Blue spotted puffer-Canthigaster solandri-reef compatibility

[debatecoach]

I recently visited the Omaha Zoo and saw a small tank with blue spotted pufferfish. They had some fairly large mushrooms in the tank. I was wondering what people thought of this fish in a soft coral tank? Mainly, colts, leathers, gsp, shrooms, etc...how does it fair with peaceful fish like chromis?

 

[jd474]

There are mushrooms in that tank because they ate all the leather corals that were in there previously. We had 6 canthigaster sp., and I would be pretty cautious of putting them in a reef tank.

 

[dflad]

I have a Canthigaster puffer in every one of my reefs, they are great occupants and rarely if ever touch a coral. Shrimp and crabs are another thing...

 

[rssjsb]

I've had a c. solandri in a small softy tank (40 gallons) for about a year with no problems. I've got a big toadstool, devil's hand, GSP, anthelia, xenia, mushrooms, a few palys and a gorgonian. He's never shown the slightest interest. There's also a little peppermint shrimp hiding deep in a rock pile somewhere that he'd probably eat if he could.

He's always fat even though he never eats much I offer him. I think he's eating snails he finds in the rocks. He also eats nori and spirulina tabs like it's going out of style.

Maybe that's why he behaves himself.

 

[debatecoach]

Thanks for the first hand experiences. I'll probably add it to my list with caution. It has beautiful colors. Does it nip at any of your other fish? I was thinking of a marine betta as well, but the elongated fins worry me.

 

[Cracken]

I have a question as i have been eyeing a blue spotted puffer in a LFS. When you feed them what do you feed? how do you present it food?(i.e. small pieces, chunks, etc.)

 

[rssjsb]

I've never seen him pay the slightest attention to any other fish in the tank (which is a bit overstocked at the moment).

I feed this tank a frozen mix 3-5 times a week that I make with squid, shrimp, clam, scallops, mysys, prawn roe, and cyclopeeze. The pieces vary a lot in size - he seems to like the ones that are around 2 or 3 mm in size. The rest of the week I feed pellets.

The toby won't take pellets or any other dried food. But he loves nori and seems to be fat all the time, so he's eating something.

Hope this helps.

 

[chasekwe]

Can anybody give a good ratio for size : prey?

If I buy one of the Leopard Spot versions on LA, which supposedly max out at 3" what will it go after?

I have a very outgoing Fire Shrimp that's 2.5" or so. I also have a variety of snails in the .5-1" range. Aside from some quarreling flasher wrasses my tank is peaceful. I'd love to add a more unusual fish like a Canthigaster puffer but I don't want to ruin the atmosphere.

 

[goalieman92]

I had a blue spot that would eat whatever I fed. Formula 1 pellets, frozen mysis, live ghost shrimp(was fun to watch him chase em around) He left all my corals alone. would munch on tube worms, pods, bristle worms.

Loved that fish, I want another.