Small porc puffer questions!! help!!

[salt newbie01]

I went into a lfs that I haven't been in in a month or so and he has this small little porc puffer - he was in the front corner og one of the 20 long tanks all puffed up! He looks good as far as no cloudy eyes no abraisions on the skin that I can see. He wasn't really swimming about more just staying in the front corner. The owner wasn't there - he just had someone filling in for a few hours until he gets back. I want to find out how long he has had the fish and if it deflated or not. The little guy was only slightly bigger than a golf ball - maybee raquette ball size. Are they more fragile at this size??

I currently have a 75 that will be the sump in my 210 fowlr tank. The bigger tank will not be up for 6 months to a year. the only other fish in the 75 is a large almost 4 inch gsm and a small male 1 1/2 inch that host in a very large green bubble tip.

My questions are - should I risk a small porc puffer that was all inflated like that? (he is only $25)
would he be ok in a 75 for possibly 12months?
would he munch on a large leather? ( green spaghetti leather ) or a large purple acan enchinata?

I hope some of you experts can help me before 5PM so I will know what to tell the store owner.

Thanks in advance - and sorry for the late notice

 

[salt newbie01]

Well never mind - I just talked with the owner of the store and he said the fish had not done well since he got him a week ago - and he would not be comfortable selling it. He was afraid it wouldn't make it with the way he has been acting the last few days.

A question I have not gotten a good answer on yet is this; how will a puffer either porc or dogface be with a large anemone? Will the puffers be prone to pick at it ir will they leave it alone? That is one of things I have been unable to get an answer on - It is important because I really enjoy my gsm and nem - and I want to incorperate them in the new tank - So I plan to build my fish list arounf them and the puffers are the BIG question for me. If any of you could give me some insight to their compatability I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[JustinReef]

I have both my Porc and Narrow Lined (like a dogface) Puffers in a tank with lots of soft corals and they do not touch any of them. I tried an anenome last year and it was a huge mistake. They tore it to pieces in about 2 minutes. I tried to save it but it died. Thats the only thing they have ever bothered. They will eat sps as well. They seem to leave leathers and mushrooms alone though.

Heres an older pic of my guys:

 

[salt newbie01]

Beautiful fish!! Thanks for the response - oh well!! I guess the puffers will have to wait then. I really like my nem and gsm hosting it. I was hoping that if I put them together with the puffer young maybe they would get along - or that the clown would "protect" the nem. But I would be sick if the puffer killed the nem.

Did you have a clown in the nem or was it without a host?

 

[reefergeorge]

I wouldn't buy a puffer that stays puffed. Mine will puff up every once in a while, but deflates in seconds. Mine also doesn't bother any of my shrooms, zoes, polyps, leathers, hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp, or snails. He is a perfect messy resident.
They are great fish, but wait for the right one. You should be good for over a year if you get one under 3".

 

[stdreb27]

Most puffers will tear up sessile inverts. If you were going to try that would be the ideal thing to try. A tiny porky. If you water is pristine, and he is that small 12 months would be the max you could keep that fish before the upgrade. I had a dog face that grew to about 8 inches in a year. I'm not sure about the growthrates of porkys but I think they are a bit slower.

 

[reefergeorge]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12357548#post12357548 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stdreb27
I'm not sure about the growthrates of porkys but I think they are a bit slower.

My porc has probably grown 3" in a year with feeding every other day. Maybe more. I didn't measure him when I got him, but they grow a lot faster than any other fish I have had.

 

[stdreb27]

I got my dogface under 2 inches, they were supose to send a medium which was between 4-6 inches. But he is a beautiful fish.