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FAQs about True Puffer Compatibility
Related Articles: Puffers in General,
Puffer Care and Information,
A Saltwater Puffer Primer: Big Pufferfish! by Mike Maddox,
True Puffers,
Freshwater Puffers,
Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes,
Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers,
Boxfishes,
Puffer Care and Information
by John (Magnus) Champlin,
Things That My Puffers Have Told Me by Justin Petrey,
Related FAQs: True Puffers 1,
True Puffers 2, True Puffers 3,
Tetraodont Identification,
Tetraodont Behavior, Tetraodont
Selection, Tetraodont Systems,
Tetraodont Feeding, Tetraodont
Disease, Tetraodont Reproduction,
Puffers in General,
Puffer Selection, Puffer Behavior,
Puffer Systems,
Puffer Feeding,
Puffer Disease,
Puffer Dentistry,
Puffer Reproduction,
Freshwater Puffers,
Burrfishes/Porcupinefishes,
Tobies/Sharpnose Puffers,
Boxfishes | 
Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider
1801), the Blackspotted Puffer.
|
|
Good possibilities: some of the Moray eels,
Hawkfish, Tangs, Triggerfish, Dwarf Angelfish, any of the bigger
Blennies, a Harlequin Tuskfish, Wrasses, Filefish and one of the
tougher Clownfish. |
My Two Favorite Fish
Dog-Faced Puffer Compatibility -- 10/19/2009
Hey Bob, (or whoever happens to get this)
<Hey Tyler! JustinN here, for the great and mighty Bob! (You'd think
he'd be full of ego with all the boosting us volunteers do around here!
;)>
Have a quick question. Under any possible Circumstances do you think it
is possible to house my two favorite fish? A Dog Faced Puffer and a
Jawfish (no specific species of Jawfish)
<If the tank is large enough, I would think it could work -- the puffer
is more likely to occupy the upper half of the tank, so their paths
wouldn't likely cross real often once established.>
I was thinking with a deep enough sand base and a elaborate Rock
aquascape, that would provide the Jawfish with enough cover to build a
comfortable home while not pestering the Puffer?
<This sounds about right, but again, the caveat here is going to be tank
size -- the Dog-faced Puffer can get up to 16 inches, so you'd need a
very sizable tank to fit it comfortably -- would be a pretty lonely tank
with only a Jawfish and a puffer! ;)>
Bob, your book is great! i read it cover to cover over a weekend with my
highlighter! Thanks so much!
<It really is one of the best reference books around, isn't it? Let us
know if you have any more questions! -JustinN>
Tyler
Puffer ques., incomp. with large angel 12/22/08
HI, I have a 10" Mapp puffer that has been picked on by a juv emp. angel
that recently joined him in the tank.
<Happens...>
The angel used
to just pick at him once in a while, but it has gotten drastically
worse.
<These animals need to be separated. Stat!>
The puffer's
belly is now riddled with eraser sized bites that look like they are
becoming infected. I moved him to the fug' , and he is still eating, but
I am worried. I will make up a quarantine tank tomorrow.
<Is this
larger than the refugium? If not I would not move this fish... too
likely to be even more stressful, polluted...>
With out looking at
the fish, can you give me some insight as to what my next step should
be? A dip of some sort?
<Mmm yes... and no dip. Just time going by
in better circumstances>
The display tank is too big to treat and
filled with live rock. Because he is eating and not showing any signs of
distress, I don't want to treat with anything too severe, I just need a
plan of attack, as to divert any chances of this becoming worse. Thanks,
Marc
<Another happier place. Bob Fenner>
Livestocking/Lessons learned... Tetraodont Puffer, clean-up-crew
palatability/incompatibility 12/15/08
Happy Holidays Folks,
I know the answers to my questions are probably
somewhere within this site... But I can't seem to find the section that
sits you down and says, "It's okay, Jonny... It's a lot more work than
you anticipated, but it IS worth it. Look how much you've learned, so
far... Now, put the sledgehammer down".
<Heee eee eee, yikes!>
I
had written a few weeks ago... You were very helpful in guiding me
through a few situations: Overcame an imaginary bout with Crypt. I
re-aquascaped and increased the depth in my sandbed to 5", in the
display tank. Also increased the flow/turnover to about 20X. I also
managed to kill a Foxface, Louti and Panther Groupers in the process,
although the jury is out as to whether or not WWM is directly
responsible for the tragedy (kidding). Since the deaths occurred in a
Rubbermaid container and not in the tank... And since the Humu Trigger
simply neglected to succumb to whatever killed the other fish (we never
could quite figure this out - Myself and WWM, included)... And since all
else was well in the tank... I decided to get some more fishes and
Quarantine them (novel idea, eh?).Now when this journey began, I managed
to convince my girlfriend to let me set up a little goldfish tank (I
believe she may have been imagining a 10g).
Through much further
convincing/rationalizing/begging/negotiating, we ended up with the
current 100g, 30g wet/dry sump, AquaC Remora, 100+lbs LR... She didn't
like Corals or really Invertebrates. So, it was to be FOWLR. Then she
saw the algae bloom. LFS set us up with two Electric Blue Hermits (this
was when we had tiny Humu, Foxface, and the two Groupers. No problems
with compatibility (Yet... Humu was 1 1/2"). Then we added three jumbo
Turbo Snails. Girlfriend loves them. We also had a nice colony of
Zoanthids that showed up as hitchhikers on LR. Then we lost the Groupers
and Foxface.
