Puffer Tankmates
thanks for the information.  I would have certainly hated to watch my
beloved puffer succumb to the aggression of a clown trigger I raised.  good
news about the Huma Huma trigger, though, which is an equally attractive and
lively fish.  I do have one other question, however.  when you mentioned two
fishing being a recipe for disaster, the whole scenario immediately made
sense- only one other fish in the tank to beat up.  so what I am
understanding is that I need a larger tank (I was actually considering
purchasing a 220 for a newly renovated room anyway) and another fish.  do
you have any recommendations?  perhaps another puffer of another species?
thanks again.
Reuben
***Hey Reuben,
In a 220 gallon tank, all kinds of possibilities open up. Other puffers, triggers such as the Niger, groupers such as the miniatus or argus (blue dot), larger angels such as the imperator, wrasses such as the dragon wrasse or harlequin tusk. There are MANY options. Myself, I'm partial to groupers, and would never set up a large, multi species fish only tank without one.
Jim***

Marine Puffers.... again (8-14-04)
Hi again,
<Hello>
Sorry for all the questions. < No worries, that is what we are here for>
How big do the dog faced puffers get in captivity?
Depends on which species, but generally about 10 to 12 inches. >
Would they leave small fish alone?
Perhaps.....but most likely not. They are predators.....most will tell you eventually they will snack on them. >   
Would a valentini puffer be better with smaller fish?
Yes better ....they can however be fin nippers, so avoid slow moving fish with long fins.>
The tank size is a 70 gallon.
<Nice size>
Could I keep 2 Valentini's in a 70 gallon?
No you will probably not be able to keep 2 together  unless you come across a male/female pair, as they may fight conspecific males. >
Thanks for all the info and sorry if I bothered you!
<Your most welcome and it was bother at all, Leslie>

Puffer ID and Compatibility (8/13/04)
Hi <Hello there>
I was hoping you can clear something up for me.
< Sure I can try >  
I  recently bought a second hand tank which came with two fish. It was bought to go with my Porcupine Puffer.  I thought the fish .....a puffer and lion would go well.  I was told the puffer was a dogface however when we went to collect the tank the puffer had not been well and was very dark
<These fish do have the ability to darken which serves as camouflage, usually occurring in the evening, when stressed  or threatened. >
now she is better and I have been trying to find out what she is as she isn't a dogface. I think she might be a Stars and Stripes.  Can you please let me know from these links what you think.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/snoopy_145/fc604c3d.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/snoopy_145/lola2.jpg  
<Well I think you have a Arothron reticular is, the Reticulated Puffer, from the Indo-west Pacific. They get to be about 16 inches in length in the wild. >
And from your experience how big she will get and their temperament.
< I personally do not have any experience with this particular Puffer but my guess would be they would get at least a good 8 to 10 inches in captivity, perhaps a bit bigger, depending on what and how often they are fed.  The Arothron genus for the most part has nothing but exemplary personalities. >
They fought for 1st hour they where together but now seem to have come to an agreement.
<Not uncommon.  You will find mixed experiences if you read about keeping more than one Puffer in the same system.......some have great luck others do not. In part this will have to do with whether you are keeping the same, similar or different species as well as the temperaments of the individual fish. Keep a close eye on them and if the aggression continues you can rearrange the decor and if that does not work remove the aggressor to a quarantine tank for a few days, sometimes that settles them down a bit. They may continue to squabble at meal time so be sure to provide plenty of food and if this does occur I have found releasing food into different areas of the tank, when the fish are not to close together sometimes helps. >
Thanks A Lot, Shelley
<Your most welcome, Leslie>

Puffers in a reef tank 8/6/04
Hello, I am interested in turning my 75 gallon FOWLR tank into a
partial reef with a few corals. The problem is that I have a small 1 inch dogface puffer. I have heard of successful mixing of corals and puffers and I was wondering if you have also heard of it. I was considering buying a small mushroom as a test to see if he would eat it, but I wanted to check with the experts (you guys) first. Thank You <I would not consider puffers to be at high risk for picking on corals.  They are very risky with inverts like shrimp and crabs.  Best Regards.  AdamC>

