OVERVIEW Otocinclus Arnoldi, or as they are also called Otos, Otto Cats and Ottos. They may be the best scavengers for freshwater aquariums! These little guys eat algae but should not be confused with other similar looking fish that we sell such as Chinese Algae Eaters, Siamese Flying Foxes and Siamese Algae Eaters so make sure to check that before making a purchase. Otocinclus Arnoldi is the friendliest and most adorable little fish you could keep in your aquarium. They’re so easy to care for, provide hours of entertainment with their inquisitive nature, and they eat up all that pesky algae before it can grow out of control! HABITAT Otos are native to South America and can be found east of the Andes throughout the lowlands from northern Venezuela to northern Argentina. They spend most of their time in schools, swimming through moderate-to-slow rivers with well-oxygenated water. BUYING HEALTHY OTOS Otos are a great addition to any tank, but they’re very fragile. To make sure you don't lose them before the end of their first year, it's important that you pick out healthy Otos from your local fish store- if possible try and take some advice on what breeds will work best for your aquarium. BEHAVIOR If you keep your Otos properly, they'll show a ton of activity and personality during the day. They're industrious workers that will spend most of their time sucking on rocks, leaves with algae growing or anything else in sight! It doesn’t matter which species of Otocinclus you own, they all require the same water conditions – low stock density and pristine water – depending on your water source, you may want to use an RO system. AQUARIUM There are many reasons why you should consider getting an aquarium. For one, they can be a great avenue for relaxation and stress relief while making your home feel more inviting. Having fish also helps to improve the quality of air in our homes by producing negative ions that combat positive ones (i.e., it freshens up the room). To make sure your tank is healthy and happy, follow these guidelines: - You'll need an aquarium filter capable of cycling at least four times per hour (GPH) and with mature nitrate levels between 0-20ppm - No measurable ammonia or nitrite should be present either.  - Otos prefer water with a stable pH that is slightly acidic (6-7.5).  - The temperature inside their tanks should average about 72°F - 82°F degrees Fahrenheit (~22 °C ~ 28 °C) which allows them to thrive year-round without sustaining damage from changes in heat level outside.  OTOCINCLUS Arnoldi SIZE The Otocinclus Arnoldi is a small fish that can grow to be about 1 ½ - 2 inches when fully mature. These quick and agile swimmers are able to dart from one end of the tank to another in an instant, making them ideal for smaller aquariums or tanks with slower-moving inhabitants. TANK MATES Otocinclus Arnoldi is known for being non-aggressive by nature. But because these tiny fish live in the wild, they have no means to protect themselves. If you choose tank mates wisely, then your Otos will be just fine! Otocinclus Arnoldi may not seem like much to look at with their small size and see-through skin but there is a reason why people keep them as pets; otos are peaceful little creatures that don't bother anybody or anything else in their home aquarium thanks to their lack of aggression which stems from living out on land without any natural predators where it has easy access food sources such as algae off rocks and plants around waterways. FEEDING Algae is the main food for Otos, but many aquariums can't produce enough to sustain them. If this happens in your tank, use algae wafers or Catfish pellets as a supplement. BREEDING Otos are hard to breed because you can't see a difference. But, female Otos tend to be larger and wider than males if you look closely enough for the little details. octocinclus

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Siamese algae eaters (Crossocheilus siamensis) OVERVIEW: Siamese algae eaters (Crossocheilus siamensis) are a member of the carp family within cyprinids. This means they reside mainly in freshwater habitats with an omnivorous feeding preference for aquatic vegetation and terrestrial animals such as bugs, molluscs, annelid worms, etc., all depending on what's readily available near them to snack upon at any given time! If you're looking to clean up your tank, the Siamese algae eater is just what you need. These fish are great for beginners and veterans alike because they eat away at pesky green goop in no time! While freshwater aquariums can be a challenging task when it comes to keeping them clean, having an option like this will make those chores much easier on any pet owner whose passion lies with their aquatic pets. With so many benefits that come with owning one of these little critters, there isn't anything not worth mentioning about them! BEHAVIOR: Siamese Algae Eaters are the most social fish in your tank. They love to play with other community aquarium species, and they don't mind when you go on vacation for a week or two either! Siamese Algae Eaters can get along with just about any of their tank mates as long as they have plenty of room to swim around - which is why an aquarium at least ten gallons should be considered before adding them to your home environment. HABITAT: The Siamese algae eater is a type of fish that can be found in freshwater habitats throughout Southeast Asia. They are bottom dwellers and prefer to spend their time near plants or other hiding places on the ground where they feel comfortable and safe. In Thailand, these fascinating creatures live along riversides and flooded forests during this region's rainy season, which provides them with plenty of food sources for survival like edible plant life, insects, worms, crustaceans, including crayfish & shrimp eggs! APPEARANCE: The female Siamese algae eater has a broader midsection than the male fish. This appearance detail is interesting because it creates more of an aesthetic difference between males and females, which can be seen as beneficial for mating or breeding in captivity.  