Can I keep a clownfish with a dwarf puffer in the same aquarium?
by Aquaboy on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 | 6 Comments
I read in a petco care sheet for clownfish, and it says you can keep them with puffers.
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Puffers are born in fresh water and slowly make their way down to the ocean. Fully mature puffers can live in a marine environment with clownfish, but the young need fresh to brackish water.
I guess you can always find out.
It’ll be a fun show if you can’t.
I was under the impression that dwarf puffer fish were purely freshwater, therefore cannot be placed in the same tank as a clownfish, which are saltwater.
Dwarf puffers are freshwater fish and will die if they are kept in saltwater, clownfish are saltwater fish and will die kept in freshwater. There are some puffers are saltwater and the more peaceful varieties of saltwater puffers may be able to be kept with clownfish, but you are reallly risking your clownfish’s life there, because even peaceful puffers are pretty aggressive. For dwarf puffers, the only other tankmates you can have are oto catfish and ammano shrimp.
I have a dwarf puffer and a pair of ocellaris clown fish in the same tank for almost 2 years now, and they are doing fine together. They were the first to go in the larger tank when it got set up and I have never had a problem with aggression.
A small 20 gallon saltwater tank for a beginner is a nightmare waiting to happen. With that little bit of water, it can crash within hours and all the fish will die. Even experienced saltwater aquarists say that bigger tanks (50 gallons and up) are much easier to maintain and better for the fish.
You should do a lot of research on marine aquariums before you try mixing puffers and clownfish (Nemos). Check out “About.com” and follow their links to setting up and maintaining a saltwater (marine) aquarium.