Puffer Problems (8/5/2004)
Crew, <How goes it, M. Maddox here this morning>
First off great site <Thanks!> my first question is concerning how many fish I can store in my tank. I have a marine aquarium (Uniquarium, Clear for Life, 60
Gallon) with the whole set-up in the rear (I am sure you are familiar with
this tank) with a newly added Uniquarium Protein Skimmer.  <I assume that's the acrylic model with a built in wet\dry filter?  Google didn't reveal show anything...> I have read on your site and others that usually tanks can hold 1 inch of fish per 4-5 gallons of water. However because of the design of my tank my local fish store owner said I could hold 1 inch of fish for every 2 gallons. Is this true?  <IMO inches per gallon is not a good way to determine what can be kept in captivity.  Instead, determine the adult\maximum size of what you want to keep, and stock accordingly; i.e. you wouldn't want to put a 12" fish in a 60 gallon aquarium, even though technically it's 1" of fish per 5 gallons of water>
Currently, I have one Anemone Clown, 2 Damsels, 1 Dogface Puffer, 1 Huma
Trigger, and one Blue-Spotted Puffer.  <Your system is already overstocked.  Also, by blue spotted puffer do you mean a true puffer or a sharp nosed puffer?    Common names aren't always that much help>  This leads me to my next question, can the two puffers coexist? <Possibly, but not in an aquarium that small> I have had the dogface for quite sometime and he has gotten along with the others quite well. I recently bought the Blue-Spotted Puffer and as soon as I put him in the tank I could sense the dogface was not too happy to see him. <To be expected, especially in so small an aquarium> An hour or so after first introduced the dogface snapped at the blue spotted puffer while not looking and bit his tail (sounded like someone cracked their knuckle). Afterwards they would
swim one another and everything was ok. I thought it was a sign that the
dogface was showing the blue-spotted who was boss (given he is .5x bigger).
In any case in the morning I noticed my dogface (attacker) had been bit on
his tail (surprising) and I wasn't sure who it was. Later tonight I have
witnessed many occasions of the blue-spotted now attacking him trying to
continually bite the dogface's tail (which he curls it in an effort to
protect). The weird thing now is that the once aggressive dogface has become
a passive and will not retaliate. What do you think is going on? Do you
think this dispute between them can be handled with out one of them dying? <Most likely one will kill the other...I advise returning the new puffer ASAP, and look into acquiring a larger system in the future for your trigger>
Also I read in a another QA on this site that the dogface could release
toxins in the water, is this really true? <Most species of puffer flesh is poisonous, but as far as I know they cannot actively release toxins like boxfish>
Thanks again and super resource. <No problem, good luck, and return the new puffer!>
Art Yang <M. Maddox>

Why puffers don't tolerate cleaner wrasses, PP's turn
Hi crew <Hi Lorenzo,
I'd like to know why puffers don't tolerate cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus)? <Wrasses have to pick at the skin of fish to remove the parasites and that can be painful for some fish. Puffers generally don't do well with wrasses because they have very sensitive skin.>
I had two Labroides in my tank (250 gallons) who were keeping to nip my poor white spotted puffer. I had to take off them from my tank because my puffer was very afraid and irritated.
Now I'd need to put back Labroides because my fishes have many parasites on their bodies and gills. <Your best move would be to move the puffers into a separate tank or use something else, for instance cleaner shrimp to remove the parasites. Generally they are a bit easier on fish like puffers than a cleaner wrasse is.>
How can I do? Thanks a lot for your help!
Best regards
Lorenzo

Why puffers don't tolerate cleaner wrasses, MacL's turn
Hi crew, <Hi Lorenzo, MacL here with you tonight.>
I'd like to know why puffers don't tolerate cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus)? <Puffers have very sensitive skin and cleaner wrasses picking at them bother puffers.>
I had two Labroides in my tank (250 gallons) who were keeping to nip my poor white spotted puffer. <Probably really irritating his delicate skin. I'm guessing he hid a lot.>
I had to take off them from my tank because my puffer was very afraid and irritated.
Now I'd need to put back Labroides because my fishes have many parasites on their bodies and gills. How can I do? <Perhaps you should consider some cleaner shrimp or other types of cleaners that might be a bit easier on a puffers skin. Or remove the puffers into a separate situation.>
Thanks a lot for your help! <Good luck and let us know what you decide. MacL>
Best regards
Lorenzo

Cowfish safe corals and diet 8/1/04
Hi. I have a cow fish in a tank that I want to add some corals to. The tank
already has a Goniopora and some kind of stony honeycomb brain coral
which the cow leaves alone. I also had a Sarcophyton which died due to a
temperature spike and the cow also left that alone. However, I replaced
the Sarcophyton with a Lobophytum and the cow has started to nibble on
it. <These fishes are known to be risky, but mostly with crustaceans.>
I know cowfish are not considered to be reef safe, and I've already
discounted any coral that needs to be fed meaty chunks as the cow knows
all about that and takes the food straight out of their stomachs, but I
was wondering if there are any corals that would be unlikely to end up
in the cow's stomach? Would I have a better chance with stony corals? <So called "SPS corals are probably safe, and meaty large polyp stonies are probably at the greatest risk.>
Another question I have relates to an answer on the Q&A a few days ago
that said that cowfish need greens as well as meaty foods and most die
due to malnutrition. I feed mine a variety of meaty foods as well as
fish pellets that contain algae and I occasionally give him a sheet of
Nori. I've had him for many months and his condition is good but I don't
want to slowly starve him. I feed enough for him to eat in a few
minutes, twice a day. Does the diet I have described sound sufficient to
you? Thanks for your help. <Variety, variety, variety!  Quality, quality, quality!  Frozen Mysis, frozen foods containing algae, high quality pellet foods (look for few or no non-marine ingredients).  Best Regards!  AdamC>

