Hi guys! I want to share the progress of my five gallon freshwater pea puffer tank. I have had this setup for only a few months now but I love the change in substrate which is different than how my ten gallon has been set up.
This is what it looks like now. I have three dwarf or pea puffers in here which are my most favorite part of the setup. I have always wanted a puffer of some sort but the majority of puffers become too big in size for this sized tank to handle. Additionally, you have to make sure their teeth size is regulated because they do not stop growing. The puffers are difficult to see in this picture so below is a close up of the puffers when they were in a temporary one gallon tank.
This was a temporary quarantine tank for the puffers. Originally I had neon tetras in this tank before I put those into the ten gallon (you can see them in the picture found in my previous post). As you can see, pea puffers have very detailed spots on them and are quite interesting close up. They are also true freshwater pufferfish which means I do not have to add salt into the tank as other puffers need. In fact, adding salt to a pea puffer tank can kill them. These puffers are generally found in the River Pamba in Southwest India. They primarily eat snails in the wild which is what I feed them. By feeding them snails, they get their proper balance of nutrients as well as work on their hunting skills.
Anyways back to my five gallon setup! I have two live plants in this tank. One is an anubias nana petite (right) and the other is a dwarf baby tear (left). Both plants are pretty easy to keep as they do not require strong light. Additionally, these plants help with the maintenance of nitrates in the water. If there was a spike of nitrates, it could potentially harm the pea puffers since, believe it or not, it is more difficult to maintain a smaller tank than a very big one. I also have switched to sponge filters instead of hang on back filters. I really like the results from the sponge filters which also keeps much of the beneficial bacteria in the tank.
This is just a mini intro into my nano tank build. I enjoy having at least one nano tank with a fish I am really interested in while also knowing the fish can thrive in the environment. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did and if you have any questions about this tank or the previous feel free to ask, thanks!
