Just an added comment for folks asking about compatibility- I have found that a lot of how they do has to do with individual personalities (sort of like male bettas, who have very unique personalities). There is not a blanket answer as to how well they will do with other fish. They are certainly very capable of nipping, and doing real damage. My preference for adding them to any sort of community setup is for it not to be in a nano environment and certainly taking care to avoid slow or long-finned species. Again, a heavily constructed tank (lots of plant and decor like wood) will really help with how things go.
Rachel O'leary hey! I love your channel its awesome! I have an request for a species spotlight for the khuli loach will you do that for me? Thanks for making these great videos, you're amazing
Rachel O'leary maybe a different type of kuhli loaches 😙 btw when are kuhli loaches in season for sale. For two years I've been going to many shops and can't find the spotted looking ones, mostly black
I'd like to have some of these one day. My local shop has them and when you approach the tank you really do get the feeling you're being thoroughly inspected! 😁
Well after over 30 years of keeping freshwater and marine aquaria I started selling my tanks. I just got fed up with the whole thing and liked the idea of no water changes and a living space that didn't have a constant background hum and gurgling noises. But this video has changed my mind. This is going to be a great project for me. Thank you.
Michael Orme well mate. This is a serious addiction. And we are all in this together. I, myself, suffer from multiple tanks syndrome. In march 2017 I had no tanks.. then it got me. Now, in July 2017 I have a 9, a 13 and a 55 gallon tank. And I want to get those pea puffers in a lil 5 gallon (just 3-4 max, no other fish) so as you can see, the addiczion also progresses very rapidly. I hope to steal my dads 100 gallon one day.
wait, so if u go back to doing that, the gurgling and the humming sound will come back,...just think this through man...personally, i like that gurgling sounds, plus i sleep in the bedroom uneffected
I once saw them in a pet shop were they were kept in a big group of 10 in maybe 2 gallons together with a betta. They almost bit him to death in there. Guess who's not going to support their local store anymore
I told my local pet stores not to buy Glowfin tetra back when they were injected with ink and they agreed not to Then they immediately restocked when the genetically modified ones came out I give up
Rachel I’m a new sub and I just wanted to thank you. Your videos are real talk, straight up no fluff and to the point. If I want the straight goods I look at your channel first. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Hi Rachel...I thought I would just add a warning to newbies setting up a tank. After been given a 20 gal aquarium and accessories well over 10 years old I decided to set it up and after completing cycling and purchased two dwarf puffer fish. I fell in love with these two little fish who were very interactive when I approached the aquarium. One evening I noticed that instead of retiring behind the foliage for the night they were up front by the glass and appeared upset. Not thinking too much it though I switched the lights off and left the room. In the morning no puffers to be seen. They usually would be there waiting to be fed. I touched the aquarium glass. OMG it was hot...the heater unit was faulty. Two dead puffers lying at the back of the tank. It still upsets and haunts me. WARNING....don't use an old heater for your aquarium unless you have a temperature alarm.
I had something similar happen to my Betta of 2 years. He was in a 10 gallon tank that included a heater. It worked fine for 6 months and one day I realized my Harold was breathing really heavily and it freaked me out. I normally kept his tank at 78° but the thermometer was reading 87°. I got him out in a cup and unplugged the damn thing. I stayed up all night trying to keep the temp of his cup steady and warm. I had to plug the heater back in and just float him and monitor until I could make it to my store in the morning. He made it through though! He was fine after a few days of a new heater. He just passed away in May. I'm so sorry for your loss! I am researching on pea puffers because I am interested in getting some😩 Long story short, even if the heater is new it can still be faulty!!! Always, always assess your tank's temperatures and get alarms! Anything electric can and sometimes will fail.
I love cricket sounds, birds chirping and ocean waves crashing. They bring back happy childhood memories. I don't like noisy frogs, though. Anyway, your dwarf puffers are so cute! I can't look at tiny puffers without smiling.
I have 2 pea puffers in a 20g high with 3 celestial danios, a dwarf crayfish, and a peacock gudgeon (wildcard). Everyone has gotten along for 4 + months! 1 puffer is aggressive, the other is docile. They definitely have very unique / individual personalities. I love them! The strangest thing about them - they are very lazy and "sleepy." When you flick on the lights after a period of darkness, they can take almost 20mins to wake up! They are super smart and very aware!
I have a female pea puff in my 5.5 gallon and she is super shy and super peaceful towards other fish. I love her. She lives with a guppy, a bumble bee goby, and 2 white cloud mountain minnows. She will only eat live black worms.
Love the puffers. Hate the crickets! Two feet of duct tape face up on the floor with some small pieces of bread for bait will get rid of them. Works every time :)
+Rachel O'leary That's awesome! Best use of duct tape I know of... Now we don't have to listen to that darn cricket anymore! Love your videos, keep up the good work ;)
Thanks for the puffer video. I was introduced to a 5 gallon cube on display at a LFS in Atlanta today. VERY cute little guys with tons of personality. I just may be on the road to having a little puffer copmmunity in the near future.
My LFS released house gecko's inside the store like 30 yr's ago (so story goes). They sell reptiles, and live crickets (whom occasionally escape. That said, I've only seen a lizard in the store once, and no sounds of crickets.....