So, after Quarantine and verifying Tank was stable
(still is - 0 for Ammonia and Nitrite, PH 8.2 and Nitrates about 10ppm),
we added the one fish I truly, truly wanted... A 4" Striped Dogface
Puffer. And a new 3" Panther Grouper. And a 4" Bi-Colored Goatfish. Now,
the Humu is just about 2". Here's my problem... Although I was not
planning on being entirely dependent on a "Clean-up Crew" for aesthetic
maintenance, the benefit of those Snails was immediately apparent. And
My Girlfriend has become quite fond of the Hermits. Just in case you
didn't see this coming... It took the Puffer two days to find the Coral
Polyps. To say that Puffers "May nip Corals" is a tad understating, in
my new-found experience... Entire chunks of rock have been bitten clean
off.
<Ah yes>
My dreaded Aiptasia (that I have not quite come to
dread, yet), all gone.
And, of course, the real carnage was yet to
come... I awoke this morning to find a pile of Electric Blue Hermit
appendages scattered across the sand.
Also, a Turbo snail that had
been only moderately sampled, but is still in tact. Now, I have no
problem sticking with Plan A - FOWLR... A Puffer, Grouper, Trigger and a
Goatfish. Heck, I may even throw in a small shoal of Striped or Domino
Damsels and have a nice, well-rounded SOB-OWLR. But she likes (liked)
the Hermits and the Snails. And so did I. I also wanted a Cleaner Shrimp
, but that ain't a'happenin in this here arrangement. So, I guess my
question is, do I get rid of the Puffer?
<Likely so... or... another
tank/system!>
Try not to look at this just as an Aquarist, but also a
conscientious boyfriend... And if I do return him, am I going to end up
in the same boat as the Trigger grows in size and attitude?
<Perhaps
so... but less likely to a degree>
By the way, so far, he has not
displayed any aggression towards any fish or invertebrates... Unless you
count the vendetta against the oblivious Goatfish. I am waiting to see
if either the Goat will learn to stay away from the Triggers cave or the
Trigger will give up on asserting himself. Am I wrong in waiting this
out?
<Mmm, no... these fishes are capable of said learning>
There
is clearly some one-sided hate going on here. I don't know what to do.
Toss a coin? Two tanks of any significant size is not an option.
<Rats!>
Sorry, again, for incorporating my personal problems. Any
arbitrary advice would be greatly appreciated. Jonny
<I'd trade the
puffer in likely... Bob Fenner>
Arothron + Echinoid; no guesses for what happens next...
9/9/08
Hello WetWeb crew,
<Hi,>
i seem to be having a
slight problem. my dogface puffer keeps taking bites out of my urchin.
<Natural diet of these fish. Sea urchins are to pufferfish what mice are
to cats.>
i kept waving my hand in front of the glass whenever the
puffer got close to him again but obviously i cant sit at the tank all
day waving my hand.
<Indeed not.>
i like the puffer a lot and i
also happen to like this urchin a good deal. the urchin has since
covered itself in crushed liverock and seems to be hiding in the corner.
should i be worried at all?
<Well, "worried" is not perhaps the word
I'd use. Arothron hispidus eats echinoderms, and indeed any and all
mobile invertebrates. He'll thoroughly enjoy the tasty innards of the
urchin, especially the ovaries which have a delightful texture and
flavour. If you're concerned that the sea urchin shouldn't be viewed as
live food, it will obviously need to be re-homed.>
thanks for the
help,
-josh
<One of those instances where reading before
purchasing would have helped. Most any book should have made clear that
combining Tetraodontiformes with the Echinodermata was asking for
trouble (at least from the perspective of the sea urchin!). Cheers,
Neale.>
Eel <comp.> and Dissolved Oxygen Problems. – 8/8/8
Hi Crew,
<Hello Adam.>
Let me thank you in advance for the great site and
your help with my concerns.
I have scoured over your FAQs but
haven't found the answers to my question.
I'm a relative newbie
to the marine aquarium hobby and have certainly made more than my
fair share of mistakes thus far. I cycled my tank for six weeks with
live rock and have had fish in there for a little more than five
weeks. So my tank is almost three months old.
I have had two
weeks of hell with my aquarium. I have resolved most issues so I
will not waste your time going over everything that has happened. I
have two main concerns I need help with, but will go over the basics
first.
Set-up:
100 gallon FOWLR tank
2 Emperor 400 Filters
65 lbs of live rock
100lbs of sand
Inhabitants:
2ft zebra
moray eel
10in snowflake eel
1 1/4in dwarf lionfish
<Might
become prey to the snowflake, when it gets older.>
1 1/4in fu man
chu lionfish
3/4in sphex lionfish
1in flame angel
2in
starry-eyed puffer
<Arothron stellatus? Not recommended for any
tank smaller than 1000 (one thousand) gallons. This fish can reach
30 inches for sure and was even reported at almost 50 inches in
nature.>
3 1/2in giant Hawkfish
<When all these fish grow it
will be too much for your tank. You’ll likely run into water quality
and stress problems.>
Water Conditions:
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite
= 0
Nitrate = 15ppm
PH = 8.1
Temp = 78-81F relatively
constant
Problem #1
Yesterday morning on my way out to work I
saw my dog whining next my aquarium. I look in the tank and my zebra
moray eel is not in there. Somehow he figured out how to get out of
the tank, and probably fell about four feet onto hard tile. (I have
since thoroughly secured my lid)
<Good, that’s recommended for
all moray eels and most other eel shaped fishes.>
My guess is he
was out of the water for at least an hour but I don't know exactly.