Another interesting trait about these creatures is that they do not have what's commonly called "a swim bladder." If left without any motion, this fish will quickly sink to the bottom of their habitat due to its lack thereof; however, this could also offer some benefit when owning them in captivity since you would need less space with no risk of losing your pets! Side-by-side comparisons are always fun: The female Siamese algae eaters seem like bigger versions compared to males Siamese algae eaters are slender and long fish with a bold black stripe running over their entire bodies. These short, brownish-beige colour fish can be easily identified by one eye-catching strip on each side of the body with an almost clear caudal fin at the end of it all. The Siamese algae eater is most commonly found in aquariums because they do not require much food or water movement to survive but thrive best when given live plants and aquatic animals as part of their diet. SIZE: Siamese algae eaters can get a bit larger than most freshwater tropical fish species that you'll find in various tanks. These bottom-loving fish can grow up to approximately 6 inches (16 cm) and sometimes even longer when given a chance, but they prefer smaller spaces with plenty of hiding spots.  Fish owners should plan for at least 30 gallons in size if considering this pet for their tank- it will give them room to swim comfortably or hide from other aggressive neighbours! Siamese Algae Eaters are rare breeds; unlike many types of freshwater animals who don't need much space, Siamese Algae Eater does best with enough swimming room and places to retreat into safety while being away from predators more. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SIAMESE ALGAE EATERS AND SIAMESE FLYING FOX FISH: When purchasing a Siamese algae eater for an aquarium, fish owners should be aware of the distinguishing features between this species and the flying fox. For example, the Siamese algae eater has fins that continue onto its back instead of being narrower at its tail end like those found on the flying fox.  In addition, they have 3-4 vertical black lines running down their side while these markings are absent in other varieties such as peacock or guppy, which may confuse purchases. It can sometimes be difficult to tell if a fish you're looking at is just an ordinary Siamese Algae Eater or it's something else entirely... Like Flying Foxes! These two types of aquatic creatures look nearly identical, but there are some important differences. The flying fox has a distinctive gold band that can be seen along the top border of their black stripe, not found on true Siamese algae eaters.  The telltale difference between these two species is in colouration. While both may have an orange-yellow tinge to them, only the flying fox's fins are always clear because they don't have a light golden line around its dark black one like you would find with somebody who's also got it coming off their tails and across their body as well. This animal's appearance varies solely on where it lives; those living near salt water will typically sport lighter colours than individuals from freshwater pools or ponds since they must adapt to prevalent sunlight conditions due to location differences. CARE: One of the most attractive facets of owning Siamese algae eaters is that they are not as hard to care for because you can feed them various foods. However, it's important to know what diseases these fish might be susceptible to and how best to prevent sicknesses before committing yourself completely. Before making your commitment to caring for siamese algae-eaters, do some research into which illnesses could affect this species if neglected or fed incorrectly by researching online from various sources like books on animal behaviour or other websites about aquariums in general. One word of caution is not to overpopulate the tank with too many Siamese. Even though these fish are amazing for their constant tank cleaning action when feasting on algae, it's important to remember that any fish will create body waste which can dirty up your tanks and environment. FEEDING: Feeding your fish the correct food is essential for their health and longevity. If you feed them something that doesn't match what they're used to, it may disrupt their digestive system or interfere with their growth process. For example, a Siamese algae eater eats everything in sight - dead insects, plant matter like seaweed (if available), even other fish! Like most species of aquarium owners know already, feeding each one correctly keeps them happy and healthy as long as possible. Fish are usually picky about who's giving out the grub but Siamese algae eaters can take pretty much anything thrown at 'em because they're omnivores: They'll scavenge any dead insect bits laying around on land or water just waiting. TANK SIZE: Generally, plan to go with a minimum tank size of 25-30 gallons. This will allow them to be active and explore while also having places to hide.  Keep the water pH at 6.5-7 which replicates the slightly acidic conditions these fish encounter in their normal dwelling place in wild streams and rivers that have lower current action when you're keeping Siamese tropical freshwater fish like this one for your aquarium or pond setting set for best results between (25 °C – 26 ° C).  The ideal hardness is 5-20 dH so as not to damage its delicate fins too much against rocks or other hard surfaces it might bump into during an exploratory swim around exploring new waters. TANKMATES: When you want to find a fish that can work well with your Siamese algae eater: Take the time to research what other bottom-dwellers are compatible. Be careful when selecting which ones go together as not all of them will get along peacefully. Avoid Cichlids and red-tailed sharks because they can be more aggressive than others! BREEDING: Siamese algae eaters are notoriously difficult to breed in a regular aquarium setting. Unfortunately, fish experts don't know as much about successfully breeding this species when not at an established fish farm. As a result, most owners end up relying on the farms to expand their numbers of Siamese algae eaters. 