I’ve 7 of those in a community tank, the big Bosmani rainbow fish keeps them honest for most part, and chase only their own kind. I’ve many tetras and shrimps and they are absolutely fine. One thing I do want to point out is, add them last to the tank and introduce fish prior to putting them in and you should be fine.
My one puffer is a curious little adventurer. He explores and hunts rather than being fed bloodworms, but would still eat them. He hunts for snails but tends to give up if he can't grab from the first few tries. Inside another tank, I had a good amount of ramshorn snails which I would scatter a few inside his current fish tank.
Definitely on my list when my reputable supplier gets them in again!!! I have plenty of food for them in the form of snails. I have an overabundance of Ramshorns, Trumpets and noticed a few bladder snails recently!
I have a lot of plants a rock with holes in it, and a castle, I have 12 neon tetras and three Kuhli loches, its a 29 gallon tank, what do i need to add or do to keep pea puffers happy and not aggressive to the a mentioned other fish?
Hi! I am new to this hobby (about 4 months) but soaking up all the info I can. I've loved watching your videos, they get right into learning about the fish. I have a 75 gal with 8 green barbs, 7 cories, a hillstream loach, and a juvenile rotkiel severum. I LOVE pea puffers...I suppose the severum and the loach mean I can't have one? Thanks for teaching- the videos are fascinating :)
Thanks for that, I have been looking at smaller puffer fish because I am quite fascinated by Cory McElroy's mbu puffer but a tank that size is not in the books for me at the moment. after I get my hillstream tank set up (maybe Thanksgiving) I might think about some dwarf puffers as well. As always, your videos are amazing and inspiring. Thanks for everything you do.
this was the best male/female sexing guide. like, i could SEE the wrinkles, finally. it looked to me just like a line that swooped under the eye from the outside corner. and the yellow on the boys was prominent as was an almost line in the dark patterning. super clear, thank you for putting them in that smaller container for us. wow 7yr old vid and still the best one i saw on this and also unique info to other stuff that's out there. : )
I am planning a small Puffer Tank with these guys in it. The tank will be around 10 gallons and will have most of it's size distributed towards it's height. A false plant/rock decoration will be present within the tank and the tank will be filtered by the usual 10 gallon filter. The tank will have around 3 puffers in it. I feel as though this will work, any tips or objections?
Are these fish very personable and intelligent like Bettas? Like could they be taught tricks? Also could one be kept in a 5 gallon or 10 gallon (preferably 5) with cherry shrimp or Amano shrimp?
I got me 7x of them in a 15g tank with much plants, wood and moss and stones and two white cheek Goby's and they are so funny and so intelligent... But they don't harm my snails and also leave shrimps with peace... But seem to love to play with the stronger flow of water in the tank
Hi Rachel i am wondering what the natural environment of these guys really is Can you direct me to any video or pictures of the places they come from. Not having any luck online I just keep getting pictures of fish tanks. Thanks
I have a 29 gallon biocube set up for freshwater. So awesome filtration and great lighting for plants so I'm planning on getting these after it's all cycled and set up. How many would be comfortable in it? I would just have them and no tank mates. Unless you could suggest any good tank mates.
I want a puffer only tank. Would a 20g long or a 20g high be best? Thats as big as I can go but it would be heavily planted. I am currently building a bladder snail population to supplement feeding.
Where did you get that hairdo? I am a man 81 yrs old, do you think I could look good with a hairdo like that? Puffers will nip all the fins of slow-moving fish in your tank. Interesting to look at but not really a community fish. I had a tropical fish shop for 10 yrs. I got used to the habits of a lot of different fish.
Rachel please help!! I noticed (1) white spot on the back fin of my new pea puffer, the other (2) didn’t have it. I have them in a bare bottom, completely empty quarantine tank. Heater is on, with air bubbles going, and ick medication started. My first question I have is, HOW LONG should I CONTINUE to treat ick with the medication even after the fish appear healed and healthy? The directions on the API SUPER ICK Med states initial dose (which I dosed half of since they’re scaleless) wait 48 hours, second dose, wait 48 hours, then 25% water change and add back the activated charcoal to the filter. May repeat treatment as necessary. I feed my puffers their bloodworms via metal tongs. Second question, what is a good disinfection process for my tools so as not to re-contaminate the fish? I would like to actually keep them in this smaller quarantine tank once they’re healed and healthy, and eventually decorate this tank. I would change out the filter once ick is cleared- but third question is it recommended to completely disinfect the tank first? Thank you so much!
OMG! Look at the eyes of the female at 3:19! So cute! I have a plague of assassin snails and I wonder if one of this guys could help me to control the snails population. I have guppies mainly in my tank
I have a 40 breeder that I'm aquascaping with Dragon stone and Dwarf Hair Grass. Would a few of these work with 15 or so cardinal tetras? There wouldn't be a ton of cover, it will mostly be an open tank. I may put in some longer stem plants in the back eventually though.
