I am really interested in buying a porcupine puffer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know nothing about the fish. I have a 46 Gallon tank with live rock that will be all his own pretty much , maybe a wrasse as a tank mate. What do they eat, any special quarantine procedures, thanks. Joe
Porcupine Puffer advice
- Thread starter jcmjoe
- Start date
looneytunes
Member
They are gorgeous fish but you should look at their size. Are you getting a bigger tank? I am planning on getting a dogfaced puffer for my 150.
usatennisfan
New member
IMO a 46 is WAYYY too small for a porcupine. You would be better off putting a Toby puffer in a tank that size. They don't have the look of a porcupine but they have all the personality. I actually think I prefer the Toby species because of the colors but it is all personal preference. When I had my Toby I did a QT with copper and prozi. All puffers MUST eat things to help keep their teeth worn down, as they grow continuously. This is where mine was a pain in the neck. He refused to touch snails and hermits or even feeders but loved krill like a fat kid loves cake. Hope this helps.
looneytunes
Member
Are you sure about the copper? I thought you couldn't use copper on puffers. I don't have any fish yet so I can't really give advice but in looking for my tank there are a lot of really nice looking tobies (blue-spotted is my favorite for toby followed closely by valentini).
WindowMaker
In Memoriam
I purchased my last porcupine puffer very small (probably 2.5" long). I kept him in my 33 until I stepped up to a 65, unfortunately he didnt last through the move to my current 80. I fed him mysis shrimp and would hand feed him krill for treats. He was probably the most sociable fish I have ever seen. He would come to the front of the tank when you walked in the door and wiggle like he was wagging his tail.
I miss that little bugger.
I miss that little bugger.
Paul B
Premium Member
Porcupines are one of my favorite fish and I have had (and swam) with many of them. Their favorite food is live crabs and live worms. Earthworms work well but they will eat anything meaty like shrimp and clam. They won't eat flakes and some eat pellets but they should be fed what I mentioned. If you live near the sea you can buy fiddler crabs sold as bait, they love those.
Porcupines get about a foot or more long and won't stay in that tank long but they do get stunted in a small tank, for a while anyway so you may have to give it away when it grows.
I recently gave away my burrfish that I collected as a baby to a public aquarium .
Porcupines get about a foot or more long and won't stay in that tank long but they do get stunted in a small tank, for a while anyway so you may have to give it away when it grows.
I recently gave away my burrfish that I collected as a baby to a public aquarium .
fish042099
New member
Sorry, your tanks not going to be big enough. Do you have plans to upgrade?
Yes, I do plan on upgrading, I know the fish would eventually outgrow the 46 gallon. I have my eye on a 125 or 150 Gallon for the future( maybe in a year or so). I had a pretty much complete 46 bow front given to me and I only wanted to put a few fish in it rather than go all out and put inverts and all the expensive lighting etc.. just a simple fish only tank with one or two interesting fish.
agreeive?fish
New member
personally, i would wait on a porcupine puffer until you upgrade, iam fixing to move mine from my 175g bowfront (6ft) to my 7*2*2 ~200g
one word of advice when you get a porcupine chances are extremely high in my opinion you will need to deworm the puffer
one word of advice when you get a porcupine chances are extremely high in my opinion you will need to deworm the puffer
Thats what I was looking for. Thank you agreeive?fish. I have heard that I would have to possibly do that. my lfs has a couple of Porcupines in stock and they are not much bigger than 2.5 inches. how do you deworm them? With prazipro? also when you guys say you feed them live clams do you mean like cherry stones or something from a grocery store. I dont want to sound stupid I just dont know. I have seen some "fancy" clams at my LFS that are quite pricey to use as food. Thanks
Just to all you guys I should have been more specific when I said about quarantining the fish. I learned the hard way the importance of a quarantine tank but I have read that puffers in particular have a problem with worms. Would a Dogface be a better choice or should I stick with a Toby as suggested until I get the 125 gallon. Thanks for everything. you all are invaluable to this hobby.
agreeive?fish
New member
jcmjoe
puffer food definition...basically any "shelled" seafood you can buy live/frozen at your local grocery store as long as it is raw and unseasoned.
krill is known as puffer crack and is believed to cause lockjaw if feed to often but is ok to use as a treat
deworming prazi pro has always worked well for me but every fish i have or will ever get has been or will be treated with atleast 2 rounds of prazio pro
dogface, porcupine, toby ect makes no diffrence all puffers should be dewormed when you get a puffer
syick with a toby until you upgrade. my 8" porcupine has a 3" wide head and is 2.75" from belly to back bone. my stars stripes puffer is 11" with a 3" wide head and is 3.5" from belly to backbone both were bought as tiny in feb this year.
the reason i brought up the stars/stripes puffer is because it is very closely related to the dog face puffer you mentioned
puffer food definition...basically any "shelled" seafood you can buy live/frozen at your local grocery store as long as it is raw and unseasoned.
krill is known as puffer crack and is believed to cause lockjaw if feed to often but is ok to use as a treat
deworming prazi pro has always worked well for me but every fish i have or will ever get has been or will be treated with atleast 2 rounds of prazio pro
dogface, porcupine, toby ect makes no diffrence all puffers should be dewormed when you get a puffer
syick with a toby until you upgrade. my 8" porcupine has a 3" wide head and is 2.75" from belly to back bone. my stars stripes puffer is 11" with a 3" wide head and is 3.5" from belly to backbone both were bought as tiny in feb this year.
the reason i brought up the stars/stripes puffer is because it is very closely related to the dog face puffer you mentioned
reefergeorge
New member
Don't get a porc untill you upgrade. Mine grew from about three inches to over 6" in a year.
Also never use copper on scaleless fish..
Also never use copper on scaleless fish..