New Puffer Companions
Hello,
<Hi, MikeD here>
    I just purchased what I think is a 10" Guinea Fowl Puffer (Arothron
meleagris) from a show tank that it has been in for 4 years. He is very active and is
always hungry!<That definitely sounds like an Arothron of some type>
The tank he came from had plenty of tankmates and I would like to add one
more fish in my 110 gal.<How many do you have now and how long has it been set up? Also, is it a reef tank w/corals or primarily a fish tank?> Would a Stars and Stripes Puffer be possible<Most Arothrons don't fight, but the key word here is MOST, and it gets messy fast when they do, much like "Gladiator Does a Home Aquarium"> or maybe a
Queen or French Angel of the same size?<Both angels get even larger, actually ARE somewhat aggressive and territorial plus often only do well in tanks that have been set up for at least a year.> What would you suggest ? He has a grey
body with yellow lips and a yellow tail  with blue trim, the body is the same
as a Masked Puffer!<This sounds a lot like Arothron immaculatus, the Immaculate Puffer>

Fish aggression?
Hi friends,
<Hello there>
I have a 90 g. SW tank with a valentini puffer "Nurmal", flame angel
"Hot lips" and neon goby "Goby1Kenobi".
<Good names>
The puffer had ich the first week I got him, I hadn't quarantined him so I
removed him from the main tank and treated him with formalin and
hyposalinity for a month).
After a month of QT ich free, I reintroduced the "Nurmal" back in the
display tank. I'm really worried about him. He's still eating well but
breathing very heavily all day; even when he's sleeping...He paces back and
forth along the tank, although that behavior is subsiding somewhat.
<If he/it's eating all will likely be well>
These
are the same signs he showed before the ich appeared. It's probably related
to a big puff up he had at the beginning of the week. Should I put him back
in QT just in case, or wait until the telltale ich spots appear?
<I'd hold off for now>
Alas, another disappointment today.
My flame angel has really taken to the puffer, and follows him everywhere.
The flame is usually scared of her own shadow, so I find this social
behavior odd for her (she chases the neon goby off constantly when he
follows her!)
The puffer doesn't seem annoyed with this tagging along in the least, but I
noticed a crescent shape bite on the flame's dorsal fin! After the bite
occurred, the flame is not fazed or stressed at all; quite the opposite, she
seems to be dangerously close to the puffer all the time! She brushes her
tail against him, sometimes on purpose(?) and I even saw her gently pick at
his side (maybe removing parasites?)-the puffer was very still.
<Keeping ones "enemies" close is often a good strategy>
I'm not sure if she's asserting her territory-it doesn't seem like it. She
seems friendly and not aggressive, and he for the most part ignores her.
It's a huge tank for such small fish and yet she keeps hanging around him!
I don't know if I should return the puffer to the LFS. I really love the
little guy but don't want to risk injuring the flame:((((
<I'd wait on the Flame Angel/Puffer liaison as well. Perhaps a nice long walk, some fresh air will calm you. Bob Fenner>

Puffer Problem, New Cleaner Wrasse 5/4/04
Hi,
your site is great and a big help to us fish keepers.
<Good Evening Leslie here with you tonight. Thank you; it is a pleasure to help!>
I have a little problem with my dog faced puffer, <Utto> last week I added a cleaner wrasse and ever since he has changed to a darker color and spends most of his time sat in the corner.
<I suspect your Puffer is trying to be inconspicuous.... by blending into the rock and sand. Cleaner wrasses and gobies are not recommended tankmates for Puffers. The incessant pecking is often stressful and to much for their sensitive hides.
The Labroides is doing his job very well and my puffer seems to pose for him as do the rest of the fish, the only problem is that every so often the wrasse picks a little too hard and the fish chase him a bit but always go back for more. As a marine biologist myself this suggests that the wrasse is just hungry and the fish are 'too clean' so I have made sure there is plenty of food in the tank.
<These fish do not fare well in captivity and are better left in the ocean for many reasons. Please have a look at this article Cleaner Wrasses in the Genus Labroides here.....http://www.wetwebmedia.com/labroide.htm
Is there anything you could suggest as of why my puffer seems down?
<My guess is he does not like being picked at>
My nitrate is also a little high, about 15-30, I'm doing plenty of water changes but struggling to keep it down.
If you do not already have a protein skimmer I would strongly suggest one. Some other interventions include adding some additional live rock and some macroalgae for nutrient export.  >
Also what would you say to a porcupine puffer as a little tank mate?
<Little? Not for long. This would really depend on just how big ....big enough is. Definitely not until you have a handle on those nitrates. These endearing fish are hard to resist. I know they are one of my favorites. They are quite messy eaters and big waste producers. You are already having trouble keeping your Nitrates below 30. If you add another Puffer it will unfortunately only get worse. >
The tank is big enough and is fish only.
<Big enough? I have seen and heard some interesting assessments of big enough over the years. I guess this would depend on just how big your tank is and what other fish are already present.  A general stocking rule for Puffers is 10g of water to each inch of fish.  Each of those fish will eventually be a foot or more depending on the species you are keeping. So unless the tank is 200+ gallons or the Puffers are small and you plan on a bigger tank in the near future this would not be recommended. >
Thanks for your time. Phil.
<You are most welcome! Leslie>