To my surprise he was still alive all be it a bit dried up and
dirty. Anyways, I grabbed him ran some fresh water from the faucet
over him to remove dirt and dead skin from him. He lost a lot of
skin and slime. I put him back in the tank and had to go to work.
When I got home he was still alive. Actually all things considered
not doing too bad. He is obviously very stressed and isn't moving
around much at all, but he is able to move. Considering the skin
loss he hasn't lost much color, and eyes look fine. Only the very
tip of his tail is whitish probably dead skin I could easily remove
but I've been trying to just leave him alone and relax. All day
yesterday he was breathing very heavily. Today his breathing seems
to have returned to about normal. Although he is able to move, parts
of his body don't look quite right. I fear he may have some internal
injuries from the fall. I'm optimistic he is going to pull through,
but cant be certain.
<You did everything right and also your dog
seems to be educated very well, because he did not kill or carry
away the eel.>
Yesterday I did a 25 gallon water change so I
could vacuum up any excess dead skin in tank and also I figured his
recovery would be aided by as high quality of water as I could
provide.
<Very good.>
The local fish store person advised
that I put this stuff called Melafix Marine into the tank to help
prevent a bacterial infection on his skin. I put the first dose in
there yesterday but all the other fish seemed not to like it much. I
guess my question is in your opinion do you think that I should
continue with the Melafix treatment? After watching my other fish's
reaction to it I'd prefer to just keep monitoring water conditions
and do water changes as needed and discontinue the treatment. It
says that stuff is all natural and safe to use in tank but after
reading your site I'm very hesitant to add anymore of it. I would
appreciate any advice you could offer on this situation.
<The
recovery can take several months, you’ll need some patience. I would
not rely on the product you are using, but rather on good water
quality and, when he starts eating again (can take a while, he went
through a lot of stress), a vitamin enriched, varied food.>
Problem #2
For the past week or so I have been noticing that some
of my fish seem to have a bit of laboured breathing.
<I’m not
surprised seeing your stocking list and setup.>
My Hawkfish
especially has been spending much of his time up near the surface
and filters, also I notice the flame angel and the eels poking their
heads out of the top of the water. So my concern is that my tank has
poor dissolved oxygen levels.
<You can bet so.>
But with my
eels I have to keep my tank lid tight and secure.
<Right. People
with morays in coral reef tanks and strong illumination often apply
nets, eggcrate and meshes instead of lids.>
I suspect that this
may be the culprit of the poor oxygen. (Actually that may be the
reason the eel escaped?)
<Possible, but we’ll never know for
sure. Does it have enough shelter? Does the other moray or any other
fish stress him out?>
I really have no idea how to improve this
being that I have to keep the lid closed tight. I tried putting my
powerhead back in the tank to improve water flow but the currents
are way to strong for my small fish.
<You could get two or three
smaller ones with large outlets like Koralia or Tunze NanoStream
models. They'll produce a soft current, but still sufficient surface
agitation.>
Could you please advise me of the safest and most
economical way to improve my dissolved oxygen content considering my
lid issues. Is there any way to test for dissolved oxygen
concentration?
<Yes, dissolved oxygen can be tested (e.g. liquid
test by Salifert), but usually you do not need this test. What I
would do is: 1: Re-think the combination and number of fish in your
tank. It should be reduced. I know this is no advice one wants to
hear, but believe this will be inevitable to get a stable system in
your case. 2: A skimmer will drastically increase the dissolved
oxygen and also reduce the organic pollution, which additionally
inhibits the uptake of oxygen into the blood of the fishes. I would
modify the lid to be able to use a skimmer or install an overflow
and a refugium/sump with a skimmer (see WWM re). The second
possibility would be more expensive, but also more beneficial. 3.
Small powerheads pointing towards the surface will increase surface
agitation and consequently gaseous exchange. Small diagonally
arranged holes in the back of the lid as well as opening the lid,
when you are at home will help to exchange the air above the water.>
Thank you again for all you help and hard work! Adam
<I hope the
suggestions above will help. Cheers, Marco.>
Re: Eel and Dissolved Oxygen Problems. + a new problem, eel/puffer
incomp. incident – 8/9/08
Hello Again Crew
<Hi Adam.>
Thanks for the advice Marco. I'm trying to figure out what would be
best to do.
<You are welcome.>
I had another big problem arise
last night. While my zebra eel was relaxing and recovering last
night my starry puffer (Yes, an Arothron stellatus) began viciously
attacking his tail areas.
<A common problem of puffer/Arothron
combinations, especially when the moray becomes sick/weak.>
It
was not like a threat display he was biting him hard, as if he
thought my eel was food. I immediately removed the puffer to a trash
can and put a power head in there for overnight. That was extremely
frustrating being that two have lived together for almost five weeks
and have never had a problem.
<That’s not a long time. Let’s
talk about successful tank mates in a year and again in a few
years.>
While I would like to believe this was an isolated
incident that will go away if I reintroduce the puffer, my gut tells
me there is no way it will work in the future.
<My gut agrees.
There is no chance this fish will work in your tank.>
And based
on your advice here is my tentative plan.
1) Return the puffer to
the LFS (eliminates aggression and stress for my other fish, also he
eats the most and excretes the most so removing him will reduce the
bioload on my system, and like you said he will grow to be giant
sized so won't be suitable for my tank in the future anyways).
<I
absolutely agree with you. The puffer does not fit in there.>
2)
Buy a protein skimmer and figure how to outfit my tank with it
(Hopefully, help with water quality and dissolved oxygen issues you
mentioned).
