Dwarf Puffers, by Kaiwa

Dwarf Puffers
Carinotetraodon travancorius

by Kaiwa (Hikikomori of BCAquaria)
of Vancouver Canada
Original to Aquarticles

Introduction
I do not pretend to have much knowledge about dwarf puffers, but I will list everything I know and have learned since I have kept these fish.

The Dwarf Puffer is from Malabar, India. It is found in the wild in water that is slightly acidic or slightly alkaline. It is a scale-less fish, so care must be taken when using medicines. It is advisable to keep some aquarium salt just in case, to use as a medicine to treat the puffer. It is also best to keep the puffers in a ratio of 1 male to 2 females, as male aggression between the puffers can lead to fighting and death.

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Dwarf puffer Carinotetraodon travancorius photo by Kaiwa

Water Parameters
The dwarf puffer is a freshwater puffer and does not require a high pH like their brackish cousins. I keep my water with at least a pH of 7.0, and change 30% weekly. Temperature should be between 24ºC-27ºC as it is a tropical fish. I keep mine at 27ºC (80ºF) to ward off ich or prevent it from occurring in my aquarium.

Dwarf puffers do well in a wide range of water and temperature conditions, but it is best to keep the water slightly alkaline and slightly warm, to prevent ich.

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Dwarf puffer Carinotetraodon travancorius photo by Kaiwa

Tank Size
Tank size is up to the fishkeeper, but to really enjoy the size and scale of this fish it is better to keep it in a 10-gallon, where you can observe it easily (and not lose sight of it in a bigger tank!). The dwarf puffer grows up to 1-inch long, but do not underestimate it! It can easily shred the fins of a larger fish, so a species tank is generally best, although you can try keeping them with otocinclus and other fish that keep a low profile.

Habitat
A heavily planted tank is essential for your dwarf puffer. As it is a very intelligent fish, it needs to be able to explore its surroundings and hide behind plants from the aggression of other dwarfs. Planting the tank with Hygrophila polysperma, Java fern, and Java moss will help the puffer feel safe and secure in its new home. I have noticed that when puffers go to sleep they like to rest upon the moss and the broad leaves of Hygrophila polysperma, so the plants help to provide security and a resting place.

Tank-mates
I have kept my dwarf puffers with some otocinclus and a Chinese hillstream loach* . Dwarf puffers are not as pugnacious as others in their family, and ignore the otocinclus and loaches. They seem to be interested in looking around the tank, and waiting for you to feed them. Do not keep neon tetras or long-finned active fish with puffers, as the puffers will find this distracting and attack them. They can shred the fins of a zebra danio overnight, and cause much damage to their tank-mates with their teeth.

*It is not really recommended to keep Chinese hillstream loaches with dwarf puffers, as the puffer needs higher temperatures to avoid diseases, while the loach prefers cool and well aerated tanks with a big current. However, I see no aggression issue between the two species of fish that suggests that they are incompatible when kept together.

Feeding
Dwarf puffers love to eat bloodworms. I feed mine a steady diet of bloodworms, and also snails that infest my other aquarium. Snails normally come in a steady supply when your tank is infested, and I find myself catching them and dumping them in my puffer tank. The snails' shells help to wear down the puffers' teeth. If care is not given to provide them with a steady diet of snails, they might become unable to eat due to their teeth becoming too large.

They become very excited when you feed them, and give the impression that they are ‘begging’ for food. It is wise to measure the amount of food you give them everyday, to avoid overfeeding or starvation. They eat rather messily, so I use a dropper to squirt small amounts of bloodworm into their mouths. They sometimes attack the dropper and ‘suck’ out the bloodworms like a straw!

Sexing
The dwarf puffer is relatively easy to sex, as the male shows a black horizontal stripe on its belly whenever it displays aggression to other males, or when displaying for courting females. Another sign is the patterning of the spots. Males usually don’t have as many spots and overlapping colour variation. Males also have creases and wrinkles behind their eyes, whereas females do not.

These sexing methods can be used to determine the sex of adult puffers. It is difficult to spot these signs on juvenile specimens, except maybe in the case of using the spot technique.

Miscellaneous Information - Summary
1. The dwarf puffer will do well in a heavily planted tank
2. It is best to keep one dwarf puffer to every 2-3 gallons of water.
3. Try to keep more females than males in an aquarium.
4. Good tank-mates include otocinclus and other inactive algae eaters.
5. Feed them live foods only; they rarely accept flake or other dry food.
6. Do not overfeed these fish, as it may lead to constipation.

Dwarf puffers can and will puff up when they are threatened or about to be eaten, contrary to rumours stating the opposite. Breeding of dwarf puffers is possible in the aquarium, and if the fishkeeper is attempting to breed them, it is best to keep one pair in a heavily planted tank with Java moss. Breeding information can be found at http://www.rr.iij4u.or.jp/~kohda/en/en-dwarfpuffer.htm, at Ren’s Dwarf Puffer site. His site is useful for further observations on these small and curious puffers.

Additional reference material may be found at: www.dwarfpuffers.com