Tetraodontidae species?  4/28/04
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I was wondering if any of the following list of putter fish are in the family Tetraodontidae (also known as "true" puffer) and if ordering any of these for my home tank would pose a problem since they are poisonous?
Dogface puffer
Golden puffer
Hawaiian Blue puffer
Hawaiian Spotted puffer
Porcupine Puffer
Valentini puffer
Black Mask-Red Sea puffer
<All puffers are poisonous--if you eat them.  Otherwise, another fish would have to eat, or bite the puffer to be harmful to them.>  If you could let me know as soon as possible that would be great.  The fish is suppose to be a surprise present.
<The larger problem I see is that you are surprising someone with a gift of a pet.  Very bad idea!  If you want to buy a person a gift of a fish, go right ahead, but make sure the receiver of the gift is well aware of it's needs & is prepared to care for it for the next 10+ years!  ~PP>  
Thanks

Clown-Eating Puffer (4/29/04) 
Hello all: <Steve Allen with you this time.> 
I am writing this as a cathartic response to what happened to my percula clown this weekend. On Friday night, we had a 2 ½ hour power failure. The electricity resumed at 11PM. I had not had a chance to feed the fish prior to the outage and thought it too late to feed when the power returned. So I adjusted the light timers to the proper time and the lights went off. I realized that the pump to the protein skimmer did not come back on. I was going to wait until the following morning, but then thought that I should get the skimmer up and running that night.  In the five minutes that it took for me to return to the tank from my room, our porcupine puffer had eaten the clown. <So sorry to hear.> 
I have had this clown since the inception of our tank (4 ½ years) and the clown and puffer had been together for about 1 ½ years. <I guess the lion was just waiting for the right moment.> 
Needless to say, I wanted to jump into the tank and choke the puffer until his blue eyes popped out. <Much as this pains you, he's just being a puffer.> 
I was also kicking myself because if I had dropped 3 or 4 pieces of krill into the tank, this probably would have satisfied the puffer, and he would not have attacked the clown. <He'd go for it eventually.> 
I have finally calmed down and wish to learn from my experience. I have read that fish can go up to one week without food and survive without too much difficulty. If I were to not feed the puffer for one week, I am afraid that all my other animals would end up as puffer pot pie! <He may eat them even if he's full. He's a predator and it is his purpose in life to eat any fish he can get his mouth around.> 
Is this simply "survival of the fittest" in action? <As the saying goes, it's "nature, red in tooth and claw."> 
Did the power outage so upset the puffer that he acted with malice toward the clown? <Not malice, predatory nature, eating other creatures and reproducing are their place in the web of life.> 
I guess what confuses me the most is that the two fish have been together for 1 ½ years and they do not ever get near one another.<Somehow an opportunity presented itself and he took it. Don't blame him. That's what he is supposed to do. Animals don't have consciences and don't feel bad for the creatures they consume. This is a purely human trait.> 
Would missing one feeding result in such behavior from the puffer? <Bottom line: If you put fish that are small enough to eat in with Puffers, they'll get eaten eventually.> 
I apologize for going on about this, but I was sentimental about losing one of our initial fish, the other being Anthony's favorite barking blue tang (who is very pleased about the selection of Ben Roethlisberger, by the way). Thanks for letting me vent. <No problem. I am sorry you had to witness/learn this brutal lesson in the nature of carnivores.> As always, Mitch

Dogface Puffer & More? 4/19/04
Just a couple of quick questions that need some of your great puffer knowledge!
<Sure, you've got Pufferpunk here>
I have a black spotted dog face puffer, who is great, is it possible to keep another puffer or cow fish with him? Its a big tank (over 300g) fish only.
<I'd forget about the cowfish. Even slight bullying will cause it to release toxins into the tank. Your dogface would be ok with another dogface of maybe even a nice "prickly" Burrfish.>
I was also thinking about getting a anemone but have heard that puffers are a bit partial to a few tentacles, is this true or is it possible to keep them together?
<Bad idea, puffers will pick on it & they belong in FOWLR tanks. ~PP>

Plants
What type of saltwater plants do you prefer for saltwater aquariums that are compatible with a Spiny Box Puffer? 
<I recommend the macro algae "Chaetomorpha". With a decent amount of lighting it will proliferate quickly. I order mine from http://www.floridapets.com  M. Maddox>