<I’d first figure out how to outfit the tank and then
buy an appropriate model. See WWM re different skimmer types and
models. If you have the funds available go for a refugium/sump, this
will give you the possibility to apply a DSB (deep sand bed, see
WWM) and increase the water volume. Other skimmers will work too in
terms of oxygen and protein removal.>
Sound like a reasonable
plan for the short term?
<Yes.>
With respect to my fish
combination and bioload. Like you said, yes that is the most
disheartening advice to hear as I love my fish I have. I am least
willing to part with my zebra eel, Hawkfish (I realize at some point
he will be too big for the tank but would prefer to keep him as long
as possible) and my lionfish. So maybe just see how it goes with all
my fish minus the puffer?
Do you think with a skimmer the
remaining fish could become a stable system?
<Short term: yes,
but long term (when your fish are grown): no. As you note the
Hawkfish will have to go, and you likely will have to choose between
keeping the snowflake eel and the dwarf lion and flame angel in the
long run, although the latter combination might be solved by the
snowflake eel itself when it reaches maturity. I guess the eel will
leave the two slightly larger lion species alone, and although their
stingers are a danger to the moray, this might work.>
Thanks
again for your input! Adam
<Cheers, Marco.> |
75g stocking question, Large Puffers 7/31/08
Is there any sort of
stocking option for a 75g that would include a dogface puffer or
Arothron manilensis (sp?)?
<Arothron manilensis. Not in my opinion,
too large, messy.>
If so, are there any other fish I could place with
it, as well?
<Both of these are pretty even tempered for puffers, but
I would still be wary of small fish.>
I do plan on upgrading again
(don't we all?!), but I don't want to bank on that. Who knows what
tomorrow brings.
<Right approach, stock for what you have now.>
I
have a 75g FOWLR (may try my hand w/ a few leathers, etc).
<These
puffers may sample corals.>
Wet/Dry (w/ bioballs) - maybe soon to be
20g refugium, protein skimmer and 75-100 lbs live sand, and 75-100lbs of
live rock.
Please let me know.
Thanks
<I would wait until you
have a larger tank, puffers are just too big and messy. Also due to
puffer's high intelligence they need more room, stimulation, that what
you can achieve in a 75.>
<Chris>
Dog faced / Porcupine puffer, comp. 06/30/08
Hello,
I
have a 10cm dog faced puffer just finishing quarantine and going into my
900 gallon main tank.
<Finally a Dogface puffer in a tank with
sufficient size!>
I have also bought a 25cm porcupine puffer which
will of course be going into the quarantine tank once vacated by the
doggie. In addition to the main tank, I have a 185 gallon tank on the
same system. Will I be able to put the puffers together in the main tank
or should I put one of them in the 185g tank? The main tank is very
under stocked so there is a lot of room.
<I am assuming your
porcupine puffer is a Diodon holocanthus (?). Unless you have an
unusually aggressive Porcupine puffer (or extremely nippy Dogface) they
should get along fine in your main tank, especially since the larger
fish is added last. I would certainly watch their first meetings and
feedings, though.>
Thanks again, James.
<Cheers and good luck.
Marco.> Dogface Puffer Tank Size and
Compatibility 4/22/07
Hello,
<Hi there>
I have a
question or two about a Yellowbelly Dogface Puffer. These things are
the coolest looking fish ever.
<They sure are!>
I was wondering
what size tank this fish could live in when it was full grown.
<A
minimum of 100g, but bigger would be better. This fish can get to be a
good 12 inches in length and they are not only long but wide, sort of
football shaped. Tank size would also depend on any other fish you
decide to keep with your puffer. The more fish the bigger the tank needs
to be.>
Also I was wondering what size would work for about 4 years
or when would he reach full size.
<Well, that depends on how big he
is now. I have seen some as small as an inch in the LFS and others to 6
inches and more. Growth rates vary depending on tank size, feeding
schedules and amounts, tank temperature and water parameters.>
Also
if there are any bold enough fish to live with him when he is full
grown.
<Sure there are many to choose from...some of the Moray eels,
Hawkfish, Tangs, Triggerfish, Dwarf Angelfish, any of the bigger
Blennies, a Harlequin Tuskfish, Wrasses, Filefish and one of the tougher
Clownfish.>
Thanks Mary
<Your welcome, Leslie Dogface
puffer, comp., sys. - 04/20/07
Hi,
<Morning>
I’ve seen a 10"golden dogface puffer in my LFS, are these fish
compatible with Ocellaris clown fish?
<A puffer this size couldn’t
really be trusted with such an attractive meal>
My set up consists
of a 60" x 30" x 24"(144 us gallon) tank with 3 Aquamedic Biostarr
filter/skimmers, an undergravel filter with power head, sander ozonizer
and live rock. Currently I have only 2 ocellaris clown fish (about
2.5"), If I add the puffer fish would I be able to keep a Harlequin
Tuskfish, and a large angel (either Emperor or Maculosus) as well? I
don’t want to make any expensive mistakes.
<All of the fish listed,
with exception of the Harlequin Tusk, would outgrow a tank of this size.
The puffer would need at the very minimum a 180gallon tank, the Emperor;
280 gallons and around the same again for the Maculosus. Sorry to be the
bearer of bad news, but these really are very large fish. I would look
at some of the smaller tangs as any large Angel requires upwards of 250
gallons to sustain it for any measurable time>
Thanks Kev
<Sorry
Kev, hope I’ve saved you a good sum of money though. Olly>
Arothron and SPS - 5/2/2006
Hello All,
<<Hello Craig.>>
I am interesting in purchasing an all black Arothron nigropunctatus to
place in a 200 gallon tank (after a vigorous 4 week quarantine period)
with my other fishes.
