# Dwarf Puffer...



## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

i wanted some help with dwarf puffers planning on keeping one in a 15 g... non planted setup he will b the only one fish in there i wanted to know if it is poisonous and is so how to go about handling it like feeding it cleaning tank etc
i have kept aggressive fishes many aggressive fishes arowana,oscars flowerhorn etc but puffers is a first time..
ty


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Most freshwater puffers are not toxic at all, so no worries.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

You could get a whole pile of dwarf puffers in a 15, provided you're talking about "pea" puffers, not the green spotted or figure 8 ones. 
They won't pester each other too much, and they're tiny. A 15 could easily hold 6 for starters, and possibly more depending on how they do.

And your best bet would be to start up another tank with a few pond snails to get a pond snail colony. Puffers need snails to crunch on to keep their their beaks from getting too long, and pond snails breed quickly and easily. Your local pet store (or maybe even a Petsmart) might have some and would probably be more than happy to hand some off to you.


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## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

ty for your replies i'm not exactly sure abt the puffer will post some pics b4 buying them read abt the snail n beak thing the other day that is wat is giving me cold feet as i dont thing i want another tank lolss will keep posted
thanks again


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## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

ok i made a mistake of falling for the bull**** of the lfs guy and buying a fish i think i shudn't have...went there to get dwarf puffer which was out of stock sadly so the guy stuck me up wid another puffer saying it was with them for months and was doing fine in a 10 g so no way would it not be happy in a 15 if it had the whole tank for himself
so now i'm home with a fish which well needs identifying to begin with
pls check uploaded images and would like to know if i can house it in 15 g well only a remote chance i believe
secondly anyhow it has to stay with me atleast for 2-3 more days until i can make a trip to the lfs and give it back so toxicity is a major concern for me will it spread by touching the fish or dipping hand in water whatever however i need to know kids are going to be around my house and i will have to seriously work something out sorry for so many questions but i am very paranoid because well i dont want some poor kid getting hurt because of me pls reply soon and also will handling the fish will that lead to poisoning cause i will have to handle him to get him out right

p.s the fish is ful of energy and pretty cute too i dont feel like parting with it :'(
also do let me know wat size of tank is needed to house this baby my gf was forcing me to get a tank for her maybe i can talk her into this


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## iheartfish:) (Jan 19, 2011)

Would you say it looks like this one? 
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article84.html
If it is, then it wouldn't be fine in a freshwater tank. Of course, they say it should be fine, but we all know how that turns out. Your best bet is probably to take it back and wait for them to get more dwarf puffers.


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## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

ya i figured it is a brackish water fish added salt to the tank iam willing to take it back but the thing is i cannot manage to do so atleast for 3 more days in the mean time i have kids at my place and wanna know it is not a threat to them because my nephew is a 4 yr and god knows when he'll put his hand i n the tank has already done tht on a couple of ocassions


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Figure 8 Pufferfish are not toxic to anyone, unless your nephew decides he wants to eat it. 
So, no... not toxic unless you eat them.


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## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

thank you that was a major concern for me so it does not leech toxins in the water  will it b ok in a 15 g ??


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Yes, a 15 gallon will be ok, but they really ought to be in brackish water...


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## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

yes i think i can manage that cause he is alone in that tank so no isse in adding salt can u guide me how much???


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Not really. I've not done a brackish tank, but there are plenty of guides to it on google.


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## giggitygiggity (Sep 14, 2011)

Here ya go!

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/brackish/brackish.html


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I am not convinced that this is a figure 8. It is also not a green spotted which is the other very common puffer sold in stores. I lean more towards it being a Ocellated Puffer, but I am not convinced of that either. Figure 8's tend to be very bright. Of course if it is stressed it might be pale as a result. Also the figure 8 tends to be more clear than it is on this guy. 

Ocellated: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/ocellatedpuffer.php

I cannot find any really good pictures of the Ocellated which makes it harder for me to say for sure one way or another. Scientific name:Tetraodon cutcutia

This one does not have the red on the fins which makes me think maybe not. Hard to tell! My favorite puffer site's puffer pedia is down. You might go there and post a pic of him, but you would have to register. I know the people there can tell you exactly what kind of a puffer he is and what his needs are:
The Puffer Forum: http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/


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## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

ok i do agree with obsidian on this one the guy's fins are infact nipped indicating maybe he was with some other of the same species he is dull in colour but ican see a slight 8 on his head altough no where else on the body the guy is around maybe 3 inches extermely active and but he is not that aggressive i've kept a tiger barb who is missing an eye and was cast out by a friend from his planted well the poor guy has no where else to go for the time being so 
but i have a totally different concern right now i have got this cut on my wrist due to an accident i had earlier today and there was blood drawn from the wound although i applied medication but the wound is not going to heal overnight for sure
i have a scheduled water change to be done in the puffer tank tomorrow morning do you think i should postpone or can i carry on without any problems 
additionally the puffer eats pellets i use for my oscars
well i live in india and the fish stores here are the worst to my knowledge many do not have info of the fishes so i cannot turn to them for any kind of help b******s don't even know the name of the fishes they are selling most of the times


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

one small fish in a 15 with a 'cycled filter'? It should be okay to skip an occasional water change. Do a bigger one next time. 

There is this nasty stuff, New Skin liquid bandage, that is basically a plastic dissolved in solvent. You put it on the wound and it dries to a hard,water proof layer. If you have to use the injured hand and a "band-aid" won't work, its the thing to use.


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## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

the tank is cycled alright been running it for months now but the fish is around 3 inches and i am going to skip the change because im **************** scared


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## Alex_Marx (Jun 24, 2012)

I have 2 dwarf puffers in a 10 gallon tank! BEST FISH EVER  they are so fun and cool! if a fish eats it they will die because of the poison in the skin


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