10 Things to Know About Puffers: Dwarf Puffers
Carinotetraodon travancoricus
by Peter McKane
of England. From his website www.helpthefish.org
Aquarticles.com
The Dwarf Puffer is, as hinted by its name, the smallest of the puffer family. It is an
entirely freshwater fish, breeding, maturing and living out its days in a fresh tropical
environment. They are among the funniest of fish that I know and can be trained to do
tricks for food, and have marvelous personalities. However, the dwarf puffer is, as with
any puffer fish, not an easily kept fish. Read on to learn more!
The First Thing
Dwarf puffers live entirely in fresh water. This is perhaps the most important thing to
know, as many aquarists are under the impression that all puffers are either marine or
brackish. While it is true that a dwarf puffer will survive in brackish water, its life
span will be significantly reduced, and the fish will lead an unhealthy life.
The Second Thing
Dwarf puffers are perhaps among the most aggressive of puffer species. Their tiny bodies
are more than made up for in courage, or perhaps plain stupidity. They will attack fish
many times their own size, and due to their tenacity, will often win. Dwarf puffers really
should only be kept in a species only tank, and if you insist on keeping more than one,
then each puffer will require at least five gallons (20 liters) each. Don't expect them to
play happy families though…
The Third Thing
Dwarf puffers are violently territorial. They will claim areas of the tank as their own,
and if there is one particularly dominant male, then he may very well claim an entire tank
as his, and attack tank mates tirelessly. A setup for dwarf puffers will need a lot of
dense plants and plenty of caves or pots so that each puffer can define their territories
around the hiding places, and will not live in constant view of other puffers.
The Fourth Thing
Dwarf puffers are fundamentally difficult to breed. It is amazing that they manage to do
it in the wild at all, considering the fact that a male dwarf puffer will see any fish,
including female dwarf puffers as a threat. If you buy a pair of dwarf puffers with the
expectation becoming a dwarf puffer breeder, then very good luck to you. You'll need it.
The Fifth Thing
Dwarf puffers live in communities when juvenile, but this changes rapidly as the fish
mature. This behavior is often mistaken for compatibility with other fish of their own
species. While it is true that you will have more success if you keep several puffers
together that have grown to maturity in each others company, attempting to introduce an
adult dwarf puffer into a community or species tank will be disastrous.
The Sixth Thing
Dwarf puffers have no scales, and as such their skin is sensitive, and easily wounded.
Many puffers bury themselves in sand, but because dwarf puffers are so small, even the
grains of sand are likely to cause injury. A dwarf puffer setup will require a sand
substrate, preferably a dark sand substrate; otherwise your puffers will cut themselves to
shreds.
The Seventh Thing
Dwarf puffers are difficult to sex at an early age, but when mature, they are much easier
to distinguish. Dominant males will typically have a dark stripe running all the way from
under their mouths, across the belly, to the tail. It looks a little like a goatee beard
when viewed from the front. All males, dominant or not, will have wrinkles behind their
eyes, although these can be difficult to see. Female puffers lack both of these marks and
all dwarf puffers have a mottled green skin with light brown patches. Their colours will
fade when under threat from other puffers or when stressed, and their colours will darken
drastically when they are very ill, highly stressed or in the middle of a fight.
The Eighth Thing
Dwarf puffers are notoriously difficult to persuade to eat frozen foods. They will only
usually eat live foods, such as artemia or bloodworms. However, they can be fooled into
thinking good quality frozen bloodworms are still alive if there is a large current in the
tank. Use this to your advantage when tricking them into thinking that their bloodworms
are still alive.
The Ninth Thing
Dwarf puffers puff. It seems obvious, but there is a rule for all puffers: never let them
puff air. If a dwarf puffer inflates itself with air, then its outlook is bleak. Because
of the pressure of the water around it, the valves in the puffers' inflation system are
usually sealed shut, so once it is full of air, it is usually doomed. When moving dwarf
puffers, use a net to catch them and hold them under water, and then use a drinking glass
or mug to catch it. Make sure it is under water at all times. Make sure to have a heavy
book handy. Even though inhaling air is deadly to them, they silly things love to jump out
of tight spaces.
The Tenth Thing
Dwarf puffers are, without doubt, among the most feature rich in personality traits of all
fish. As such, they are often found zooming around the front of the tank whenever their
owner is near. They will come to recognize you as their owner, and will learn when they
are about to be fed. Do not be surprised to find your dwarf puffer puffing itself up in
protest to not being fed! If this ever happens, the best thing to do is to feed them a
little and quickly, so they will deflate themselves and do themselves no harm or stress.
There is a lot more to know about these feisty little fishies. Their tolerance to
change in pH and KH is incredibly low, and while they will survive happily in a range of
water temperatures, even the slightest trace of nitrates or ammonia in the water may be
enough to kill them. Their highly sensitive skin is to blame for this, as the pollutants
in the water will move by osmosis far quicker into the dwarf puffers' system because of
their lack of scales. However, the difficulties in frequent water changes and
over-filtration put aside, these fish are well worth the effort. They are probably the
best species to start with if you are considering becoming a puffer keeper, and you will
learn a lot from their larger cousins by the behavior of these enigmatic critters.
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