How many puffers do you have?

[JustinReef]

I was just at my LFS and was looking at the porcupine puffers. I mentioned to one of the employees I know that I am quite tempted. She asked how my "other puffer" was doing and I said great. When she walked away some guy came up and insisted that if I try to put two puffers in a tank, they would rip each other apart! He said it doesn't matter what sized tank or what species it will happen "for sure" I of course told him I have 3 puffers in my tank right now and over the years have kept as many as 5 at once. I asked him how many puffers he had kept and he had never owned one yet!

I remember always hearing people say it was very difficult to keep multiple puffer species together and how they kill each other and are so aggressive. Most of these people had never even owned one. In the 10-12 years I have had puffers (everything from fresh to brackish to marine) I have yet to keep an aggressive puffer. Other than aggressive eaters of course.

Just curious how many you have kept together and species? Maybe tank size?

Maybe I have just been lucky over the years but puffers have always been such a passive fish to me. Brackish puffers would maybe be the exception I guess. They can be a little "nippy".

 

[DamnPepShrimp]

I don't have any puffers but just find that comment about the guy in the LFS to be hilarious! There are so many people out there that think they know everything. Funny he knew about puffers without even owning one. Same goes with angels though, they say only one to a tank. I had three large angels in a 55g QT tank once for 2 months with zero problems! Just goes to show every fish is different. Do you think a pork puffer will out grow your 240? I know you gave yours to your bros because it'd out grow your 130g. Sounds like he has some nice pics too, have any pics? What about updated pics of your rock work, before and after?

 

[triggerfreak]

I have two puffers in the same tank right now and i plan on adding one more.And i have had other pufffers mixed together before with out any problems.Sometimes lfs employees think they know everything because they work at a store and sometimes they don't really know anything.

 

[saltyESQ]

I have 3 puffers: golden (anthron), stars and stripes and Hawaiian spotted.

 

[JustinReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13302791#post13302791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DamnPepShrimp
I don't have any puffers but just find that comment about the guy in the LFS to be hilarious! There are so many people out there that think they know everything. Funny he knew about puffers without even owning one. Same goes with angels though, they say only one to a tank. I had three large angels in a 55g QT tank once for 2 months with zero problems! Just goes to show every fish is different. Do you think a pork puffer will out grow your 240? I know you gave yours to your bros because it'd out grow your 130g. Sounds like he has some nice pics too, have any pics? What about updated pics of your rock work, before and after?

Still no pics I have to get that darn cable for my camera. I went to two different places today but neither had the right one. I will hopefully get it tomorrow though.

My brother has pics and I will ask him to post some here. He is STILL not a member because he doesn't go on the net very often (he travels for work a lot) but Im going to tell him people want to see his tank I kind of want my porc back now that I have a bigger tank but it seems so happy where it is now. It would not outgrow the 240G. Im sure it would have been fine in the 130G but I just didn't feel good about it. I thought the Burrfish was a better choice.

Im not as concerned about tank size as some people are. I think as long as the size is reasonable, water quality is way more important along with diet and overall happiness. Personally I think a lot of people go a bit overboard on tank size. Bigger is always better for sure but especially with fish like puffers, who are not the most active fish to begin with, I don't think tank size is as important as say tangs or even triggers who swim almost constantly.

I am considering a porc for my current tank. Its only about 3" now, so pretty small. I have the big tank ready to go, so Im not too concerned about not being able to upgrade but I really don't want to set it up until I move if thats possible. Right now most of my fish are relatively small and seem very happy.

For puffers I have:

4-5" Burrfish
3" Green Spotted Puffer
5" Dogface


The fish Im concerned with in my tank is my Niger Trigger. Sounds like they get quite aggressive. So far so good though. He is very passive. Hes the biggest in the tank at about 6-7". I guess they grow quite slow though. I feed the tank three times a day. Once in the morning with mysis, once in the afternoon with mysis and in the evening with a bit of mysis and either prawn, clams, silversides, squid or some other frozen seafoods.