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Temperature: This species is subject to seasonal temperature fluctuations in nature and is most comfortable between 14 – 22 °C. Permanent exposure to warmer conditions is likely to result in a shortened lifespan and in many countries or well-insulated homes it’s best-maintained without artificial heating year-round. In tests the wild fish from Hainan Island showed a reduced tolerance to cooler temperatures compared with tank-bred specimens, presumably due to their more southerly, i.e., tropical, distribution. pH: 6.0 – 8.5 Hardness: 90 – 357 ppm

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Tiny Striped Personalities for Your Nano Aquarium! Short Description:Discover the charming Bumblebee Goby! These miniature bottom-dwellers pack big personality into their tiny 1-2cm bodies. With their striking yellow and black banding and fascinating behaviors, these nano fish create endless entertainment in small aquariums. Perfect for species tanks and careful community setups. Key Features & Highlights 🐝 BOLD BUMBLEBEE STRIPES: Vibrant yellow and black banding creates stunning contrast against any substrate - a true visual standout in nano aquariums 👁 EXPRESSIVE PERSONALITY: Despite small size, these gobies display curious behaviors, territorial displays, and engaging interactions 🏠 NANO TANK PERFECT: Reaching only 2.5cm maximum, they're ideal for desktop aquariums and small setups (10+ gallons) 🪨 BOTTOM-DWELLING INTEREST: Adds activity and color to the lower levels of your aquarium, often perching on decor and leaves 🔍 FASCINATING TO OBSERVE: Watch their unique movements, territorial behaviors, and interesting feeding habits Detailed Description Meet the Bumblebee Goby - proof that big personalities come in small packages! These captivating nano fish bring a buzz of activity to the bottom levels of your aquarium with their unmistakable bee-like coloration and endlessly entertaining behaviors. Each goby boasts a unique pattern of bold yellow and black bands, making every individual a distinctive addition to your aquatic community. What makes Bumblebee Gobies special is their larger-than-life character. Despite measuring just 1-2cm, they display remarkable behaviors including territorial perching, curious exploration, and comical interactions with tank mates. Their ability to "hop" along the bottom and perch on decorations, leaves, and hardscape adds a dynamic element to any aquarium setup. While they require specific water conditions and targeted feeding, their small size and minimal bioload make them perfect for dedicated aquarists looking to create a specialized nano ecosystem. Their striking appearance and engaging behaviors make them well worth the extra care they require. Perfect For: Nano and desktop aquariums Species-only setups Brackish water environments Experienced micro-fish keepers Bottom-dwelling interest Specifications & Care Guide Parameter Requirement Scientific Name Brachygobius spp. Common Names Bumblebee Goby, Bumblebee Fish Tank Size 10+ gallons Temperature 72°F - 82°F (22°C - 28°C) pH Range 7.0-8.5 Water Hardness Medium to hard (10-20 dGH) Adult Size 2.5-3.5 cm (1-1.5 inches) Diet Carnivorous - live/frozen foods required Lifespan 2-3 years Specialized Care Requirements Tank Setup: Requires multiple hiding spots and territories Prefers fine sand substrate Appreciates brackish conditions (1.005-1.010 SG) Dense planting and decor for perching Diet: Must have live or frozen foods Baby brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms May refuse dry foods initially Target feeding recommended Water Parameters: Prefers slightly brackish conditions Stable parameters essential Sensitive to water quality changes Regular small water changes needed Important Considerations ⚠️ EXPERIENCED KEEPERS ONLY: Requires specific water conditions and feeding 🍽️ LIVE FOOD REQUIREMENT: Will often not accept dry foods - must be prepared to provide live/frozen foods 🚫 AGGRESSIVE TENDENCIES: Can be territorial with own species - provide ample space and hiding spots 🌊 BRACKISH PREFERRED: Thrives in slightly brackish water though can adapt to freshwater 🐟 CAREFUL TANKMATES: Keep with peaceful, similar-sized fish - may be bullied by aggressive species 🔬 WATER QUALITY SENSITIVE: Requires pristine, stable water conditions Live Arrival Guarantee Our Bumblebee Gobies are carefully acclimated and conditioned for shipping. Each order includes detailed care instructions and our live arrival guarantee ensures your fish arrive healthy and ready for their new home. Ready to add these striped wonders to your nano aquarium? Bring home Bumblebee Gobies today!

