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FAQs about True Puffer
Compatibility Related Articles: Puffers in General,
Puffer
Care and Information,
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. |
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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