 

[Doris M]

I just bought my first puffer. She is a saddleback and is a sweet thing. I have always wanted one. I am making sure that I have enough snails in the tank for her.

 

[Mike5252]

I have kept a porci with a dogface for about 4 yrs now. They live with 2 triggerfish and 1 tang in a 210gal.

Sometimes during feeding, the porci will "lunge" at the food and bite the dogface inadvertently, leaving a circular mark on his skin. I have never seen aggression any other time.

My clowntrigger, however, is a different story...

 

[JustinReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13322678#post13322678 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mike5252
I have kept a porci with a dogface for about 4 yrs now. They live with 2 triggerfish and 1 tang in a 210gal.

Sometimes during feeding, the porci will "lunge" at the food and bite the dogface inadvertently, leaving a circular mark on his skin. I have never seen aggression any other time.

My clowntrigger, however, is a different story...

Does your clown trigger beat up on the puffers at all?

My puffers have bite each other during feeding time too, I think that is very common. Pretty harmless though.

 

[1ucky]

I have a Mappa and a Black Puffer; both get alone great for now (fingers crossed). I would love to add a Guinea or Golden Puffer when I upgrade my current tank.

 

[Mike5252]

Not really. He just doesn't like anyone near his little "hidey hole" in his rock. Occationally he bumps the other fish away, especially near bedtime. I don't think there is any harm done.

No fin nipping or anything like that.

 

[LisaD]

I like my dogface the best of my two puffers. He is less spastic about food, and seems to relate more to people and fish. The dogface has a more expressive face (kind of like... a dog's face ). The porc is a faster swimmer and seems to be in his own world, and its all about food or tasting his neighbors.

 

[JustinReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13328777#post13328777 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LisaD
I like my dogface the best of my two puffers. He is less spastic about food, and seems to relate more to people and fish. The dogface has a more expressive face (kind of like... a dog's face ). The porc is a faster swimmer and seems to be in his own world, and its all about food or tasting his neighbors.

Yeah I find thats always the way with Dogface and Porcupine puffers. Porcs always just seem to be in their own world where as Dogface seem to actually be interested in their surroundings and will stop to look at you My Burrfish which is just like a porc seems so unintelligent compared to the dogface I just picked up from a friend. Love both of them though!

 

[LisaD]

Love both of them though!

I feel the same way, but I'm especially attached to the dogface.

 

[Pufferpunk]

FW
Fahaka (T liniatus)
A modestus
Congo (T miurus)

BW
2 Figure 8s (T biocellatus)

SW
Bluespot toby
Valentini toby
Coronata toby

I've also kept: T suvattii, Takifugu niphobles, Dwarf puffers, South Americans & T lortetis.

 

[AquaKnight]

Bluespot toby (3")
Spiny Burrfish (3.5")
Southern Puffer (2") x2 (maybe a pair)

The Bluespot is in my 125gal (solo puffer), the Spiny is in my 55gal QT, and the two Southerns are in a 90gal. We tried to keep the Southerns and Spiny together, but they were nipping the heck out of Spiny, so we had to separate. The Spiny and 2 Southerns were wild caught by us in the incoming tide, slightly smaller then a pea. They lived for a while in a 10gal nusery for a while. I plan to add Spiny to my 125gal after he gets a big larger so he can handle the flow in there.

 

[limitdown]

Multiple angels can also be kept together, you just need to put them into the tank in the correct sequence. Oftentime re-doing rockwork helps. Sometimes repeated separation, re-introduction, and eggcrating is required.

Even with the above, some fish just refuse to get along with others (like many humans!). In that case, you'll need to remove the aggressor.

The biggest problems usually occur with passers, blues and queens (in that order). sometimes also frenches.

 

[Pufferpunk]

HUH? I think you posted in the wrong thread.

 

[anbosu]

Are puffers compatible with lionfish?

 

[LisaD]

they are not considered a good risk. if there were any puffer I'd be willing to risk it with, it would be a dogface. but puffers in general with lionfish are not the best idea...

 

[Pufferpunk]

Valentinis are good citizens too & I have kept them with dwarf lionfish.