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  WE CAN SHIP THIS THROUGH OUT AUSTRALIA INCLUDING ALL RESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES. THIS IS LOCALLY BRED STOCK WHERE THE FISH WERE BORN AND BRED IN AUSTRALIA. Author: Mike Hellweg With a perfect mix of charm, intelligence, and spunk, the dwarf puffers from India’s Pamba River are fascinating creatures to keep—and breed—in the home aquarium. The New Aquarium Staple In the last 12 years or so the aquarium hobby has seen an explosion of new fishes from India. Several of them—the torpedo-shaped redline barb Puntius denisonii, the stunning drapefin barb Oreichthys sp., the beautiful scarlet badis Dario dario, and many others—have even become new staples of the industry. Out of all of these fishes from India, one that attracts the most interest from hobbyists is the dwarf puffer Carinotetraodon travancoricus. Coming to the hobby from a land that is steeped in ancient and exotic mystery, where even the locality names evoke the mystique of the old world, these diminutive blowfish take their name from the old Maharaja-ruled Indian principality that was known as Travancore. It is located in the present-day Indian state of Kerala, on the western coast of southern India. This beautiful land far to the south of the city of Mumbai (formerly called Bombay) is crisscrossed with rivers and is the home to many long-time popular aquarium fish, such as the spiketail paradise fish Pseudosphromenus dayi, the glass perch or glassfish Parambassis ranga (formerly Chanda ranga), and the giant danio Devario malabaricus. It should be noted that dwarf puffers make their home in the Pamba River, which flows from the mountains of the Western Ghats into the Vembanad Lake (another location these fish have been collected). This means that these fish, unlike many of their more well-known puffer cousins, are purely freshwater fish and do not appreciate the addition of salt to their water. Aquarium Setup In captivity, they are not too picky about water parameters. As long as extremes are avoided, your fish should do just fine. Spawns have been reported by many hobbyists in both hard and soft water with a recorded pH both slightly above and slightly below neutral. I have kept and bred them in water with a neutral to slightly basic pH, a total hardness around 125 ppm (with about half of that coming from carbonates), and a temperature in the mid to upper 70s (F). It does appear that clean water is important. Keep the dissolved organics and nitrates low by doing large regular water changes, especially if you are keeping them in smaller tanks. If you provide them with clean water and the right foods, dwarf puffers will reward you with many years of unique behavior. These fish prefer well-planted tanks with some areas where each male can set up his territory. They do well in smaller tanks, and a pair or trio can be kept in a desktop tank. A good filter helps maintain water quality, but make sure the flow isn’t too strong. Puffers in general are not strong swimmers and seem to prefer areas with lesser water flow. I use sponge filters in my tanks where I can adjust the flow from practically nothing to a raging torrent. For the puffers, I keep the flow at a fairly slow rate. Aggression Most of the dwarfs that I’ve kept have been pretty easygoing (other than the occasional territorial display or fin nip), but other aquarists have reported incidents of aggression. According to these reports, males especially can be quite nasty toward their conspecifics. If a fish is injured, it is a good idea to move it to a separate tank for treatment, as the other fish will begin picking at its wound until the injured fish dies. While certain individual dwarfs can show these aggressive tendencies, in my experience aggressive dwarf puffers are not common. C. travancoricus can be kept in community tanks with small fish. I have read several accounts where they have nipped the fins of slow-swimming fish, so keep that in mind when choosing tankmates. I have not witnessed anything more than an occasional nipped fin among their tankmates, except when there is a spawn. Even so, I prefer to keep them in a tank by themselves just so I can watch their unique behavior. In my experience I have found dwarf puffers to be hardy, peaceful once settled in, and long lived. I have enjoyed keeping at least a small group of them for most of the past decade. “Poison” and Puffers The Internet can be a wonderful thing. It is also unfortunately the source of many half-truths, urban legends, and downright falsehoods that are spread as fact. Unfortunately, the dwarf puffer seems to be suffering from a bit of that right now. Every time I give a talk to a club and I mention working with the dwarfs, I have at least one person come up to me afterwards to if I’m aware of the dangers of keeping these “poisonous” fish. Many people seem to confuse “poisonous” with “venomous,” and it’s clear from talking to some hobbyists that this is the case with these tiny puffers. Toxins As you might know from murder mysteries and crime dramas on television, some puffer