<<Sounds nice, and it’s nice to hear QT!>>
All my other fishes are reef safe, and my bioload will not be upset by
this fish.
<<OK<>
Once he has been acclimated to his new diet
(four daily mixed pellet feedings of Thera+A and Vita-Diet from two
different auto feeders; 3 times weekly homemade frozen with Mysis,
Cyclop-eeze, Natu-rose, Spirulina, Selcon, vita-chem, Nori, krill,
plankton, squid and clams; live Mysis and copepods from refugium as
well), I would give him at least 6 months to love his new diet.
<<Do
be sure not to over feed, and offer plenty of crunchy foods to wear down
his dental plates.>>
Then comes the idea that I have been playing
around with--adding two or three different colored plating species of
Montipora capricornis and a nice yellow specimen of Porites cylindrica
(I do have the proper lighting and more than enough water movement). I
would appreciate any comments on chances of success, or modifications to
improve on any chances of success. I do not have to have these corals,
but they are my favorite and it would be great to add them to my tank
with all of my marvelous fishes.
<<Corals and puffers together is
always a gamble. Some will chomp them to bits, others will never touch
them. The entire family is quite curious, and will sample/chomp on many
things. My best advice to you is to watch closely, and be prepared to
choose one or the other, should a problem arise. You may have better
luck adding the Arothron after the corals, as to not highlight their
addition/existence. Also note that shrimps, bivalves, clams and such
will more than likely fall prey to the puffer in no time. All that
said, ultimately it is up to the fish how tolerant/intolerant they are,
and if you do decide to go this route, it’s your job to be prepared to
remove the puffer or the corals to other proper accommodations if need
be. Good luck my friend!>>
Thank you for your comments. I
appreciate your time and knowledge.
-Craig
<<Glad to help.
Lisa.>> Nano Pack
<lunch> 4/9/06
Hi my name is mason and i have a 27 gallon
nano-cube with a dogface puffer, 2 left-footed hermit crab, and 1
margarita snail. I was wondering if i can buy this pack with;
Scarlet Hermit Crab: 5 Blueleg Hermit
Crab: 5 Turbo/Astrea Snail: 10 Nassarius Snail: 5 Queen
Conch - Aquacultured: 2
<Hello there Mason, I don't see why you
couldn't get this pack. Some have problems with a queen conch in a tank
that small. Do your research on them on the website and then you can
make an education decision on if you want to risk it. Other than that
it seems a go. Thanks, Jen S.? <<Jen... a Dogface Puffer in a 27 gallon
nano tank? And... it will eat all these... assuredly. RMF who suspects
you didn't see/register the Arothron here>>
Thank You
SOLD OUT
Click her to contact the site
owner about this product. -->
My puffer
bit my eel 12/13/05
Hello wetweb.
<Holy hello it's
Michael Maddox with you today - have had zero time for 'ol WWM as of
late :(>
I'm hoping you can suggest some remedies to help my poor
snowflake eel. He was burrowing under the rocks in the tank and
scraped himself up pretty good. Most of these wounds were healing, but
the other day my stars and stripes puffer decided to bite him.
Now the poor eel has a couple of puffer mouth sized wounds on his back
and they're not looking so great. Do you have any suggestions
for treating these wounds. I'm moving him to an isolation tank, but
i think his wounds could use some more active treatment as opposed
to hoping they heal.
<I would treat him with a broad spectrum
antibiotic (make sure to dose appropriately and do not cease treatment
early per mfg instructions) and keep him well fed. Provide him places
to hide (PVC tubes work perfectly) and monitor the water quality
carefully. He should heal fine. Might I recommend putting him in a
separate aquarium, and\or finding one of them a new home in the
future? I can guarantee you this will happen again>
thanks
<Anytime>
Dan
<M. Maddox>
Tang Injured 11/19/05
Hi,
Can you please offer some advise for my Powder Brown Tang. Last
night it was bitten by my Stars and Stripes Puffer who is much
larger. They both went for the same piece of food and the Tang was
bitten in the mouth. Its mouth appears to be pushed over the side and
deformed and bloody.
<Not good>
He immediately went to the back of
the tank. This morning I put some flake in and he tried to eat but his
mouth does not open nor is normal. It is pushed over to the side. Is
there anything that can be done to save my Tang? Please help.
Thanks... Sherry
<Not likely anything can be done... other than wait,
hope for some "miracle" self-cure. Bob Fenner>
Multi-Puffers 1/4/2005
Hello
<Well Hiya there.>
I was
wondering if I could keep a Valentini Puffer, Green Spotted Puffer and a
Stars and Stripes Puffer together in a 50 gallon saltwater aquarium with
live rock, sand and crushed coral. Any suggestions would be appreciated
thanks
<Well I would surely omit the Stars and Stripes, the potential
size of this creature alone warrants at least a 200 gallon tank. As far
as the other two; you're at about the minimum tank size for them. And as
compatibility goes they may or not get-along. In short it's a gamble as
Toby can be quite nippy at times and I have met a few GSP's who are just
downright nasty as far as aggression. Adam J.> Re: dogface w/
clown trigger? 9/8/05
Thanks a ton for your help.... we
went ahead and separated the two guys, I think it's better to be safe
than sorry. The Clown Trigger is alone in a
120g and the Dog Face
Puffer is in another 120 with a couple clown fish (mated pr), a yellow
tang, 6-line wrasse, and a Toby (Canthigaster
jactator)**sp?. these
are the permanent homes... do you think the Dog Face will eventually
need a larger aquarium? he's about 6-7" right now, but I've
read /
heard conflicting opinions on the proper aquarium size. you're the
greatest!