Great video! I love these guys! I want some so bad. My fish keeping skills....well I'm pretty new to the game. I had only one ten gallon for a year and an outdoor pond with some comets for about 2 years now. Now I have 10gal for a crayfish, a 30 gallon community tank with gourami, yoyo loaches, a pleco, and some tetras (may add some danios). Then there's my indoor pond 20 gallons for me to grow out some goldfish that cane to me by way of miracle. Actually not a miracle so much but a rare situation. I bought plants for a small aquatic container garden and apparently one of the plants has eggs stuck to it. I raised these guys from eggs. It's been cool to watch their transformation. I want a puffer so bad but don't know if my skills are quite up there just yet. Do you think they're more for the advanced fish keeper?
Rachel O'leary thank you very much. I appreciate that. Whatever I have learned though is from watching people like yourself and Joey, (King of DIY). Thank you for making such awesome and informative videos! These fish are saving me right now. My mom passed away a few months ago and these little fish and all these Aquariums have been helping me heal. They give me something to care for and something to do. I love watching them swim around. I can watch for hours. It's therapeutic in a sense. One more question. I have seen videos on here of people cutting the teeth of the puffers. I'd imagine it would be extremely difficult to do that on these little guys?
+Makeup Mobster you don't have to trim dwarf puffers teeth as long as they are fed properly. and I am a member of the dead mom club too. Lost mine when I was 32. Sorry you are a member too
Rachel O'leary sucks girl and unless you been there, you just don't get it. My mom and I were like best friends. My life feels so empty and these fish are helping to fill the void!
+Makeup Mobster it's been 10 years and it isn't easier but I can say instead of being sad at the memory I smile when I talk of her now. Keep your chin up
OK Im now setting up another(8th) tank for pea puffers!!!!!!! adorable! Oh almost forgot. I would like to buy some crickets for a gecko i have !!!! LOL
Bengal Ghost do they eat snails and frozen bloodworms? My puffer loves his black worms but those are fed live. Frozen he loves bloodworms but I get the Hikari brand because they're smaller worms than another brand I used to buy.
My dwarf pufferfish is only about a half inch long and he will crush snails twice his size but he will not take frozen bloodworms. Any idea why? Or how to get him on bloodworms?
I have one of these guys in a planted five gallon. Would you recommend any tank mates? Maybe an African dwarf frog, or a cool invertebrate? I don't know if the puffer would bother something as sedentary as a frog
hi Rachel! I have a 125g mostly semi aggressive tank loaches, angels, tetras, barbs, and cichlids. everything get along beautifully. would these puffers do well in my tank? I would hate to get some and they kill everything or get killed. when I got my 2 African Cichlids I took that change and for about a year, no issues. can't wait to hear from you soon. thank for you time
I recently got a dwarf puffer fish and tonight he was on the bottom of the tank in the gravel and thought he was dead but He moved when I try to check if he was alive. Do they sleep like that???
Hi, Rachel! I have a 15-16 Gal tank with a dense vegetation and lots of woods in it (Maybe about 40% clear space in it). Right now i have 5 small crayfish in it and I am thinking to purchase pea puffers. My questions are 1. can they live together? 2. What would be the best amount of pea puffer that can live together in my tank?
I have a small pond snail infestation in my planted 20 gallon. only have a few shrimp and a few neon tetras in a heavily planted and rocked with some drift wood as well. would 6 be enough to take out this population of snails. there may be 200 or more..
commented before the end and you answered lol. I've tried hand removing them but some are so small they just keep returning. don't want to dismantle the whole tank because of all the plants and decor. maybe I'll just give it a shot and if they don't kill them all at least it's a good food source for them.
Rachel, thinking about adding a 15 gallon planted tank to my office. Always wanted puffers. Do you think this would be a good choice? What's your experience with having other species with them? Suggestions for others? I saw below that you recommended a catfish cave.
I just got 3 from my lfs! I think I have 2 males and 1 female but I wasn't able tell the difference in the shop. Do you think they will be okay in a 10 Gallon or will the males chase the female too much? Thanks!
Hey... Hello..... I just bought three mini puffer and i wonder do they will be ok if i kept them in community tank with fish such as neon tetras and a pair of anglefish.... please reply ASAP
Hi Rachel , so i have a doubt about the exact species of the puffers you have featured in this video , because I have dwarf puffers , they are about the same size as the ones you have , but I think you have the Carinotetraodon imitator species , because they have a very bright yellow color on the tails and fins , I could be totally wrong and maybe you have the Travincoricus and I have got the Imitator , here is my request , could you do a video about both these species and also a video on how to get them to breed , there is little to no info available on the internet about these guys and I really want to know how to breed them , i have tried all and everything but they just wont do it !! Sorry about the long essay !! :-)
Hi Rachel, from the Philippines here! I love your videos and you're an amazing guru about fishes. Can i request for you to do a video about emperor blue hook because i think they're lovely and majestic. Thanks and regards!
Hi,I've been looking into the Dwarf Puffer fish and would love to stock some in my 10 gallon tank. I've read different ideas on how many to keep in that size tank. I'm thinking of 2-3. Would that be alright?