Striped Puffer (Proper Tankmates)?
I am in the planning stages of setting up a 180 to 240 gallon tall FOWLR set up.  It will have a sump the ecosystem style with lots of macro algae, also Planning on using a EuroReef skimmer.
<sounds like it will be a good set up!  using Macro algae sumps have been proven to be very effective for keeping healthy marine tanks.  Having a skimmer will be good since puffers can be very messy fish.>
       The system will be set up around a baby striped puffer Arothron something,
<Striped puffer (Arothron manilensis) also called lined toadfish, are very impressive fish.  When full grown they get between 15-20 inches, and with the bright white colors, dark stripes and long tail they definitely stand out in a tank.>
from my understanding its not a fin nipper and a bit shy in nature I gathered that from a forum and one mans opinion sp.
<That might be the case with that one man's Manilensis, but not all are that way.  I have seen these be fin nippers in tanks, nipping at long finned slow moving fish. They are shy when small, but as they mature they become more outgoing.  they are not as intense of personality as the Porcupine puffers, but not as docile as some of the dogface puffer cousins.  These fish are easy to care for, and very hardy.  Other information you need to know about these fish.  They need to feed on meaty foods, especially some with crunchy shells so it can grind down their ever-growing teeth. We generally feed squid, shrimp (the same kind people eat), mussels, and all kinds of chopped up fish to our Striped puffer.   Live fish will also be taken but should not be fed exclusively.  there is a good article here: http://reefnut.com/Puffer%20Article.htm that talks about dog-faced puffers.  the info is very similar to the puffer you want to get, so it's something you should keep on hand.>
My wife has requested a Dwarf lion and moray...I'm thinking possibly a chain link moray.
<Dwarf Lion is out.  They are small, slow moving and with venomous long spins will be a temptation to nip by the puffer.  Also, with two large fish like a moray and puffer you will most likely never see the lion out of it's cave during the day.>
      What I would like to know is what would be some great tank mates for him, when it comes to non reef safe fish I'm at a loss...mostly familiar with reef keeping...
       Fish of interest to me would be an angle preferably a non dwarf likely a queen or blue face, or imperator...just one angel.. butterflies are of interest and tangs...I know its real general....but any ideas would be of great help...
<The trick with puffers is to keep fast, large, short finned fish with them.  Or have a fish that stays tight to the ground and isn't in his swimming space like blennies.  Also it's a good idea to have fish with it that are equal in their aggressiveness.  Balances out the scale, so neither really become dominant in the tank.  Queen Angles as well as blue Face have been with Common Dogface puffers in large tanks, the people who owned the tank said that there hadn't been any problems.  though, I have witnessed some puffers try to nip at the angels fins.  Like I said each puffer seems to have their own personality.  Larger tangs work well, because they are fast enough to get away from the puffer if he should decided to nip the fins. Some Triggers are too aggressive for Arothron puffers, such as Clown triggers and Picasso.  But, given enough rockwork, and caves systems some triggers can be kept. It should be able to have their own territories with little to no problem.>
thanks for taking your time to read and respond, and keep up the great work, sincerely Roy
<I'm glad I could help, I love these fish, mine is quite a big member of the family.  take good care if you get one.  Good luck.-Magnus.>

Re: My Bloody Valentine
Hello Magnus,
<Hi Joebel>
It's nice to hear from you.  Actually, it's sad to know that my saddleback died.  
<Oh, I'm sorry for your loss.  Wish I could have responded sooner.>
I found my saddleback one morning wiggling at the bottom of my tank.  I checked it out and found that all (literally all) its fins and tail were cut. Clean circular cut marks were found on the base of its tail and fins.
<Those are the marks from a puffer attack.  They love to nip fins, in fact Valentini puffers are some of the worst culprits for fin nipping in the small Sharpnose varieties.  The small circular cuts are from the shape of the teeth of the puffer. Sadly I have seen puffers being fine with tankmates, while others of the same species will tear up tankmates for no reason.  Puffers have unique personalities, and it's hard to tell what they will be like in tanks.>
I created an ICU for it hoping that my saddleback would survive such a brutal attack.  With liquid fish supplement and "hand feeding", it lasted for two days.  Later I found out that my Canthigaster Valentini was responsible for the murder.
<I should have given you warnings of their personality.  here is an article on marine puffers, if you scroll to the bottom there is a quick paragraph dealing with the Valentini puffer. http://reefnut.com/Puffer%20Article.htm>       
Do you think it is safe to add another fish to my tank after such incident?
<No, it's apparent that your valentini is a tank aggressive.  Once you get a larger tank, you will be able to add another clown fish or small non-aggressive fish to the tank.  but in such a small situation I'm afraid your puffer will just do the same thing.>
Any suggestions?
<Get a big tank going, lots of live rocks with plenty of caves and places to hide.  then you will be able to have that fish with others with no problems.  Read the article I had given you and learn what you can about puffers.>
Regards, Joebel
<Good luck with the puffer, and I'm sorry to hear about your loss.  -Magnus>

