5 Things You Should Know Before Buying a Dwarf Puffer Fish

The dwarf puffer is the smallest puffer fish out of all the puffer species, so people think that they have a gentle bone in them compared to the other puffer species, and receive a big shock after buying and placing their new friend in their aquarium. There are ten highly important things you should know before you purchase your dwarf puffer fish. All of the below state true facts about the dwarf puffer fish, so read carefully and really think it over before buying.

Fact 1:

It is very important to pay attention to this fact, because it could be the difference of life and death for your dwarf puffer.

People hear the name, puffer fish, and automatically think that it’s a marine fish, but the dwarf puffer is in fact a freshwater fish. The dwarf puffer can also live in brackish water, but this will eliminate a significant amount of time from your dwarf puffer’s life. Not only will it eliminate how many years your puffer will live by housing it in brackish water, but your dwarf puffer will live an unhealthy and unhappy life.

Fact 2:

The dwarf puffer is a very aggressive fish, and will beat its tank mates to death. Dwarf puffer fish some times claim the entire tank as their own, this especially happens with the males. It’s best to keep the dwarf puffer in a one species tank, and don’t expect them to play nice with each other if you keep more then one puffer.

One dwarf requires at least 5 gallons of the aquarium to itself, and if it doesn’t have five gallons, it’ll attempt to take another puffer’s 5 gallons, resulting in a fatal war between the two puffers.

Fact 3:

While in the juvenile stage, the puffer fish enjoys being housed with multiple puffers, but this will change when the puffer becomes mature, and could cause you problems on housing all your puffers.

Fact 4:

The puffer fish specie has not scales, instead, the have a very delicate skin that will cut on almost anything. Large puffer species burry themselves in sand, but since the dwarf puffer is so small, even the sand will slice its skin. It best to keep sand in your dwarf puffer’s aquarium, but make sure it’s soft sand. You don’t want to use rocks or any other gravel, because this could rip your puffer to shreds.

Fact 5:

This is probable one of the most important things to know about dwarf puffers. When a dwarf puffer inflates itself, it has tough time breathing, and could cause them to die. It’s best to keep your puffer under water at all time, and yes, even while moving it from its tank. Things that will cause your puffer to inflate: stress, breathing in air, hunger, anger, ect…

I hope these facts help you on your decision. Just remember to ask the pet store about dwarf puffer fish, too.