I just saw something on a different freshwater puffer do you know anything about the red eyed red bellied puffer they are supposed to be from Burma and Sumatra
I have on pea puffer in my community tank with feeder guppies, a hill stream loach, a clown loach, and two black stripe tetras. They all get along very well and I’ve never had any problems with aggressive behavior. I guess it comes down to the individual fish and their traits.
Having trouble feeding them freeze dried bloodworms, Feeding them crushed snails cus they seem to find it hard to hunt them, any ideas on how to get them on the freezedried bloodworms, my snail culture is about to be finished
April W I'm cycling a tank right now too! I've got some Corydoras (heard they are very hardy) and a Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami (heard they were hardy as well). Hope your tank works out well
DR1FT K1NG It has!! I have two pea puffers in a ten gallon. It is heavily planted of course. You can see it in the Low tech planted tanks group on facebook
I requested this! I was wondering, if I kept enough larger pest snails in the tank with my puffers, would they produce enough small snails for my puffers since they tend to ignore larger snails? I'd be feeding other things to them also of course.
I heard that they are born sexless and developed sex later accordions to the group they are in. Makes sense to me - I bought four pea puffers for a 20 gal long and I ended up with a big male and three females. He chases them around when he can. They each own a corner of the tank. I do see the lady’s hanging out part of the time hunting snails. There’s big piece of drift wood and some plants- I plan on planting more as soon as I can…. $$ it’s expensive! I have a knite goby in there too and some guppy fry - snacks. I don’t see them eating the guppy’s though. They like love blood worms , pond snails, baby mystery snails and brine shrimp. They helped get rid of my pond snail promlem in my ten gal betta tank. Now I have to look hard for pond snails to put in thier tank. They are great little fish. ❤🐡
Hello, I was wondering if they would go after adult Nerite snails? If I don't want to breed them can I keep a couple of one gender or just one fish? And I love your videos! They're super informative and helpful.
Also- I got the cricket!
This made me so happy. lol I hate Crickets.
Rachel O'leary hello im your new subscriber i love tyour fishroo
I didn't even realize there was one there LOL
JellyBean yes
Rachel O'leary i
Just an added comment for folks asking about compatibility- I have found that a lot of how they do has to do with individual personalities (sort of like male bettas, who have very unique personalities). There is not a blanket answer as to how well they will do with other fish. They are certainly very capable of nipping, and doing real damage. My preference for adding them to any sort of community setup is for it not to be in a nano environment and certainly taking care to avoid slow or long-finned species. Again, a heavily constructed tank (lots of plant and decor like wood) will really help with how things go.
Rachel O'leary hey! I love your channel its awesome! I have an request for a species spotlight for the khuli loach will you do that for me? Thanks for making these great videos, you're amazing
+Tijmen Lemuel as soon as I have more here. Secret shame is they give me the willies!
Rachel O'leary Thanks!!!
Rachel O'leary maybe a different type of kuhli loaches 😙 btw when are kuhli loaches in season for sale. For two years I've been going to many shops and can't find the spotted looking ones, mostly black
no
I'd like to have some of these one day. My local shop has them and when you approach the tank you really do get the feeling you're being thoroughly inspected! 😁
Thank you for showing the difference between male and female really well!
Well after over 30 years of keeping freshwater and marine aquaria I started selling my tanks. I just got fed up with the whole thing and liked the idea of no water changes and a living space that didn't have a constant background hum and gurgling noises. But this video has changed my mind. This is going to be a great project for me. Thank you.
Michael Orme Good for you getting you passion back!
Michael Orme well mate. This is a serious addiction. And we are all in this together. I, myself, suffer from multiple tanks syndrome. In march 2017 I had no tanks.. then it got me. Now, in July 2017 I have a 9, a 13 and a 55 gallon tank. And I want to get those pea puffers in a lil 5 gallon (just 3-4 max, no other fish) so as you can see, the addiczion also progresses very rapidly. I hope to steal my dads 100 gallon one day.
Ohh yeah. I got my first tank 2-3 months ago and I now have 4 on a rack.
wait, so if u go back to doing that, the gurgling and the humming sound will come back,...just think this through man...personally, i like that gurgling sounds, plus i sleep in the bedroom uneffected
@@michaela467 may 2019 no tanks, oct 2019 5 tanks going strong!
I once saw them in a pet shop were they were kept in a big group of 10 in maybe 2 gallons together with a betta. They almost bit him to death in there. Guess who's not going to support their local store anymore
Valachhim my dwarf puffer respects my crown tail betta because he's the tank boss. Then again I only have one puffer, he's a male.
whats a "betta"?
+Omar Aziz
a fish
siamese fighting fish
I told my local pet stores not to buy Glowfin tetra back when they were injected with ink and they agreed not to
Then they immediately restocked when the genetically modified ones came out
I give up
Rachel I’m a new sub and I just wanted to thank you. Your videos are real talk, straight up no fluff and to the point. If I want the straight goods I look at your channel first. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Thanks jack! Welcome!