species are known to have a sometimes-deadly toxin in their bodies. Of course there is the Japanese dish fugu that may only be prepared by a specially trained and licensed chef. The small amount of this toxin in the flesh of these blowfish causes a pleasurable tingling or numbness in the lips and mouth and a slight “high” when it is consumed. Eating certain organs where the majority of the toxin resides, however, can cause death. It is important for hobbyists to note that this toxin is only produced in some species of blowfish, and it is entirely diet related. Levels of the toxin fluctuate throughout the year based on the availability of the food items that are the source. Synthesis of the toxin requires both a certain bacteria and a certain type of algae that grows on the shells of certain mollusks. Both must be ingested in quantity by the puffer in question. If either of these items is absent from the diet, no toxin is produced. In marine (and some brackish) species, this toxin is called tetrodotoxin. It accumulates mainly in the organs, with only a small amount accumulating in the flesh. In freshwater species, this toxin is called saxitoxin and it accumulates in the flesh. Eating the flesh of these freshwater fish can cause (and has caused) death, hence the source of the rumors. Without the dietary sources, the toxin in wild-caught puffers dissipates with time, as evidenced by the seasonal fluctuations. Though I have found much hobbyist-based speculation (often stated as fact) on the Internet, I have found no scientific evidence to support the idea that C. travancoricus ever, even in the wild, synthesizes saxitoxin. That is not to say they don’t, just that I have not seen any scientific evidence that they do; the only freshwater puffer species I have found in the literature associated with saxitoxin is Tetraodon cutcutia. Snails Dwarfs in captivity do eat small snails. Small snails are generally very young and haven’t had time for any algae to accumulate on their shells. On the rare occasions when dwarf puffers in captivity do eat larger snails, they usually eat only the flesh and not the shell. So it’s not likely that they ever ingest enough of the necessary algae in the wild—if it is even found in their habitat—to synthesize this toxin. How Diet Affects Toxins It all boils down to the simple fact that captive-raised puffers do not produce the toxin if they are not exposed to these specific bacteria and algae in their diet. There is nothing for the hobbyist to fear; even if the toxin is found in wild-caught dwarfs, it can’t harm you unless you eat the fish! In my research for this article I’ve read anecdotal evidence (again, on the Internet, so consider the source) stating that larger fish that have consumed dwarfs have died soon thereafter. Whether this is a result of poisoning or of the little fish inflating itself and getting stuck in the larger fish’s digestive tract is never noted. I was unable to find a single instance where either a necropsy or any toxicology screening was done to verify the cause of the larger fish’s death. To be safe for both the puffers and for larger fish, I would not recommend keeping the dwarfs with any fish that can swallow them. But then again, no small fish should be kept with tankmates that can swallow them. The Name Game Like many other fish, Carinotetraodon travancoricus is known by a few different common names. I first encountered them at a local wholesaler in 1996 under the trade name pea puffer. The name fit, as they are not much larger than a pea when they are offered for sale. Many in the trade still call them by that name. I’ve also seen them variously listed as dwarf puffers, pygmy puffers, red green dwarf puffers (I’m not really sure how that one applies), gold green dwarf puffers, blue line puffers, and Malabar puffers. I’ve seen them attached to the scientific names of Tetraodon travancoricus (they were described under this name in 1941), Monotretus travancoricus, and Carinotetraodon travancoricus. The latter is currently considered correct. I really like the common name of dwarf puffer, so that is the one I use. As with many miniature fishes, their scientific name is larger than the fish itself—really big males barely reach ¾ of an inch, and the females are just a bit smaller. Sexing As adults, C. travancoricus are easily sexed. As you can see in the accompanying photos, males have a deep golden belly with a black line or ridge running from just under the head to the caudal peduncle. Males also have dark bluish or even black long ovals and stripes on their backs and sides. In females and juveniles, these dark markings are smaller spots. Females also have a white belly, sometimes with a golden patch on the throat. Intelligent Fish Puffers are known for their intelligence, their curiosity, and their awareness of what is going on outside of their tank. Dwarfs are no