Puffer/Boxfish in a reef

Puffer/Boxfish in a reef

  • Bellus angel/pair

    Votes: 6 37.5%

  • Quoyi Parrot

    Votes: 3 18.8%

  • Crosshatch Male

    Votes: 3 18.8%

  • Blue Jaw

    Votes: 2 12.5%

  • Tusk

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • Total voters
    16
B

bialy

New member
I know valentini and saddleback puffers are getting proven to be reef safe, but what about dogface and arothon puffers (as my brother said the "fatter" kind)? I don't have ornamental inverts so I am fine if some get eaten, but I have 4 LPS and an open brain. I was interested in puffers since I entered the hobby, but I never liked the look of valentinis (sorry to all who love them). I am more into the personality and cuteness ("fatness" lol). Has anyone had experience with these puffers and coral. I heard somewhere that dogfaces have worked but idk. I also LOVE the male blue boxfish, but I am scared my clowns will harass it and it will kill the tank (help with these and coral is REALLY appreciated too)

THANKS!:bounce3:
 
Puffer/Boxfish in a reef

bialy said:
I know valentini and saddleback puffers are getting proven to be reef safe, but what about dogface and arothon puffers (as my brother said the "fatter" kind)? I don't have ornamental inverts so I am fine if some get eaten, but I have 4 LPS and an open brain. I was interested in puffers since I entered the hobby, but I never liked the look of valentinis (sorry to all who love them). I am more into the personality and cuteness ("fatness" lol). Has anyone had experience with these puffers and coral. I heard somewhere that dogfaces have worked but idk. I also LOVE the male blue boxfish, but I am scared my clowns will harass it and it will kill the tank (help with these and coral is REALLY appreciated too)



THANKS!:bounce3:
Click to expand...


I've had both cow and box fish in a LPS dominant tank, which had a couple softies. They didn't touch anything other than a leather coral, which for some reason attracted cow's attention as soon as I put it in the tank. He quickly raced over (never seen him swimming that fast) and took a few bites out of the leather. Needless to say, I had to return to leather to LFS for 1/2 credit. I'm getting a male blue box in a few days. Can't wait to see it in my reef.
 
I too am curious about the clam. Where di you all get your boxfish? Are the open swimmers or do they like to hide in rockwork. Also post pics and vids!
 
sc50964 said:
I wouldn't try puffers in a reef. They are messy eaters and will eat inverts, including clams.
Click to expand...

+1 they will eat anything small enough to eat and the messy eating... Take a bite, spit it out, eat it again spit some out... You get the idea
Also puffers for the most part aren't going to deal well with a high flow environment like a reef
 
I have a low flow reef (strange I know). Its because I have seahorses in my reef. Also I meant do you think the boxfish would eat a clam? Also where did everyone get theirs?
Thanks!
 
Also if not a puffer or boxfish can anyone suggest a last "show" fish? I had a thread on it but I didn't get any suggestions I liked besides the female bellus angel. Go to that thread for info on my tank and stocking. :)
 
I had a male Hawaiian blue boxfish in my reef tank. It was a 125 gallon tank. I named him Bruce. ha but he done very well in there got along very well with my other fish. He even trailed my powder brown tang. They are amazing fish. But one day while i was at work he got stuck between two rocks and died. And as you probable know when they die they release toxin and he nuked my tank. I lost two picasso clowns, powder brown tang, regal angel, and the box fish. So my suggestion is if you have a lot of rock then stay away front he box fish.

My 'show' fish now in my 220 gallon mixed reef is a male blue throat trigger. they are the only proven reef safe trigger. AWESOME fish.
 
^Thanks! What about the regal angel? (was he your showfish and how did he do with corals and clams?). Also is the regal and bluethroat open water swimmers? As in will you see them a lot because that is what I am looking for. More pics and suggestions are appreciated!
 
+1 to the Bellus female, I have one the size of a quarter and love her. What about a Quoyi Parrotfish, they are reef safe and invert safe and definitely a show piece
 
No on both for reef. Parrot eats algae from rocks and is known to damage corals in the process of getting to the algae that's on or in the rocks. Maybe other than the blue jaw, no other trigger is reef safe as they love all those inverts.
 
I have both of the fish I mentioned in a reef without issues, the parrot for 11 month now and the trigger is more recent. Blue throat, crosshatch and sargassum triggers are all of the Xanthichthys species and are considered reef safe. The parrot will scrape on the rock to keep his beak in check, he gets plenty of algae from the Nori sheets I put in the tank. Bottom line is fish will vary from individual to individual and is may have one that is reef safe and you may have one that is not. I also have a emperor angel that is mostly adult colors now that is reef safe with everything, including sponge. For the record I buy all my fish as small as possible so they are in the reef environment from the start and I feed them well.
 
sc50964 said:
You are lucky to have the exceptions. But in general those fish you mentioned aren't reef safe.
Click to expand...

There are quite a few people on here with the Quoyi in a reef without issue, not sure how many have a sargassum, but there are plenty with crosshatch triggers in reefs too. The 1300$ price point turns me off but to some that's a drop in the bucket. I wouldn't spend over 200$ on a fish unless it was a tang
 
Every fish is a risk regardless if they are reef safe or not, it's all in the luck if the drawl. Everyone has a horror story about every kind of fish you can purchase in this hobby
 
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