Hi Rachel...I thought I would just add a warning to newbies setting up a tank. After been given a 20 gal aquarium and accessories well over 10 years old I decided to set it up and after completing cycling and purchased two dwarf puffer fish. I fell in love with these two little fish who were very interactive when I approached the aquarium. One evening I noticed that instead of retiring behind the foliage for the night they were up front by the glass and appeared upset. Not thinking too much it though I switched the lights off and left the room. In the morning no puffers to be seen. They usually would be there waiting to be fed. I touched the aquarium glass. OMG it was hot...the heater unit was faulty. Two dead puffers lying at the back of the tank. It still upsets and haunts me. WARNING....don't use an old heater for your aquarium unless you have a temperature alarm.
:(( I’m so sorry for your loss. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind when purchasing a new heater for my next tank.
I had something similar happen to my Betta of 2 years. He was in a 10 gallon tank that included a heater. It worked fine for 6 months and one day I realized my Harold was breathing really heavily and it freaked me out. I normally kept his tank at 78° but the thermometer was reading 87°. I got him out in a cup and unplugged the damn thing. I stayed up all night trying to keep the temp of his cup steady and warm. I had to plug the heater back in and just float him and monitor until I could make it to my store in the morning. He made it through though! He was fine after a few days of a new heater. He just passed away in May. I'm so sorry for your loss! I am researching on pea puffers because I am interested in getting some😩
Long story short, even if the heater is new it can still be faulty!!! Always, always assess your tank's temperatures and get alarms! Anything electric can and sometimes will fail.
Thank you for letting me know.
That is horrible. I’m so sorry. I will definitely head your warning.
puffers are great characters. Agree nippers but hours of fun. thank you for another great video.
Will they eat freeze dried blood worms
I love cricket sounds, birds chirping and ocean waves crashing. They bring back happy childhood memories. I don't like noisy frogs, though. Anyway, your dwarf puffers are so cute! I can't look at tiny puffers without smiling.
I have 2 pea puffers in a 20g high with 3 celestial danios, a dwarf crayfish, and a peacock gudgeon (wildcard). Everyone has gotten along for 4 + months! 1 puffer is aggressive, the other is docile. They definitely have very unique / individual personalities. I love them! The strangest thing about them - they are very lazy and "sleepy." When you flick on the lights after a period of darkness, they can take almost 20mins to wake up! They are super smart and very aware!
Cute dwarf puffers, quite inquisitive fish. They hover over when snails are around.
Great video Rachel I love those puffers!
I think I need to setup a tank with some!
They are so cute!
Thumbs up!
That cricket was annoying haha!
Discovered your channel a few days ago and have watched so many videos. Keep up the good work.
+MrMarty12357 thanks!
I have a female pea puff in my 5.5 gallon and she is super shy and super peaceful towards other fish. I love her. She lives with a guppy, a bumble bee goby, and 2 white cloud mountain minnows. She will only eat live black worms.
I just bought 3! Will buy some more soon!
Love the puffers. Hate the crickets! Two feet of duct tape face up on the floor with some small pieces of bread for bait will get rid of them. Works every time :)
I am about to tear what little hair i have out- I will give it a shot. No clue how it got in, as the door is always closed!
I GOT IT!
+Rachel O'leary That's awesome! Best use of duct tape I know of... Now we don't have to listen to that darn cricket anymore! Love your videos, keep up the good work ;)
The sound of crickets is very peaceful though :o
Luculencia Yes - outside!! When you can go back inside away from that noise.
Thanks for the puffer video. I was introduced to a 5 gallon cube on display at a LFS in Atlanta today. VERY cute little guys with tons of personality. I just may be on the road to having a little puffer copmmunity in the near future.
AWESOME Rachel, I sure appreciate all your hard work and the information you so willingly share with us, many thanks!
My LFS released house gecko's inside the store like 30 yr's ago (so story goes). They sell reptiles, and live crickets (whom occasionally escape. That said, I've only seen a lizard in the store once, and no sounds of crickets.....
just a cool little fish, everyone wants a puffer rite. thanks for sharing friend.
Great timing! I just decided to set up a tank for these.
I’ve 7 of those in a community tank, the big Bosmani rainbow fish keeps them honest for most part, and chase only their own kind. I’ve many tetras and shrimps and they are absolutely fine.
One thing I do want to point out is, add them last to the tank and introduce fish prior to putting them in and you should be fine.
My one puffer is a curious little adventurer. He explores and hunts rather than being fed bloodworms, but would still eat them. He hunts for snails but tends to give up if he can't grab from the first few tries. Inside another tank, I had a good amount of ramshorn snails which I would scatter a few inside his current fish tank.
Would love to see you & Cory from Aquarium co-op do a video together ❤️
1:06 "puffers love shell fish" those eyes!!! hahah sooo cute XD
Definitely on my list when my reputable supplier gets them in again!!! I have plenty of food for them in the form of snails. I have an overabundance of Ramshorns, Trumpets and noticed a few bladder snails recently!
Thank you! I have one of these in a 5 gal but just picked up 4 more! They are in a 35 gal which my older one will be going into eventually
I have a lot of plants a rock with holes in it, and a castle, I have 12 neon tetras and three Kuhli loches, its a 29 gallon tank, what do i need to add or do to keep pea puffers happy and not aggressive to the a mentioned other fish?