exception. They carefully and deliberately search every surface in their tank and pay close attention to activity elsewhere in the room, as well. They beg for food whenever their owner is close by, moving up and down the glass and spending more time at the area where they are usually fed. If you are not careful, it’s pretty easy to overfeed your puffers. Feeding Dwarf puffers should have a varied diet. I feed mine daily with an assortment of live foods like newly hatched brine shrimp, grindal worms, and occasionally larger worms like blackworms and whiteworms. They enjoy Daphnia and Moina, and they are able to eat adult brine shrimp if it is offered. I’ve seen them go after Gammarus, but I’ve neither seen them catch nor eat any. I also add ramshorn snails to their tank. They don’t seem too interested in adult snails, but they will eat tiny young ramshorns. For those who do not want to deal with live foods, some hobbyists do report that dwarf puffers will take flake and pellets as a staple diet, but of the dozens of these fish that I’ve kept, I have only been able to get a few of them to take those types of prepared foods. They seem to be more likely to take these types of foods in a community situation where they see other fish enjoying their meal. But there is good news—they will eat frozen and freeze-dried bloodworms, as well as finely ground frozen and freeze dried krill and brine shrimp. Many individuals will also take finely shredded frozen mussels. Before feeding any freeze-dried foods it is a good idea to re-hydrate them by soaking them in water for 20 minutes or so. They can then be fed to the fish by baster or pipette, or even just poured directly into the tank. By providing my dwarf puffers a mixed diet and some tiny snails to munch upon, I haven’t experienced trouble with any individual’s teeth growing too large that they would need a trim, as sometimes occurs with larger freshwater puffers. That’s a good thing, too, as I have no idea how I would perform this type of delicate dentistry on their tiny mouths. A First Attempt at Spawning In late 1996, after seeing them for the better part of a year every time I visited our local wholesaler, I finally decided to try a group of dwarf puffers. There was almost no information available about these unique little fish, so over the next few years I tried various setups to try and find what they required. Our local wholesaler couldn’t tell me much more than that they were from India and did not grow very big. He also thought they were freshwater fish, though he kept them in the brackish system with the larger puffers, gobies, mudskippers, and archerfish. They survived, but did not thrive in that setup. Nevertheless, the wholesaler never put them into a freshwater system. Bring It On At first I tried to research them, but “pea puffers” were not mentioned in any books available in English at the time. I also could not find any mention of them in my collection of magazines. While some folks were on the primitive Internet of the day, it would be another four years before I even considered the purchase of a computer. I even tried a search of the local university libraries without success. So I was on my own, but definitely up for the challenge. None of my friends from the local club were able to guide me, nor were any of my far-flung hobbyist friends from what was then known as the North American Fish Breeder’s Guild. All of the hobbyists I spoke with thought dwarf puffers should be a brackish fish because “all puffers are brackish-water or marine fish.” I knew of at least one puffer from South America that was a pure freshwater fish, and armed with that knowledge and the limited information I could get from my wholesaler, I bought a group of 25 of them. They were tiny, barely the size of a pea, at about 3/8 of an inch long. A fellow local aquarium club member who had kept larger puffers many times over the years wanted to try them too, so we split up the group. I wound up with 14 fish, and he kept a baker’s dozen. It pays to be a regular customer of a locally owned business, as sometimes they add a few extras for their good customers! Tank Setup I set mine up in a pure freshwater, planted 20-gallon long, and my friend tried his in a brackish setup in a 29-gallon tank. I fed a mixed live food diet, and after accidentally discovering they also liked frozen bloodworms, I started adding those as well. My friend tried a diet of small apple snails Pomacea sp. and shredded mussels, as that is what his larger puffers ate. After about a month, he called me and offered me his survivors. He dropped off his three very skinny fish a few days later, and after a brief quarantine and fattening up period, I added them to my group. I had not realized how much size my fish had put on in just a few weeks time. The established group was nearly double the size of the new fish and immediately began