-Liz
>>>Hello again Liz!
I'm very happy to be of
service to you!
You should be fine with that tank. These fish rarely
reach maximum size in captivity anyway.
Cheers
Jim<<<
Reef and puffer 9/5/05
Hello gurus of the wet world!
You folks are my saving grace and today I am in need of a rescue... if
you will.
I have a 70g FOWLR and am converting it to a reef. It has
been up for 18 months and all levels are fine.
The question
is?????????
I have a sweet spotted puffer who does not eat snails or
little fishes, I never fed her live food, she even lets me pet her. I
would like to keep her in a reef environment. Anything I should know? I
can't seem to find any info on the subject. Help!
Ellen
<Is this
a Toby... a Canthigaster species? If so, it may only take occasional
small chunks out of sessile invertebrates, eat your smaller crustaceans,
worms, and mollusks... a larger tetraodont species will be more
problematical... eating more, and more randomly, as well as producing
large amounts of waste. Bob Fenner>
Re: reef and puffer
9/7/05
Bob,
Thanks for the quick reply. The puffer in
question is a Arothron nigropunctatus
Yes, The waste is a large
quantity.
I am running a Eheim pro and the tank is clear as a bell,
there is also a skimmer that is rated for a 150g.
I am thinking of
hooking up my Eheim 2215 as a supplement or investing in a wet dry. if I
have to........
<Will need more... filtration, aeration,
circulation>
Space is limited.
SO Guru of the deep.. how will
this species fair?
Ellen
<Likely to munch on some of your
reef... as stated previously, crustaceans beware! Mollusks, worms...
even cnidarians. Bob Fenner>
Blackspot puffer... ?
8/24/05
Hello guys.
First I wanted to say thank you for
pointing out how pathetic most LFS's are.
<They, we are "all just
human"...>
I've been reading your site for months, and I'm glad to
have found a reliable info source. I do have one question that I
haven't been able to find an answer. Can 2 Blackspot puffers get along
in the same aquarium?
<What species is this?>
And one more
question if I may... I have stopped purchasing fish all together for my
LFS's with exceptions of rare finds... I bought a Mappa Puffer... (we
love puffers if you cant tell) and he didn't make it.... I'm assuming
from the copper treatment the LFS provided before I could get to
him... The LFS assured me that he would be fine, so when I called back
to let them know he didn't make it, they asked me my acclimation
procedure... I spent about 2 hours acclimating using roughly 15% water
additions to the bag every 15 minutes until the volume doubled. Then
dumped half and repeated the same process. The LFS said that that's
what caused his passing.... is that true?
<Doubtful>
Thank you
for all the help you've given me.
-Mel
<Most puffers are best
kept one to a tank... their respective compatibilities can be read re on
WWM. Bob Fenner> Re: Blackspot puffer 8/25/05
The puffers
are Arothron nigropunctatus (dog face? black spot?) I have two.. one
about 2.5" and the other 6" they are both in separate quarantine now
due to an indestructible ich outbreak in 3 aquariums simultaneously...
<Yikes, no fun>
the 2 quarantines are 55's side by side... there is
considerable excitement between the two of them, and that's why I was
wondering if they'd get along together...
<Maybe... but can/could
change in a very short period of time>
I have read conflicting
opinions..... so I guess maybe just leave them separate to be
safe....? I'm attempting for the first time the 2 front attack (from
WWM) for ich.... however 4 of the 6 fish in quarantine are scale less...
what is the BEST alternative for copper...?
<Depends... on the
species involved, your set-ups, the time you want to put into probable
cures... quinine drugs, simple vacuuming... elevated temperature,
reduced spg... Bob Fenner>
thanks again for your wisdom.
-Mel
Fugu questions 8/18/05
<Hi there! Heather (LinearChaos)
here> At my LFS there are 4 3" Takifugu rubripes. They are in horrible
condition. Instead of being green with neon orange they are silver and
a dingy brick red. <The Takifugu rubripes is not a puffer that is sold
in the trade, this is actually a species that is eaten as a delicacy in
Japan. The puffer you are describing is the Takifugu ocellatus.> They
are also ungodly cheap ($15 a piece). <Wow! That is cheap!> I was
wondering for now would a 30 gallon tank be big enough for now. I have
no problem upgrading later. I have no experience with these guys. <No,
this species is extremely aggressive toward their own and 4 in a 30g
won't last but a week. They'll nip each other to death almost
immediately since they will not be able to get away from each other in
that size tank and cannot establish territories.> I am aware of how
hard they are to keep in captivity. Also there is very little
information on these puffers. Do you know what salinity, hardness,
temperature, etc... they prefer. Any help would be great. <I have
successfully kept 3 of these puffers in an established full marine
environment for over a year, the salinity is 1.019 and the temp is
82*F. The tank is 55g and is heavily stocked with live rock to break up
the lines of sight as much as possible to reduce aggression. Please, if
you are unable to care for these puffers appropriately do not purchase
them. ~Heather> Logan Re: Titan Trigger
Hi Rob,
<Hello
Kel>
You think I should try and put my gold puffer with the Titan?
The scientific name that you mentioned below for the puffer is xanthic
Arothron meleagris, correct? The puffer is 8 inches. :) Kelly
<I
would likely try this... for both their company, interaction... Both
about the same in terms of nutrition (messy, meaty...) and temperament.
