Dwarf puffers in a community aquarium?

3 ANSWERS

1. 
   

   Not a good idea.  They are very aggressive fin nippers and will demolish the other life forms in your tank, with the possible exception of the catfish.  Otos are one species that make a good tankmate.
   
   They do best in a species tank, so...sorry.
   
   It's one of very few species of true fresh water species of puffers.
   
   Puffers are known as puffers because they "puff up", so I'd guess yes.  I don't know for sure, but probably.

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2. 
   

   They are just like male Bettas, they are agressive to fish with long fins, such as your Platy, Gourami, and possibly Catfish. The Tetras would probably be safe depending on the species, but I wouldn't risk it. But a separate 5 gallon tank for the little guy, cycle it, and house him in there.
   
   They do puff up when they're scared, the best thing to do is hold them underwater and GENTLY try to squeeze the air out of them. This method doesn't really work, so once your puffer puffs up, it's almost always dead later.
   
   E-mail me for any questions!
   
   PS - Dwarf Puffers are ENTIRELY freshwater, they do not need salt in their water.

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3. 
   

   They blow up when they are excited, and NO! They should never be in a community aquarium! Yes, they are only an inch, but they are so persistant at pestering fish, they can kill a fish 3 times there size! Plus they need to be fed live snails and never eat dried flake fod, they also need bloodowms, brineshimp, mysis shrimp, a very varied diet and are quite challenging to keep.

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