Feed them really well and consistently! Its worth a shot in a tank with that much space :)
Hi! I am new to this hobby (about 4 months) but soaking up all the info I can. I've loved watching your videos, they get right into learning about the fish. I have a 75 gal with 8 green barbs, 7 cories, a hillstream loach, and a juvenile rotkiel severum. I LOVE pea puffers...I suppose the severum and the loach mean I can't have one? Thanks for teaching- the videos are fascinating :)
Thanks for that, I have been looking at smaller puffer fish because I am quite fascinated by Cory McElroy's mbu puffer but a tank that size is not in the books for me at the moment. after I get my hillstream tank set up (maybe Thanksgiving) I might think about some dwarf puffers as well.
As always, your videos are amazing and inspiring. Thanks for everything you do.
I had a puffer fish for 4 years! I miss Puffy! I'm going to get some more of them.
this was the best male/female sexing guide. like, i could SEE the wrinkles, finally. it looked to me just like a line that swooped under the eye from the outside corner. and the yellow on the boys was prominent as was an almost line in the dark patterning. super clear, thank you for putting them in that smaller container for us. wow 7yr old vid and still the best one i saw on this and also unique info to other stuff that's out there. : )
Lol that cricket in the fishroom I know they will drive you crazy I had one in my garage driving me nuts the other night
I am planning a small Puffer Tank with these guys in it. The tank will be around 10 gallons and will have most of it's size distributed towards it's height. A false plant/rock decoration will be present within the tank and the tank will be filtered by the usual 10 gallon filter. The tank will have around 3 puffers in it. I feel as though this will work, any tips or objections?
Are these fish very personable and intelligent like Bettas? Like could they be taught tricks? Also could one be kept in a 5 gallon or 10 gallon (preferably 5) with cherry shrimp or Amano shrimp?
I got me 7x of them in a 15g tank with much plants, wood and moss and stones and two white cheek Goby's and they are so funny and so intelligent... But they don't harm my snails and also leave shrimps with peace... But seem to love to play with the stronger flow of water in the tank
I just got 3 of those today I was so excited my tank is heavily planted and overcome by mts hope the eat some of the snails
Hi Rachel i am wondering what the natural environment of these guys really is Can you direct me to any video or pictures of the places they come from. Not having any luck online I just keep getting pictures of fish tanks. Thanks
I have a 29 gallon biocube set up for freshwater. So awesome filtration and great lighting for plants so I'm planning on getting these after it's all cycled and set up. How many would be comfortable in it? I would just have them and no tank mates. Unless you could suggest any good tank mates.
+starallconverse danios can sometimes work. You could do 5 or so with tankmates
I have five of these with two hymenochirus boettgeri and one atya moluccensis.
I want a puffer only tank. Would a 20g long or a 20g high be best? Thats as big as I can go but it would be heavily planted. I am currently building a bladder snail population to supplement feeding.
Jiminy oh jiminy where fort art though. Rachel I couldn't remember the name of these puffers and TY for the video.
Where did you get that hairdo? I am a man 81 yrs old, do you think I could look good with a hairdo like that? Puffers will nip all the fins of slow-moving fish in your tank. Interesting to look at but not really a community fish. I had a tropical fish shop for 10 yrs. I got used to the habits of a lot of different fish.
Love your ink. I learned so much from this video. You have some bright puffs! Great job.
Rachel please help!!
I noticed (1) white spot on the back fin of my new pea puffer, the other (2) didn’t have it. I have them in a bare bottom, completely empty quarantine tank. Heater is on, with air bubbles going, and ick medication started.
My first question I have is, HOW LONG should I CONTINUE to treat ick with the medication even after the fish appear healed and healthy? The directions on the API SUPER ICK Med states initial dose (which I dosed half of since they’re scaleless) wait 48 hours, second dose, wait 48 hours, then 25% water change and add back the activated charcoal to the filter. May repeat treatment as necessary.
I feed my puffers their bloodworms via metal tongs. Second question, what is a good disinfection process for my tools so as not to re-contaminate the fish?
I would like to actually keep them in this smaller quarantine tank once they’re healed and healthy, and eventually decorate this tank. I would change out the filter once ick is cleared- but third question is it recommended to completely disinfect the tank first?
Thank you so much!
OMG! Look at the eyes of the female at 3:19! So cute! I have a plague of assassin snails and I wonder if one of this guys could help me to control the snails population. I have guppies mainly in my tank
I have a 40 breeder that I'm aquascaping with Dragon stone and Dwarf Hair Grass. Would a few of these work with 15 or so cardinal tetras? There wouldn't be a ton of cover, it will mostly be an open tank. I may put in some longer stem plants in the back eventually though.
Should i get about 10 pea puffers, 3 8 figure puffers, or 1 green spotted puffer, for a 55 gallon?
i cant find my dwarf puffer. i checked the rilter, plants, decor but i still couldn,t find it.
Very cool! Been thinking about getting a few and have been doing research on them as well. Perfect vid to help me along. Thanks.
