Red-tail dwarf puffer care
Carinotetraodon irrubesco · The Banyuasin basin of South Sumatra and the Sambas River of West Kalimantan, Indonesia
The red-tail dwarf puffer, also sold as the red-eye red-tail puffer, is a small freshwater puffer under 2 inches.
- Tank size
- 15 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone (one male per tank)
- Temperament
- Aggressive
- Adult size
- 1.7 in
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 4 to 5 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 15 gallon
24¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep red-tail dwarf puffers
The red-tail dwarf puffer, also sold as the red-eye red-tail puffer, is a small freshwater puffer under 2 inches. Males are brown with cream stripes and a red tail; females are plainer. Keep one alone, or one male with two or more females, in a heavily planted 15 gallon or larger tank with soft, fine sand to bury in, and no other fish.
Diet: Carnivore: frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, small live snails. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: All levels.
Red-tail dwarf puffer tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own: they nip, bully or eat most tankmates.
Keep apart
Neon tetra: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Cardinal tetra: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Black neon tetra: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Green neon tetra: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Ember tetra: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Glowlight tetra: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
What a red-tail dwarf puffer tank needs
A tank of 15 US gallons or more (such as the 15 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 15 gallon red-tail dwarf puffer tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, M
Rated by the maker for 12–17 US gal, which covers a 15 gallon red-tail dwarf puffer tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Red-tail dwarf puffers need 75 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding red-tail dwarf puffers.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 75 to 82 °F.
We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common red-tail dwarf puffer problems
- They nip and stalk other fish; keep them in a tank of their own.
- Their teeth overgrow without snails to crunch; feed small snails regularly.
- Coarse gravel hurts them when they bury themselves; use soft sand at least an inch deep.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Carinotetraodon irrubesco. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mbu puffer Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fahaka puffer Earedien, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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