harassing them, so I had to pull the new ones out. I never was able to integrate those three fish into my group, so eventually I passed them along to another hobbyist. The tank was set up with a large stand of Cryptocoryne wendtii that had spread to take over most of the tank. Eventually the dwarfs grew and reached what turned out to be their adult size of about ¾ inch. The individual males stopped swimming with the school and started hanging around their own individual territories until the remaining school was all females. The six males had each claimed their own little corner of the world at the base of the plant stands. Other than a little nipping and the occasional torn fin, there was little in the way of interaction between the males except at feeding time, when all territories were temporarily forgotten. After a meal, there was a bit of chaos as they all began to realize that “hey, you’re in my space.” But this would settle back down pretty quickly, only to be repeated again at the next feeding time. Schooling The females schooled loosely, and interacted with each individual male as they moved through his territory. They went through a surprisingly complex dance of bows and displays, with the females initiating the bowing and the males seemingly trying to impress the females with their size, which was exaggerated by the stripe along the ridge of their belly. The setup was working and the little puffers were thriving, but they did not spawn. Further Research Over the next few years as the group thrived I started researching further. I found a few articles in old issues of TFH on breeding brackish-water puffers, so I tried a few of the different things that were suggested. I also tried to be creative, using things I’d done before for other small fish. I tried giving them an area of open sand, thickets of plants, and even some caves; I attempted to add plants with large crowns so the males could better mark their territory; I divided territories with driftwood or rocks; and I even tried grouping them differently—in pairs, trios, and two pairs. I tried combinations of these things with hard water, soft water, peat-filtered water, brackish water, and, thinking they might move downstream to the sea to spawn, even salt water. While they tolerated it, adding salt water was a bad idea and they didn’t like it at all. They refused to eat, and did little but hang near the bottom of the tank. Nothing worked; over the next few years they continued to thrive but did not breed. I gave away small groups of them, hoping someone else might have better luck. No one did. Eventually, after about five years they began to die off—likely from reaching old age. Success (or Dumb Luck) at Last! Eventually I lost the last of my original group, but I decided to try again. The next time I saw them for sale, I bought a batch of three males and three females. They were a bit larger, nearly ¾ of an inch long and easily sexable. I set them up in a planted tank much like before. Also, thanks to the book Ornamental Aquarium Fish of India (T.F.H. Publications, 1999), I now knew that they came from India, they were a dwarf species, and their scientific name was Monotretus travancoricus. This was the first written record of the species that I was able to find; unfortunately, there was still no information about spawning them. A Year of Frustration Again I tried several different things from my bag of tricks to get them to spawn, working with this new group for nearly a year. I had no more success with this group. I could tell the females were full of eggs, but for some reason I was missing something. I tried large water changes right before a storm front came through. I tried going with no water changes for a long period of time, which turned out to be another bad idea, as they all got stressed out and one of the males died. I still had no luck. Finally in frustration I gave up. In the Breeding Tank I moved the surviving group of two males and three females out of the “breeding tank” because I had other fish that were ready to spawn and I needed the tank. Our club had an auction coming up in a couple of weeks, so I decided I would sell the dwarf puffers in the auction. I put them into a temporary holding tank, a 10-gallon loaded with Java moss attached to some small pieces of lava rock and filled with plain, dechlorinated tap water with a sponge filter. There were several other fish that would be going to the auction in that tank, too. The next morning, all of the other fish were pretty chewed up. The largest male was driving all of the other fish away from a corner of the tank. The smaller male was all chewed up around his belly. The larger male wasn’t guarding a specific area, but rather the whole corner. I looked but didn’t see anything. While feeding the fish I noted that he stayed in the corner, and that all of the females looked markedly