Great video! I love these guys! I want some so bad. My fish keeping skills....well I'm pretty new to the game. I had only one ten gallon for a year and an outdoor pond with some comets for about 2 years now. Now I have 10gal for a crayfish, a 30 gallon community tank with gourami, yoyo loaches, a pleco, and some tetras (may add some danios). Then there's my indoor pond 20 gallons for me to grow out some goldfish that cane to me by way of miracle. Actually not a miracle so much but a rare situation. I bought plants for a small aquatic container garden and apparently one of the plants has eggs stuck to it. I raised these guys from eggs. It's been cool to watch their transformation.
I want a puffer so bad but don't know if my skills are quite up there just yet. Do you think they're more for the advanced fish keeper?
+Makeup Mobster you sound like you have a fair amount of skill and the fact that you are asking shows you do your research- so yea
Rachel O'leary thank you very much. I appreciate that. Whatever I have learned though is from watching people like yourself and Joey, (King of DIY). Thank you for making such awesome and informative videos! These fish are saving me right now. My mom passed away a few months ago and these little fish and all these Aquariums have been helping me heal. They give me something to care for and something to do. I love watching them swim around. I can watch for hours. It's therapeutic in a sense.
One more question. I have seen videos on here of people cutting the teeth of the puffers. I'd imagine it would be extremely difficult to do that on these little guys?
+Makeup Mobster you don't have to trim dwarf puffers teeth as long as they are fed properly.
and I am a member of the dead mom club too. Lost mine when I was 32. Sorry you are a member too
Rachel O'leary sucks girl and unless you been there, you just don't get it. My mom and I were like best friends. My life feels so empty and these fish are helping to fill the void!
+Makeup Mobster it's been 10 years and it isn't easier but I can say instead of being sad at the memory I smile when I talk of her now. Keep your chin up
are these brackish or freshwater
freshwater
That's completely wrong, they are purely freshwater.
Shannen Hutchinson you're thinking of green spotted puffers
OK Im now setting up another(8th) tank for pea puffers!!!!!!! adorable! Oh almost forgot. I would like to buy some crickets for a gecko i have !!!! LOL
Good morning, Rachel. I bought three Pea puffers and still cannot get them to take anything but live black or tubifex worms. Only one is left.
Bengal Ghost Try live freshwater krill
Bengal Ghost do they eat snails and frozen bloodworms? My puffer loves his black worms but those are fed live. Frozen he loves bloodworms but I get the Hikari brand because they're smaller worms than another brand I used to buy.
I just brought some pea puffers but I didn’t know they would be the size of fry what should I feed them
My dwarf pufferfish is only about a half inch long and he will crush snails twice his size but he will not take frozen bloodworms. Any idea why? Or how to get him on bloodworms?
I have one of these guys in a planted five gallon. Would you recommend any tank mates? Maybe an African dwarf frog, or a cool invertebrate? I don't know if the puffer would bother something as sedentary as a frog
hi Rachel! I have a 125g mostly semi aggressive tank loaches, angels, tetras, barbs, and cichlids. everything get along beautifully. would these puffers do well in my tank? I would hate to get some and they kill everything or get killed. when I got my 2 African Cichlids I took that change and for about a year, no issues. can't wait to hear from you soon. thank for you time
+BrianBeamers no, thry are tiny
can I keep 1 of these in my tank or is it best to keep multiple puffers?
I recently got a dwarf puffer fish and tonight he was on the bottom of the tank in the gravel and thought he was dead but He moved when I try to check if he was alive. Do they sleep like that???
Hi, Rachel! I have a 15-16 Gal tank with a dense vegetation and lots of woods in it (Maybe about 40% clear space in it). Right now i have 5 small crayfish in it and I am thinking to purchase pea puffers. My questions are 1. can they live together? 2. What would be the best amount of pea puffer that can live together in my tank?
great video, can you put dwarfpuffers in a tank with galaxy rasbora`s and rasbora Brigitte or pseudepiplatys annulatus ?
+Kasper Vonk u would avoid the clown killies, the other two could work in the right setup
Thanks for your information i love this hobby.
Is 4 pea puffers in an 11 gallon planted . Ok?
I got 2 african dwarf frogs and some neon tetra in a planted tank with several cave rocks. Could I put a couple pea puffers in there?
Could the pea puffer be kept w/ community fish? How about with rainbows ?
Beautiful,! I love bristlenose pleco!!
I have a small pond snail infestation in my planted 20 gallon. only have a few shrimp and a few neon tetras in a heavily planted and rocked with some drift wood as well. would 6 be enough to take out this population of snails. there may be 200 or more..
commented before the end and you answered lol. I've tried hand removing them but some are so small they just keep returning. don't want to dismantle the whole tank because of all the plants and decor. maybe I'll just give it a shot and if they don't kill them all at least it's a good food source for them.
Rachel, thinking about adding a 15 gallon planted tank to my office. Always wanted puffers. Do you think this would be a good choice?
What's your experience with having other species with them? Suggestions for others?
I saw below that you recommended a catfish cave.
CMLee81 they are very friendly fish towards me but they do become agressive towards other fish every once in awhile
I just got 3 from my lfs! I think I have 2 males and 1 female but I wasn't able tell the difference in the shop. Do you think they will be okay in a 10 Gallon or will the males chase the female too much? Thanks!
