The dwarf puffer is the smallest freshwater puffer. As a full grown, mature puffer, it will only reach about an inch and a half in length. These puffers are fun little fish to keep, and are quite comical to watch swim about their tank. Learn how to keep these tiny puffer fish in your home aquarium.
Tank Needs for the Dwarf Puffer
To keep dwarf puffers, you can set up a tank that is as small as a five or ten gallon. Best filtration is a normal power filter of an appropriate size for the amount of tank you choose. Remember to cycle the tank before putting fish in, and be sure to provide a lot of cover for the puffers. They do well with a lot of plants or other decorations. You can also put a cave or two for the puffers to hide in.
Tank Mates for the Dwarf Puffer
These small puffers, despite their size, are very determined fin nippers. For this reason, you should stay away from slow moving fish and fish with long flowing tales, such as Betta fish. If you put plenty of plants in the tank, you can usually get away with Ottos. Otherwise, it is best to keep the dwarf puffer alone or with other dwarf puffers.
These puffers are unique in that they can be sexed. Males, once full grown, have a dark brown stripe down their bodies. Females lack this distinctive stripe. If you decide to keep several dwarf puffers in the same tank, it is best to keep one male to several females. If you have too many males, they will pester the females and create stress that may sicken and even eventually kill them.
What to Feed the Dwarf Puffer
You can feed dwarf puffers either live or frozen food. They will enjoy a meal of black worms, blood worms, krill, mysis shrimp and small snails. Once they grow to full size, you can include ghost shrimp in their diet as well. Ghost shrimp provide an excellent source of hunting practice for the puffer fish. Remember to feed these puffers plenty of crunchy foods so that you will not have to trim their teeth.
Keeping the dwarf puffer can be a great project for your home aquarium. They are easy to keep in a smaller tank, and once set up appropriately, can provide a great looking aquarium setup. Consider trying your hand at live plants if you keep this puffer, as this provides a more natural looking setup.
Information Provided by Damien Wagaman, December 23, 2008.
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