Would my freshwater puffers attack my butterfly fish?

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sylvia_leeann

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I have a 10 gallon aquarium with two VERY small freshwater puffers, an African Butterfly Fish, and an African Dwarf Frog. I recently added some floating freshwater plants and the frog, but it was just a temporary home until I moved them all into a 30 gallon aquarium. Recently, I looked in on my Butterfly Fish and he had nearly been eaten alive. His fins are missing almost completely. The puffers and he have lived happily together for about 4 months now, with no problem. What could have done this to him? Did they turn on him, is it the frog, or did the plants have something to do with it. Help please! I need to know the best new move to make before he is dead!
Why would they just have turned on him? They were fine for months. I've also kept their water a little brackish, so that shouldn't be the problem. If I do take him out, do you think he will live? He is still fighting, but he is in bad shape and I don't want him to die a miserable death! Would it be okay to put him into a big jar with a bubble maker in it for oxygen? I need all the help I can get!
 
The freshwater puffers are very aggressive. Everything ive seen says they should be kept alone or with inverts. Also, they do much better with a small amount of aquarium salt in the water.
 
Puffers fin nip. Its what they do, they take great pleasure in nipping even much larger animals to pieces. They didn't turn on him they just did what was natural.

Remove the frog and the butterflyfish, they will be killed by the Puffers if they remain.

Puffers need to be in species tanks, rarely will they cohabit with anything else.
 
Theres a reason people keep puffers by themselves. They nips fins and depending on the size of the fish, they will eat them. They love to eat small shrimp and such. And as they grow, they will need things with crunchy shells to keep their teeth in line. They also need salt in their water. Despite their name being freshwater puffer, they actually do best in brackish water. They will live a longer and healthier life.

If you want to remove him, you have two options. Either get him at least a 20 gallon tank to keep him in, which is the minimum size for a butterfly fish. Or, take him back to the petstore. A jar with an air stone simply will not do. He needs to be able to swim. And the jar is just cruel to do. The dwarf frog is also in extreme danger. These fish cant be kept together. The Puffers will kill the frog and butterfly. And the butterfly will kill the frog. Puffers do best by themselves. Butterflies do best with fish that arent aggressive, dont stay at the top, and are larger than their mouth. And the frogs do best with small peaceful fish.
 
You really didn't even bother researching your dwarf puffers. Though they are the smallest, they are one of the most agressive puffer species. They shouldn't be in brackish water anyway. You should NEVER keep either an ABF or an ADF with them. They may be fine for a while, but when the puffers mature, they will often kill anything else in the tank. That's a natural instinct to protect their eggs/fry from anything that might eat them. That poor frog is going to be shredded to peices, and the butterfly doesn't have nearly enough room in a 10 gallon anyway. They should be in a minimum of 30 gallons. I suggest you return your ABF and ADF immediately, and start researching fish before you buy them.

The only thing that people keep successfully with puffers are otoclincus catfish. Some people get lucky and they can keep shrimp with them, but that's a huge gamble.
 
it was the puffers, its in their nature, separate them NOW because they wont stop until he's gone
 
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