# Snails for Dwarf Puffers



## carb850 (Mar 7, 2007)

I'm in the process of starting up a 10G and keep thinking about going with Dwarf Puffers. If I would go with the DP, I would like to try an Otto with them to help with cleanup. However, I have one thing really holding me back from these guys. I heard they need a constant supply of snails to keep thier teeth from growing too long and fusing shut. How does one go about feeding them snails? Do you just keep buying them and putting in small groups or do you have to setup a seperate tank for snail breeding? At the moment, I do not have the room or equipment to setup a breeding tank.

I may just go with some shrimp and tetra's instead, but the proported personality of the DP really keeps my interest.


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

I hear that is true of other puffers, but not so much of the DP's. The reason i say this is, most puffers crush the shell and eat the snail, while DP's pull the snail out by its foot. If i look into my 10g with my DP, she's eaten every snail but a red ramshorn, and every shell is perfectly intact. 

I'm tyring to figure out the same thing, at one point i had an over abundance of snails in my 55, but now they are all hidden somewhere.


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## toddnbecka (Sep 20, 2006)

You could stock the snails and allow them time to become well-established before adding the DP.


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## carb850 (Mar 7, 2007)

I got the impression that a few DP would thin a population of snails quicker than they could reproduce.


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

Carb - Your exactly right, they will thin your population of snails down in no time at all... I think what toddnbecka means is that if you add lots of snails to the tank prior to adding the DP, and let them get a head start, you'll defentally be on the up and up.

But i'll tell you, even with feeding my DP every day, she still ate all the snails in my tank.


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## Valley (Feb 28, 2007)

Most LFS will be more than happy to give you free "Pest" snails. I had 2 that would tell me when snail kill day was and I could pick them up 50-100 at the time. Only problem I ever had was he would get bored of snails after a while and stop eating. But if I gave him black worms he'd eat all of those and go right back to the snails. Good luck with the DP. It was one of the cutest fish I ever had.


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

i wish any LFS near me was that cool...


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## carb850 (Mar 7, 2007)

Thanks guys. It will still be a little while before I'm ready to get one as I still awaiting hardware, then I will need to get plants in and the tank cycled. But I believe I will give the dwarf puffer a try. 

I found the following on dwarfpuffers.com

"As far as Dwarf Puffers needing snails in their diet to "wear down" their teeth, it has been agreed upon by most in the forum that they are not necessary for this. Dwarf Puffers seem to have no problems at all with overgrown teeth (unlike almost all other puffer species)."

Occassionly picking up snails should not be a problem. I had just feared they required a steady diet of them. It does not sound like that is the case.

Would a couple of Oto's in a 10G be an adequate clean up crew with 3 DP's?


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## Muirner (Jan 9, 2007)

I have 2 otos, 6 juvie endlers, 1 female DP in a 10 gal, and it's clean, the otos do a great job. So my vote is yes. If you can when you get the DP's either get 1 male 2 female, or 3 female, more then 1 male may result in territory issues. 

You will notice your DP will sleep in different places every night, i find my regulars the Cabomba Aquatica, and Java Fern.


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## dapellegrini (Jan 18, 2007)

Ya, I don't feed mine snails and they do fine. They most likely find some from time-to-time, but it is not something I actively deal with. Mine eat bloodworms every day and seem to do well with that.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I feed my puffers snails a few times a month, they have no problem with teeth over growth. If you feed small snails (eye size) the Dp will eat the whole snail, if larger they will suck the inside out. The best snails to feed are pond snails or ramshorn snails, MT snails can break their beaks. You should check out Dwarf Puffers.com, which is dedicated to these little guys.


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