thinner. Hmmm… Eureka! I took a piece of tubing and moved the Java moss around a bit in “his” corner. There they were, down in the Java moss, a clump of creamy whitish eggs! There were easily 80 or more eggs in the “nest.” Success at last! I had been providing them with everything except the substrate they needed for laying their eggs. Later I learned that in the wild they spawn on mats of algae or moss. I decided to move all of the fish out of that tank and leave the eggs where they were. Over the next few days, some of the eggs turned a brownish color, and most remained white. I removed the white eggs with a small baster, and by day four I could clearly see eyes in the remaining eggs. A little over 110 hours after I found them, the eggs hatched. The little tadpole-shaped larvae bounced around on the bottom when I moved the Java moss, so I let them be for a couple of days. They were tiny, probably less than 1/8 of an inch long. They looked basically like an egg with fins and a tiny tail. Since they were not yet swimming on their own, I assumed they would be using the rest of the contents of their yolk sac over the next few days. Raising the Fry I checked daily, and on the fifth day after hatching, I noted that some were starting to try and swim, so I added a slow dripping “cocktail” of green water, paramecia, and infusoria to their tank, and mixed in some vinegar eels. They did not appear to be chasing down the food for the first two days, so I also added some ramshorn snails to clean up any uneaten food that died. I also put in some Moina to help keep the water clear and provide the tiny puffers with young for them to hopefully eat. I continued this micro-food “cocktail” drip for 10 days, adding newly hatched brine shrimp and microworms to the mix after a week. When it was clear by the color of their bellies that all of the puffer fry were eating the newly hatched brine shrimp, I discontinued the smaller foods. With egglayers, once the fry are feeding on newly hatched brine shrimp, you are usually over the hump and it’s just a matter of giving them clean water, room to grow, and lots of good quality food. The baby puffers are no different, and they grow quickly, reaching a saleable size of about ½ inch in just about two months. I always leave a clump of Java moss in fry tanks since it is usually covered with all kinds of microfauna that serves for “between meal” snacks for the fry. The young dwarfs seemed to enjoy this snack as much as most other fry do. Sharing the Wealth I was able to raise 38 fry from this first attempt. It appears this is extremely abnormal, at least in my experience. Subsequent spawns have been much smaller. I’ve chalked it up to having three females spawn with the same male within a few hours, after not being able to spawn for months. I’m guessing this first spawn was so large due to the fact that the females were loaded with eggs, they were more than ready to spawn, and I finally provided them with a spawning substrate they found acceptable. I passed out many pairs from this spawn (including the pair in the photos accompanying this article), and a couple of friends had some luck getting these first-generation fish to spawn. I have even been able to raise a second and a third generation from these cute little guys. Average spawns have been about seven, with many only producing two or three fry. One friend has even reported a single tiny puffer appearing in his well-planted tank, without his doing anything other than providing the adults with the proper food and a clump of Java moss to spawn on. If you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, but that you would have a reasonable chance of success with spawning, you might want to consider the dwarf puffer. These amazing little fish are just the right mix of fishy charm, intelligence, and spunk that could be the perfect addition to your fish collection. References Ebert, Klaus. 2001. The Puffers of Fresh and Brackish Waters. Aqualog Verlag, Morfelden-Walldorf, Germany. Tekriwal, Kishori Lal and Andrew Arunava Rao. 1999. Ornamental Aquarium Fish of India. T.F.H. Publications, Waterlooville, England. Coates, Christopher and James W. Atz. 1954. Fishes of the World. Greystone Press, New York, NY. Cousteau, Jacques Yves. 1985. Jacques Cousteau: The Ocean World. Harry N. Abrams Publishing, New York, NY. Schultz, Leonard P. 1971. The Ways of Fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, NJ. Moyle, Peter B. 1993. Fish, an Enthusiast’s Guide. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA. Helfman, Gene S., Bruce B. Collette, and Douglas E. Facey. 1997. The Diversity of Fishes. Blackwell Science Inc., Malden, MA. This is taken from the TFH Magazine Website Direct link below https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/freshwater/the-dwarf-puffer-a-pleasant-little-surprise

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