-Puffer checks to see of those are actual chocolate chips...-
My dog-faced puffer recently attacked two chocolate chip starfish. They have numerous bite wounds, are lethargic, and not eating. Is there anything I can do for them? <Besides finding another home for the puffer? I would just leave them be, try feeding them in a few days, keep the water parameters in check, and hopefully they'll regenerate the lost body mass. Good luck! -Kevin>

Inverts for Puffers?  2/11/04
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have a 75 gallon fish and live rock aquarium with a sump and 25 gallon refugium.  My lighting consists of two standard output fluorescents.  I currently have a Cinnamon Clown, a Cuban Hogfish, and a Porcupine Puffer.  I would like to add some invertebrates, but it seems that no matter what inverts I consider, either the puffer or the Hogfish or both, consider them delicacies.  Are there any invertebrates that aren't food for my fishes?  I would really appreciate any input you can give me!
<I think the only kind you might be able to get away with are hermit crabs.  I have had luck with them.  I do have many empty shells scattered about the substrate.  I don't think the puffers notice the moving ones.>
Thanks! Don
<Good luck!  ~PP>

Coral Banded Meal
Sorry about bugging you again so soon, but I have one more quick question.  My coral banded shrimp which I've had for about 2 weeks now seems to be missing those elaborate long arms of his.  I have only seen him molt once, and he was kinda disturbed during this process--->My Valentini Puffer took a peck at him while he was shuffling out of his old shell, so he might have emerged prematurely, if that's possible.  Anyways, I'm not sure what to make of it, I noticed it only late last night.  I know he has the ability to grow them back, but is there any cause for concern?  Thanks again Peace and Chicken Grease.      -Dave H.
<Dave, no real cause for concern.  I have had Coral Banded Shrimp lose arms in the past as well; they always grow back.  But, if you're fond of him, you want to separate him from the puffer.  That puffer likely WILL eat him someday.  Cheers, Ryan>

Tang vs. Puffer? (1/11/04)
Hi, I am having a problem with my stars and stripes puffer.
<Arothron hispidus?>
I think the other fish in the tank are picking on him, the puff is about 4 inches so he isn't that big at all.
<Not compared to the 18-19" he could grow to.>
I have noticed scratches on him, which I think are from the yellow Hawaiian tang. It seems as though the tang is going up to the side of the puff and using his body to push the puff up into the rocks and wall. I also have noticed the puff is scared to come out for his normal feedings now after being bullied.
<I would be, too.>
The tang hasn't bothered him before I don't think and is basically the same size as the puff.
<Could be that the tang is deciding he wants more space.>
The other tank mates are 5 damsels, who occasionally get behind the puff and try and nip at him and the puff snaps back, a black and white striped clown, who keeps to himself, and the infamous tang.
<I don't know how large your tank is, but that's somewhat common damsel behavior from what I've heard.>
I feel really bad because the puff is not aggressive at all and won't defend himself.
<Your puffer's defense mechanism is puffing, which is usually done to deter predators -- and the tang does not generally qualify as such.>
The tang was always shy until today.
<Well, at least when you were watching....>
What should I do? Thanks
<You need to separate the two. --Ananda>

Dogface & spiny box puffers together? (1/7/04)
Hello,
<Hi! Ananda here tonight...>
I have a golden dog faced puffer Arothron nigropunctatus. (spelling, sorry)
<You were very close -- had an extra n which I removed. Kudos for knowing the Latin genus/species name, since that makes it clear which fish you have, making it much easier for us to answer your questions.>
This fish is the only fish I have in a 75 gallon tank. I was wondering if a spiny box puffer would get along with this fish.
<It's possible. Do note that these are among the more difficult ones to keep. They have a reputation for refusing food in captivity.>
I love puffers, but I hear they fight.
<Sometimes; it depends, somewhat, on the individual puffers. If you choose to try one, when you are ready to add the new puffer to the tank, rearrange the tank and make new caves. Feed your existing puff very heavily. While he's resting, divide the tank with a piece of egg crate aka light diffusing grid (ask for egg crate at a Home Depot, Loews, or the like, and they should know what you mean). Then add the second puff. If the two puffers end up trying to get at each other through the egg crate, they would likely fight if left in the tank together. If you have a local retailer you can work with, you might set something up in advance so that you can do this on a "trial" basis.>
I'm trying to find a tank mate that might be compatible.
<Dogface puffers are among the mildest of the bunch. If you're looking for another puffer, the most-likely-to-be-compatible type is the porcupine puffer -- but you would need a much bigger tank as the porcupine puffer grows. I'd actually suggest something other than a puffer for a 75 gallon tank. You might consider one of the milder triggers, or Rabbitfish, or perhaps one of the small tangs.>
Thank you for your help.  Liz
<You're quite welcome. --Ananda>

