Puffer And Coral Compatability?

[CuttleKid]

I have posted this in the reef fishes section but have gotten no response so I was thinking I would be better off asking this question here. I have a 93 gallon marine land cube with

-1 zebra eel
-1 fuzzy dwarf lion fish
-1 zebra dwarf lion fish
-1 dogface puffer


I am pretty much done stocking fish (unless something cool comes along like a yellow fuzzy dwarf). I really want to get back into reef keeping. I don't want any expensive lps corals or any nutrient fussy spas corals. What I want to keep is sun corals (tubastrea), dendros (dendrophyllias), balanos(balanophyllias), and possibly some rhizos (rhizotrochus typus). I know that the zebra eel will be alright as well as the lion fish but I am hesitant about the puffer. She has become a huge hit with my family, but I don't want her to destroy the corals. My understanding is that puffers are only nonreefsafe because they will consume CUC's and any other motile invertebrates. But will they will consume any corals?

Thank You

 

[DrSalty]

I don't have experience with a dogface puffer (I have a much smaller one in my reef tank - a valentini puffer), but I can tell you that my puffer will nip at corals as well. He's nipped at my brain coral, a micromussa, and a lobophyllia. He hasn't bothered any of my softer corals - including a rhizo. Hope this helps.

 

[CuttleKid]

Thanks a bunch

 

[NewbyReefer]

I have a Porc Puff in with 2 BTA, mush, and polyps and haven't had any problems.

 

[E.D.E]

My large dogface puffer has eaten every coral I've tried with him. The only "puffer" (they're not true "puffers") is the porcupine puffer. They can safely be housed with corals, but they get much too big for your tank. And just for the sake of it, you might want to stop stocking your tank. Those fish can get pretty big (especially the zebra eel). Do be careful observing your puffer, he might nip at your eel and lion's fins.:twitch:

 

[namxas]

E.D.E,

I wish I had pix of what my Arothron (S&S) did to the SFE I kept it with...you could see the eel's tendons on its back after the puffer got done with it. It happened all of a sudden too. Fortunately, the puffer was 86'd from my home and the eel recovered fully.

FWIW, my experience with a Diodon was much like yours...it didn't bother anything in the tank (FO tank).