.dwarfpuffers.com for more info on these fish. ~PP>
Thanks for your time, Mark

FW Puffer ID 5/17/05
Hi,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I hope you can help me. I bought (what I thought was) a freshwater dwarf/pygmy puffer fish about 8 months ago and he now lives with a fully grown male guppy that has followed the puffer around all day long since it was a fry, without getting any aggressive reaction from the puffer. I am unsure whether my puffer is just not violent or if he is still adolescent and will become violent later.
<Eventually, the guppy will lose its finnage.>
I want to know what other fish types I can keep with the puffer fish. I have spoken to the aquarium I got him from originally which are now stocking dwarf freshwater Amazonian puffers but when I asked if they would be compatible they are unsure whether the puffer I have (which I bought from there under the understanding that it was a dwarf freshwater puffer) is the same species (the one I have already is striped, dark green in colour, just over an inch long and has not grown any bigger in the 8 months I have had him, whilst the ones they currently stock are spotty, lighter green and between 1-1 1/2 inches).
Firstly do you know which species of puffer I have, as I am now uncertain what it is!
<To ID the puffer you have & the one you are interested in, look here: http://www.pufferlist.com/ >
Secondly, can you suggest suitable tank mates. So far on-line suggestions for keeping with dwarf puffers (if that is what I have!) include figure of 8 puffers, bumblebee gobies, white-tip shark cats, hillstream loaches, Otocinclus, although the tank I currently have him in is a BiOrb so some of these will be too large.
<<find out what puffer you have for sure & I can be of more help. Many of the fish you listed are strictly BW: F8 puffer, BBG, white-tip "shark" (grows to 18" & lives in schools). How big is the tank?>
Sorry to inconvenience you. Thanks in advance for your help, Jane
<No problem. ~PP>

Query regarding my new Indian puffer fish
Hi there
<Howdy>
I have recently bought four Indian puffer fish, which I have housed in their own new aquarium, and they seem quite happy and alert, they are also feeding well. My question is this, two of them have white underbellies, and the other two have slightly reddish underbellies.....is this normal?
<Mmm, not likely>
They are only tiny, and I believe they only grow to about 4cm (ah bless), and I would hate them to become ill because of my incompetence. I carry out water changes (about 20%) every two weeks, as the tank is custom built to fit in my last remaining space, and they are fed on frozen (defrosted) blood worm every day. If it helps further, they are the green kind with black spots, sorry I don't know the scientific name!
<Please do take a look through the family Tetraodontidae on fishbase.org for an identification. These may be more brackish species than freshwater... and hence the discoloration might be partly due to inappropriate water conditions. Are these fish in a small system (like twenty gallons or less?). If so they may well be negatively interacting with each other... Bob Fenner>
Regards, Kim

Puffer With A Problem?
Hello!
<Hi there! Scott F. with you>
I have eight dwarf puffers in a 10 gallon tank. temperature at 79 degrees, ph 7.6. Pebble (name of the very first puffer I adopted) has been displaying strange behavior:
* she's been hiding out in the top back corner of the tank behind the heater (stays there all day),
* doesn't eat (unless I drop couple of live brine shrimp in front of her face with a dropper),
* lost a lot of weight (view of her from the top looks like her eyes are bulging out),
* HALF OF HER LEFT EYE IS "RED" !!!
Please help~!
<Well, it sounds like "Pebble" might have some kind of infection. If it were just one eye that was bulging, I'd suggest trying Epsom salt in the water to help reduce the swelling. If it's in both eyes, it sounds like it could be some sort of infection. I'd consider moving "Pebble" to a separate tank for treatment with a commercial antibiotic product, such as Maracyn. Before beginning ANY treatment- please research possible diseases on the wetwebmedia.com site for more information. Proceed with caution- good luck! Scott F.>

Re: Dwarf Puffer Fish
Hi,
My daughter saw some dwarf puffers at our local PetSmart Store and would like to get them. We have a 5 gallon acrylic tank with a undergravel filter system.

What do we need to do to set up this tank for them?
<To get the undergravel filter to work you would need a few inches of gravel and an air pump.> Any special filters? What do we need to do to prepare the water for them?
<I would go with one of the hang on the back style filters instead of the undergravel. In you will want to use a separate container for mixing water so that you can heat it before you add it to the tank. Temperature fluctuations can be a problem with smaller tanks.>
How many do you recommend? Male and female? Can any other fish co-habit with them?
<I would go with maybe 2 in the 5gal, it would be hard to determine the male and female I would not worry too much about that. Puffers are extremely aggressive, I would not add any other fish to the tank with them.>
Do they need live plants?
<nope>
What do they eat?
<blood worms, Mysis shrimp, small snails, other prepared frozen foods, no dry foods.>
What medicines do we need on hand? What illness do we need to watch for? 
We are beginners in the fish world-we would like to do this right. We sure do need some help.
Thanks,
Deb
<Hi Deb, I think you will quickly find that a 5gal tank is going to be limiting. If you keep up on weekly water changes and do not overfeed you should be ok. Although puffers are adorable they are not always the best fish to keep, mainly because eventually you will want to add something else to the tank, and the puffers will do their best to tear up their fins and anything else they can nip on. Please read the articles below for more information. Best Regards, Gage
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwtips4beginners.htm
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/taptrtmnt.htm
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwpufffaqs.htm >

Sick dwarf puffer
Hi, I have had a tank with 6 freshwater dwarf puffers (most about 1/2 inch) in an eclipse system 6 (6 gallon w/ charcoal/Biowheel) for about half a year now... everything has been great with no problems until the largest one (almost 1 inch long male) developed a white spot in the middle of his back about a week ago. Since then, about 8-10 of these spots have slowly developed over his back and head. These spots look larger than any ich spots that I have seen, these are about 1mm in diameter and some have turned black. There isn't any noticeable bump or depression in the skin, however.
<Good descriptions, not likely ich... perhaps not even infectious or parasitic>
He has no other symptoms except that he has recently developed a very small white spot on his fin and brown dot on his underside, he has also started to act a bit disoriented and seems to be having a bit of trouble eating, though he tries. I removed the filter and have tried a 5 day, full strength cycle of Quick Cure (malachite green) as well as adding a little over a tablespoon of aquarium salt.
<Good choices in therapy... about what I would have tried... in addition to vitamin administration to the food, water>
I also raised the temperature from the normal 82 up to 85 and begun daily 20 percent water changes but to no avail. A couple of spots have recently begun developing on a second puffer in the same progression (from the middle of the back to the head).
Do you know what this could be and how I could treat it? Also, can I raise the temperature and salinity any more?
<Could be a Microsporidium, sporozoan infestation... Worth taking a look at scrapings of the area (even histological sections if you can secure help, do this maybe through a local college...) to determine origins... I would stick to what you're doing and add a complete aqueous vitamin and iodide mix to these fish's foods daily and to the tank water weekly. Such preparations are made and labeled for ornamental aquatics use by retailers, e-tailers. You might even try (yes, this is a semi-endorsement) a "garlic" prep. in their food. Good luck, life my friend. Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Jeremy

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