The scientific name for the Guinea Fowl Puffer is A. meleagris, the term
xanthic ("yellow") refers to an absence of melanin (black color) in your
"sport mutation" specimen. Bob Fenner> New Dogface! (4/5/2004)
Hi <How goes it? Michael here today>
I have really enjoyed reading
your website but I have a couple questions about a my new Dog Face
Puffer Fish that I just bought today but have not taken it home yet from
the pet emporium because I want to make sure that my water levels are
perfect. <Good idea>
I have a 92+ tank that I just bought a few days
ago that has been established for at least 1.5 years and it has a 100 lb
of live rock in it. It came with a yellow tang and a little fish about 2
to 3 inches long that changes colors and I don't know what type it is.
<"Changes colors"?> I have been searching the site to get more info on
the care and the size of a Dog Face puffer fish but aren't really
getting the answers that I need so I was wondering if you can help in
any way. How big will a Dog Face get?
<Close 10-12" in
captivity with a good diet and room to swim>
Will he get along with
my Yellow Tang that is about 6 inches long? <Shouldn't be a problem>
Will he eat my little fish? <How little are we talking about? What
species of fish?>
With the size of my tank, what fish would you
recommend so that I don't get into some of the situations that I have
read about on your site, with too many fish or fish that will hurt each
other? <I wouldn't add much more biomass after the tang and the puffer>
Should I buy a coral rock just to prevent my puffer from getting lock
jaw or too long of Teeth? <Feed him snails and he should be fine, you
can always trim his teeth if it becomes a hazard to his health>
I
would really appreciate any answers that you can give to me. Let me add
that I had my water checked two days after putting it up and the store
said that the water was almost perfect and they have not seen that from
a moved tank set up by an amateur. <What are the numbers that "almost
perfect" translates to? You want a fully cycled tank for a dogface,
e.g.. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0-20 nitrates> I just have always wanted a
saltwater tank for so many years that now that I have it I don't want to
make a careless mistake seeing that nothing in a saltwater tank is cheap
especially the fish! <An admirable concern and you've found the right
place for info>
Thanks for your time and patience. You really seem
to care about your site and that in its self can be rare. <Thank you, we
try. I love the site also!>
Tammy from St. Louis, MO
<Have fun
with your new Puffer, they're my favorite fish. Just make sure you have
a good amount of filtration, as they're messy! M. Maddox>
Puffer Compatibility
We finally purchased our "last" addition, a
dogface puffer (Arothron nigropunctatus) to our tank (50 gallon, running
for a year now). <You need at least a 125g for all of these fish> This
has always been my favorite fish, and I waited until I was absolutely
sure the tank was set before purchasing him. The tank mates are: Huma
Trigger (Earl), True Perc (Charley) (currently on his way to his own
tank), and a Foxface (Frances) (Siganus vulpinus). We had expected some
"difficulty" from our Huma, but the trouble has been with the Foxface.
He has always been such a docile fish, but not anymore. He will display
his fins whenever the puffer is around and chase him literally all
around the tank. The puffer has been eating extremely well, and has been
acted quite curious in his new tank. Meanwhile, the Huma could care
less about this new addition. We were told by our LFS that these guys
would be okay together. My question is this, is the behavior of the
Foxface due to the addition of the puffer and nothing more? (We've had
the puffer now for four days) Or do we have something to worry about?
The Huma, Foxface, and Puffer are pretty much all the same size -
3.5". <If you were to get a larger tank that territorial behavior would
most likely disappear. These fish tend to want to establish their won
territories which could be large in size. Good Luck! Heather> Pardon
the "hurricane" names, but with the exception of the puffer, the
rest of these guys made it through the four hurricanes here in Florida!
Thank you for your help. Allison D. Fralick Arothron
nigropunctatus
Hello! Per your suggestion I have decided to turn
my aquarium into a marine setup. The 3 Mono Sebae I have already are
taking it very well and almost seem to enjoy all the new things to pick
at!
<excellent!>
What I wanted to ask about was inverts...are
there any inverts that the Dogface Puffer (A. nigropunctatus plan to get
won't make quick work of? Also, I've seen some sites that say that this
guy is reef-safe and just as many that say he is not.
<not really...
it is likely an undue risk. All crustacea are at risk and this toothy
predator will much many macros and some soft invertebrates out of
curiosity/search for tasty tidbits. Not reef safe by my definition>
I
don't plan on trying to maintain a full reef setup, but I have always
kind of liked open brain corals, would this be a one-or-the-other
situation?
<yes... not safe with most sessile invertebrates>
I
certainly don't want to wake up some morning only to find my puffer has
efficiently cleaned the aquarium out of everything! I have had brackish
puffers in the past and know they are quite able (and inclined) to eat
everything in sight, but is there any possibility dogface puffers are
different?
<nope... thanks for asking :) >
I haven't placed an
order for the puffer yet, I'm still letting the Monos settle in so if
you have any pointers on puffer-safe inverts and hardy corals that would
be awesome!
<for what its worth... the monos aren't fully reef safe
either. Keep an eye on them. But do enjoy all with lovely live rock and
plants. And to solve your coral compatibility problem... what of
plumbing a fishless refugium inline (upstream perhaps) to keep corals
in?>
Thank for all the great support! You guys are awesome! Rachael
<best regards, Anthony> Puffer's and Invert. food/tankmates
I have a 90 gallon tank that has been set up for about 4 months. I let
it cycle with damsels for about two months everything was great(
although I had 15 damsels when I started and ended with 4). I have since
added 2 yellow tangs (Zebrasoma flavescens), a clown fish ( Amphiprion
ocellaris), and a Long-Spined Porcupine Puffer (Diodon holacanthus). I
understand that the puffer is not good with invert's. I would like to
start adding live rock and corals is this a good idea, if so how much
rock should I add and how fast should it be added.