I have ember tetras, otocinclus, pygmy corydoras, Amano shrimp, and red cherry shrimp inside a 20 gallon lightly planted tank.
Hey... Hello..... I just bought three mini puffer and i wonder do they will be ok if i kept them in community tank with fish such as neon tetras and a pair of anglefish.... please reply ASAP
Hi Rachel , so i have a doubt about the exact species of the puffers you have featured in this video , because I have dwarf puffers , they are about the same size as the ones you have , but I think you have the Carinotetraodon imitator species , because they have a very bright yellow color on the tails and fins , I could be totally wrong and maybe you have the Travincoricus and I have got the Imitator , here is my request , could you do a video about both these species and also a video on how to get them to breed , there is little to no info available on the internet about these guys and I really want to know how to breed them , i have tried all and everything but they just wont do it !!
Sorry about the long essay !! :-)
Hi , I have a 10 gallon planted tank . What are safe tank mates for pea puffers , and what defiantly aren’t ?
would it be a bad idea to have a dwarf puffer with guppies and female bettas?
I have 4 dwarf puffers but they have much more rounded bellies than yours. Yours look a little thin to me. Should I treat mine for IPs? Thank you!
Super awesome video. I love those wee ones!
Hi Rachel, from the Philippines here! I love your videos and you're an amazing guru about fishes. Can i request for you to do a video about emperor blue hook because i think they're lovely and majestic. Thanks and regards!
Hi Rachel how many would you put in a 15 gallon tank.
this was great, thank you!
(lol i just thought you were filming at night. dang crickets. glad you got 'im!)
What type of fish is presenting the video ?
Did the cricket escape a reptile tank?
+Name Unavailable. No
Hi,I've been looking into the Dwarf Puffer fish and would love to stock some in my 10 gallon tank. I've read different ideas on how many to keep in that size tank. I'm thinking of 2-3. Would that be alright?
They don't bother the boraras?
I just saw something on a different freshwater puffer do you know anything about the red eyed red bellied puffer they are supposed to be from Burma and Sumatra
Can they be kept singly? (With small rasboras, otos)
+Catfish Cave yes
Catfish Cave They'll eat them, they really need to be kept in a species only tank as they will either eat or be eaten by any other fish or crustation.
I have on pea puffer in my community tank with feeder guppies, a hill stream loach, a clown loach, and two black stripe tetras. They all get along very well and I’ve never had any problems with aggressive behavior. I guess it comes down to the individual fish and their traits.
Having trouble feeding them freeze dried bloodworms, Feeding them crushed snails cus they seem to find it hard to hunt them, any ideas on how to get them on the freezedried bloodworms, my snail culture is about to be finished
try frozezn bloodworms if you can, they may take to those.
Was hoping you would do a species spotlight on these guys. I'm doing a species only tank, currently cycling. :)
April W I'm cycling a tank right now too! I've got some Corydoras (heard they are very hardy) and a Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami (heard they were hardy as well). Hope your tank works out well
DR1FT K1NG It has!! I have two pea puffers in a ten gallon. It is heavily planted of course. You can see it in the Low tech planted tanks group on facebook
April W Cool. Hope fully gonna try a low tech planted tanke in the future
Thanks, Rachel, for a great and educational video.
I requested this! I was wondering, if I kept enough larger pest snails in the tank with my puffers, would they produce enough small snails for my puffers since they tend to ignore larger snails? I'd be feeding other things to them also of course.
+Theface ofawsomeness that really depends. I would recommend having a supplemental colony as well as offering other foods
Hey darlin’! I adore you! I was wondering if the pea puffers you offer for sale are captive bred?
Are these freshwater or brackish? Well actually what I meant is are your cute little puffers in brackish or regular freshwater?
+Art of the Sword freshwater
If I got a pea puffer, then what else can I put in my 11.5 gal? Do they get lonely?
my dwarf puffers i got two days ago dont eat much one now doesnt eat at all. i feed them frozen bloodworms and doent seem very interested in snails
I heard that they are born sexless and developed sex later accordions to the group they are in. Makes sense to me - I bought four pea puffers for a 20 gal long and I ended up with a big male and three females. He chases them around when he can. They each own a corner of the tank. I do see the lady’s hanging out part of the time hunting snails. There’s big piece of drift wood and some plants- I plan on planting more as soon as I can…. $$ it’s expensive! I have a knite goby in there too and some guppy fry - snacks. I don’t see them eating the guppy’s though. They like love blood worms , pond snails, baby mystery snails and brine shrimp. They helped get rid of my pond snail promlem in my ten gal betta tank. Now I have to look hard for pond snails to put in thier tank. They are great little fish. ❤🐡
Are they truly freshwater fish, or are they brackish?
Hello, I was wondering if they would go after adult Nerite snails? If I don't want to breed them can I keep a couple of one gender or just one fish? And I love your videos! They're super informative and helpful.
+Kayla Rath not if fed well, but any snail is "at risk"
Can I keep them with some Macrobrachium Dayanum shrimp?
Is this puffer the only dwarf freshwater variety?
love these guys,question raquel can you do a segment on bumblebee goby
+OHLE312 in don't have any here right now, but once I do, I will