Opinions please - puffer fish in reef tanks?

[E Coli]

Hi all,

I would like your opinions, please. I have a 265 gallon reef tank. Tank has been established 4 years. Several corals (mostly stony and leathers), 3 clams. Lightly stocked with fish (3 gobies, 2 tangs and a friedmani). My son would me to add a puffer fish to the mix.

I am worried that the puffer might 1.) pick at the clams or 2.) get stressed and poison the tank. Does anyone here with puffer experience have an opinion to offer?

Thanks in advance for your help!

E. Coli

 

[Anonymous]

What kind of puffer are you thinking of getting? I kept a dogface puffer for a lengthy period of time in my reef with a very large derasa clam and many soft corals without incident. Because of the risk however, I later traded the clam to a fellow member here for some Southdown. I knew it was risky to keep the clam with the puffer, and I couldn't bear to see the clam fall victim as I've kept it for several years before that.

I've never heard of a puffer poisoning a tank due to stress. Perhaps you're thinking of a boxfish?

I personally prefer to keep puffers in a tank by themselves or with one tankmate. I really like puffers of the dogface variety (orothron), but I will say that balloonfish, or porcupine puffers (diodon holocanthus) are perhaps the most interesting animals I've ever kept. They are so dog-like in their behavior it's frightening. Mine taps his teeth on the glass and splashes water out of the tank in a frenzy when he sees me go into the freezer, since he's fully aware that a trip to the freezer usually means food in his tank. Very intelligent.

Puffers are very tough little critters, and can thrive in a tank that has nothing but a biological filter hanging on the back. If you do decide to keep a puffer in a separate tank, you can always pick out a very small specimen and keep it in a small tank 20-30g for much longer than you might think. It will be quite some time before they outgrow a tank if you buy them small enough. Then you can simply upgrade the tank. I plan to bring my old 50g setup back into the house as soon as this little guy outgrows his current home.

 

[King Jason]

I just took a look at my Marine Fishes book by Scott Michael and it basically says "Not recommended" for a reef on all the puffers and porcupine fish. It says they may act aggressive towards smaller fish and even try to eat them. I would be worried about your gobies.

 

[Enzo]

I have heard many stories about puffers in reefs, but it is not recomennded. I have heard that if you have a smaller puffer it helps. I don't understand why that would make a difference but it's what I heard. It's pretty much like the rest of reefkeeping, you don't have an exact guide you just got to try and hope it works out. This isn't freshwater. There are some weird things. Sometimes it works out sometimes it doesn't. I know a guy that keeps an anenome in a 75 with 40 watts. Sometimes he leaves the lights off for 2 weeks. The anenome has been alive for a couple years now. So it is pretty much a lot of risk. Personnally I would take the risk, just because puffers are really cool.
John

 

[E Coli]

Thanks to those who gave me your advice. I've decided to go for it...sort of. I'm going to set up a 55 gal. fish only, and put him in there, along with a few other reef-unfriendly fish I've always wanted but never could have.

Thanks!

Eric

 

[ReefLion]

Sounds like a wise move. If you can keep them near each other, you can use the same sump, although you'll have to be careful about the water quality degrading a bit with messy eaters in your system.

Tim

 

[Mogo]

Good move E.Coli. Err on the side of caution. Now you can have the best of both worlds.

 

[Enzo]

I on the other hand like the risk. I am starting to add anenomes and soon coral into my tank. Just getting my tank prepared. My trusted LFS assured me that this wouldn't happen and they are the ones the sold me my puffer and they would know.

 

[Enzo]

Actually what if my clown hosts the anenome and then would the puffer eat it. WOuldn't the clown protect its home, He is bigger than my puffer, since my puffer is only 3 inches.