>>
Adding the
live rock is a great idea on several counts... You won't regret it...
better livestock health, easier maintenance, never ending fascination
with what comes out of it.
The Puffer will likely chew on bits of the
live rock... and in all likelihood your corals, other invertebrates. Do
start with a few hardy soft corals if you want to try your Puffer with
the non-vertebrates. Maybe a leather, toadstool...
Bob Fenner
Fish compatibility
I have 1 Kole Tang, 1 Common Clown, 1 small
Hermit crab and 2 small Green spotted puffers. I just added the Puffers
yesterday, bought them on a whim at a store I had not been to ( don't
know if the people are just trying to sell, not educate). Any ways,
should I take the puffers back? Maybe just 1 of them? Also, I want to
get a protein skimmer or a UV sterilizer. Which do you recommend? Will
one help more than the other with my reoccurring ick problem?
<I'd
take back one of the puffers. I'd get a skimmer before a UV sterilizer.
I'd get a big healthy Lysmata cleaner shrimp, or two, to help with
re-occurring ich - and I'd start quarantining/freshwater dipping all
incoming fish. If you have ich that periodically cycles through your
tank without addition of new fish, it's established, and you have to
decide whether to experiment with a cleaner, (Gobiosoma goby would work
too) or remove all the fish and lay the tank fallow for several weeks to
starve off all the ich... -regards, Lorenzo> Xenia and Puffers
Hi Bob,
I had a couple of unrelated questions for you.
First off,
I have a 40g tank with a few juvenile fish in it. A Picasso Trigger
(Rhinecanthus aculeatus), a Reticulated Puffer (Arothron reticularis)
and a Mappa Puffer (A. mappa). I am wanting to add a Stellatus (A.
stellatus) to the mix. The Reticulated and the Mappa get along well,
although the Reticulated is FAR more aggressive of a fish than the
Mappa.
Do you think the 3 puffs would be OK together?
<In a four
hundred gallon system maybe... not a forty... this is way too small for
what you have already>
Second, I also have a 3 year old reef tank
that is pretty densely stocked with fish and soft corals. I had an
amazing Xenia colony that spread like wildfire and covered several
rocks, eventually migrating to the highest peak in the tank and directly
in front of the return outlet. The colony was doing marvelously and I
was fragging it monthly to take into my LFS, but one day, out of the
blue, several of the larger stalks became discolored and withered
away... almost as if they had been stung by another coral or anemone.
There are no other corals or anemones within range of the Xenia,
however. At the same time I also lost two large and beautiful Capnella
sp. which showed the same withering process and then just decayed. After
that, the colony crashed and left me with 2 large stalks. The whole
colony used to pulse quite dramatically as well, which has essentially
stopped. So, after much research and deliberation, I began supplementing
iodine (Lugol's solution). Tests prior to this (Salifert's) showed
iodine/iodate levels of around 0.1-0.2ppm. I raised the level slowly to
0.6ppm in accordance to seawater average iodine levels, and noticed the
Xenia began pulsating a bit more. After a few days they stopped again,
and this has been going on for several months now. The colony has not
grown appreciably, and I am stumped as to why. The chemistry in the tank
is VERY stable, with the exception of PO4 levels of 0.5ppm which I am
constantly battling due to the foods I feed the corals and fish (loads
of HUFAs). I am sure the problems the Xenia is facing has to do with
some imbalance, whether it be PO4 or some other trace element problem.
<Yes, I agree... but what? Either something exhausted, rate-limiting...
and/or (though I strongly suspect "or") a chemical interaction... maybe
resultant from the other soft coral incident>
Everything else in the
tank is growing like weeds... I am TOTALLY stumped, and was wondering if
you had any insight as to what I might search for or try in order to
re-establish this stuff.
Thanks a ton!
Christopher Burns
Curator seahorse.org
<In such cases... we (lamely) move some
substantial part of the colony to another separate system... in the
hope/trust that "whatever" is the cause, the new circumstances will be
more propitious... Otherwise, large water changes, bolstering with
iodide (potassium is my fave) and activated carbon use usually resolve
such problems over time. Bob Fenner> Re: Xenia and Puffers
Thanks for the quick reply! The fish in the 40 are at most 3" and it has
a LOT of filtration. Appreciate the input, but I didn't want to give you
the impression I was mistreating them! :>
<I understand... and know
you must be aware that the puffers grow to lengths about the length of
this tank in the wild>
In the reef, I am thinking about quitting the
iodine supplementation, and have been running carbon full time for many
months... I have just recently removed it, thinking that perhaps there
was a food source being pulled out by the charcoal.
<Mmm, let's not
mislead browsers... activated carbon is not synonymous with charcoal>
I have read that there is NO scientific evidence that even Xenia NEEDS
iodine, however, there does seem to be an enormous amount of anecdotal
evidence to support the need. What do you think? Also, what is your
opinion on carbon use in a reef (always, never or off and on)?
<Yes
to both iodide and activated carbon use... on a punctuated basis... the
iodide once a week in general, the carbon monthly>
Thanks for your
time!
Chris
<Be chatting, Bob Fenner> Re: Xenia and
Puffers
Cheers, Bob! Thanks for the info, as always.
<Be
chatting my friend. Bob Fenner>
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