Triggers & Cows (1/4/2003)
Hey guys, great website.  I had a quick question , Can a Humu trigger and a cowfish get along in a tank?  Thanks a lot, Jon
<In a word, no. Triggerfish are aggressive feeders that will pull the food right out of other fish's mouths. I see this daily. They need to be with other aggressive feeders that can stand up to them (like my Snowflake Eel.) The cowfish will not be able to keep up. Additionally, if (when) the Trigger stresses it too much, it will release its toxic slime and everything in your tank will probably dies. Read more about cowfish on WWM. How big of a tank are you planning? Both of these fish get very big. Hope this helps, Steve Allen.>

Puffers + coral = puffers, usually
Hi, would you consider the Golden Arothron Puffer coral-safe? Thanks, Adam
<Hi Adam, Ananda here... generally, Arothron puffers will happily munch on corals. They *may* leave some soft corals alone, but hard corals will most likely get munched-on.>

Puffer + Cleaner shrimp?? (12/16/03)
Hello,
Big fans of the site  =)
<Hey, I resemble that remark! Ananda here...apologies for the delay; I just saw this.>
We are keeping a 54G swim tank of fish we saw while snorkeling in Tahiti. We realize that as the fish grow, we will have to remove some of the inhabitants due to overstocking.
<Good that you know it now...do consider setting up a "tank fund" at the bank now!>
Filtration: 1) Fluval 303 powering a reverse flow UG filter;
<Not my first, second, or even third choice for filtration in a saltwater tank. Do read up on these in the WetWebMedia pages.>
2) ViaAqua Multi Skimmer (protein skimmer/UV/power filter).
<This is something I have no experience with, and I haven't seen it either, so can't comment on... are you getting dark skimmate, at least 1/4 cup, daily?>
Salinity: 1.018. Temp: 76. Status: cycled. Live Rock: 1 lg & 2 smaller pieces.
<Initial suggestions: raise the specific gravity to at least 1.020, get more live rock, ditch the undergravel filter....>
Inhabitants: 3" porcupine puffer (name: Mr. Puffer/Puff Daddy  =); 2" Humu Humu trigger; 2 2" threadfin butterflies; 1 3" Heniochus butterfly; 2" yellow tang; 1.5" brackish spotted puffer;
<How's he doing in this specific gravity? (If he's stressed -- check the belly barometer for grey/dark markings -- try putting him in a tank with a lower specific gravity. I have yet to find any hard data about when in their life cycles the spotted puffers move into near-marine conditions, like those you have in your tank.) Do realize that he's probably going to end up chasing those long fins on some of the other fish.>
1" yellow tail blue damsel; chocolate chip star; several snails & hermit crabs (for janitorial services & food supplement).
<Glad you realize the latter. Hmmm. Start tank-shopping now; I think you're already overstocked.>
Everyone is happy in this tank & has been for about 6 weeks, we feed a wide variety of frozen Mysis, frozen brine, live ghost shrimp, frozen ghost shrimp, krill, seaweed, flake & plankton.
<Yummy.>
We are working on a small ich outbreak. The fish do not appear to be in distress, but the spots are visible. We have read extensively on this and have treated mainly by lowering the salinity to 1.012, raising the temperature to 81 and performing daily small water changes to skim off parasites from the bottom.
<Ah, good. Drop the salinity a bit more, to 1.010. Do you have a refractometer?>
We have added Greenex 2 times.
<Eek! That will likely kill all the inverts and the live rock. And I've read reports of it killing the fish, as well.>
We did some 1/3 salt and 2/3 fresh water dips on fish that had the most spots.
<You really can go with all-fresh-water, as long as you adjust the pH to what it is in your tank. That's less harmful by far than a brackish dip that has a different pH from the main tank.>
The 2 worst infected were removed to a hospital tank for copper treatment, did well & were returned. We almost have this beaten by now.
<Okay...keep in mind that the absence of spots does not mean the absence of the parasite from the tank!>
Would it be safe for the puffer to add a cleaner shrimp/wrasse for the duration of this outbreak?
<Nope. The cleaner shrimp would likely get eaten, and the wrasse would likely fare poorly.>
The butterflies lean up against the live ghost shrimp as if waiting to be cleaned. We are fully aware of the danger to the shrimp, but are mainly concerned with the puffer (he's one of our best friends  =)  we have heard that cleaners might bother the skin of the puffer.
<After you deal with the ich, use some heavy-duty chemical filtration to get the gunk from the Greenex out of that tank. I would try a good activated carbon first, then a Polyfilter. Then you could split the puffers and trigger off into their own tank and get a couple of cleaner shrimp for the other tank. (The live rocks you have are likely dead...but could probably be used in the puffer/trigger tank, where the inverts are going to be snacks anyhow.)>
Thx!!! You're the best  =)
<Thanks so much for the kind words. --Ananda>
Michael & Patty
Phx, AZ

Angel and dogface... is the angel acting the devil? (10/16/03)
Hi there,
<Hi! Ananda here tonight...>
I have searched your site (which by the way is fantastic!) until my eyes have hurt and I have not seen what I am after so I am just gonna go ahead and ask.
<That's what we're here for... thanks for the kind words about the site.>
I have a Dogface Puffer, about 5 or so inches in length. I have owned him now for approximately 7 months and have not had a single problem with him. He is in a 150 gallon tank with a Queen Angel and Niger trigger. The tank has been up and running for close to 1 1/2 years.
<Cool. I'm glad you've got a good-sized tank for them...you might, eventually, need something bigger for the queen angel and the Niger trigger. The angel can get to 18"; the trigger, 20".>
Just 3 days ago I noticed that the Queen was "picking" at the underside of the puffer. I thought this was odd since the puffer is supposed to not taste very good, but I have also heard that the Queen Angel will also act like a cleaner fish and pick at parasites, is this true?
<My first reaction was "*blink* Say what?" But I hit the Dailies page, dutifully typed "queen angel" (with quotes) in the Google search box at the bottom of the page... the first hit is the main queen angel page. I read that, then went to the FAQ, did a page search on the word "clean", and found this tidbit from Anthony: "...many such Angels eat parasites (as cleaner fish) as juveniles, mucho algae as subadult and anything they darn well please as grumpy adults...." So now my question is, how big/old is your queen angel? Is it still in the juvenile stage? Or does it have adult coloration? If it's an adult, I'd put this down to aggression rather than cleaning.>
Upon closer inspection of my Puffer I noticed a small white spot on his belly, almost like he had rubbed himself on something. The next day when I fed them he did not eat like his normal self and perched on one of the powerheads.
<Hmmm. A safer perch, perhaps?>
I kept my eyes peeled for any other signs, nothing appeared until yesterday morning when I noticed on the base of his dorsal fin a weird white pattern of spots, very condensed. Then he swam past and showed me his other side and just along his jaw line was about a 1/2 inch long by an 1/8 inch width this same pattern of white spots, again very condensed. The strange thing is that they are indented, not like ich which looks like someone has "salted" the fish. I have never seen anything like this.
<I have seen white, indented spots only twice. Once was from a bite...the other was when I used the wrong water for top-off of my brackish puffer tank. It hadn't been dechlorinated (Doh!) and the puffers had a few spots like this, but scattered around their bodies. (Fortunately I hadn't used much of the tap water, and I caught it fairly quickly!) But if this is only on the puffer, I'm thinking it's more likely a symptom of bites.>
I moved him into a 35 gallon hospital tank yesterday morning with a dose of receiver II in it.
<That's a product I've not heard of before... what company makes it? All my Google searches are turning up radio and GPS products.>
I have yet to treat him with any meds, because I am unable to find any info on what this is or might possibly be. He is not breathing hard, his other tank mates show no signs of illness what so ever.
<I would consider using Melafix to prevent any secondary infection...beyond that, it sounds like a wait-and-see situation. Feed him good stuff, preferably soaked in Selcon.>
As for the water, all checked out A-OK except for my ph being low (which I began buffering prior to any of the spotting on the Puffer.) and as for food, well they get the best I can afford. On a regular diet of Formula 1&2, frozen; krill, Mysis, silversides, Spectrum Thera+A pellets and then from the fish department at the grocery store they are fed Sea Scallops, Tilapia, Prawns, Clams and Squid and also get an every other daily dose of dried seaweed suction cupped to the side of their tank.
<Can I come over for dinner? ;-) >
I was thinking vitamin deficiency, but where would that come from???
<If your puffer is eating both the Formula 1 & 2, and the Spectrum, and the veggies, I can't imagine.>
I am at a loss, unless perhaps the Queen Angel has been picking on him in a really particular pattern?  
<Sounds bizarre, but I can't think of anything else that would make sense.>
I am going crazy trying to figure out the best way to help my "Chompers". He is my lil buddy. I hope y'all can help out. Thanks so much.
Lindie Montgomery
<I do hope this helps, and invite anyone with any more ideas to send us an email! --Ananda>

- Canary Wrasse Disappearance -
Hello all:
I just added 2 canary wrasses to my 125G FOw/oLR. As the tanks at the LFS did not have sand beds, both wrasses happily dove into the gravel when introduced on Sunday afternoon. Both made an appearance on Monday afternoon and both ate well.
However, I have not seen either wrasse since Monday. I read the articles on the website that stated that these wrasses may hide for two or three days, but this time period seems unusually long. <Not for new introductions...> How are they surviving if I feed the tank while they are buried? <They are likely going hungry for the moment.> Do you think that they will appear in due course? <I do hope so, but you might also check the floor behind the tank. These fish can fly through the air with the greatest of ease... need to keep your tank well covered to prevent accidental loss.>
As always, your input in valued.
Thanks,
Mitch
&l