Porcupine Puffer has turned into serial killer.

shwstpr88

shwstpr88

Member
Ok here we go....had my porc puffer since he was a baby mixed in wtih some clowns, tangs, angel, couple other clown size fish. Tank is 125 gal and never had any problems for about a year and a half. The fish recently got ich and had to put all the fish in a 55 gal hypo tank. At this point I started having fish become missing! I finally put the fish back up stairs after hypo and now my porc puffer has that eating or hunt look in eyes almost 100% of the time. Usually he only gets that look when im dropping in food now he is "on the hunt" constantly! I turned out the lights tonight and he ate my brand new clownfish that I just got today and tried to eat my longhorn cowfish! Its like he's rabbid all the sudden he has never acted anything like this before ever! I had to take him out of the DT and am currently putting him by himself into a 30gal tank by himself. I dont know what to do this is my favoirte fish but I cant have him eating my whole tank either can this just be a phase or is this somthing I need to make a permanent decision on?
Thanks.
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
There used to be a vid on youtbe of a porky finishing off a yellow tang I used to share with people when they were considering a porcupine. This is far from the first time, nor will it be the last, a porcupine puffer has killed it's tankmates.
I don't think anyone can answer the phase question. Just depends on the fish. It might be, it might not be. Unfortunately there is only one way to find out, but I would side with unlikely. As the Porky gets larger and more aggressive, it's probably only to get worse...
 
shwstpr88

shwstpr88

Member
not good to hear, im reading things right now saying some of these fish just snap somtimes and start eating everything??? I had never seen anything like that on these guys I mean I knew they eat shell fish I would accept it if he ate some of my shrimps, but fish no I draw the line. Even this site say he "loves to swim with other fish"?????
Any chance you can find that youtube video? Just curious to see that.
sad day
 
tur4k

tur4k

Member
Originally Posted by shwstpr88
http:///forum/post/3236933
I turned out the lights tonight and he ate my brand new clownfish that I just got today and tried to eat my longhorn cowfish!
Thanks.
Don't cowfish have the potential to release toxins that will kill everything in your tank if stressed too much? They are really cool fish, but I have resisted the urge to buy one because I didn't want to lose everything in the aquarium.
 
hawkfishman

hawkfishman

Member
this makes me stop and think about getting a porc puffer sometime down the road. i luv the little guys, but i dont really want my tank to turn into a 1 specimen tank. and it figures that one of the LFS just got 2 of them in. i think they are medium sized and run for 44.99. plus they got another of my favirote fish in, too. a lionfish. why does everything i really really want tend to get big then eat everything in the tank? lol
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by shwstpr88
http:///forum/post/3236941
Any chance you can find that youtube video? Just curious to see that.
No dice. I used to have the link, but he, for whatever reasons, removed the video.
Originally Posted by tur4k
http:///forum/post/3236943
Don't cowfish have the potential to release toxins that will kill everything in your tank if stressed too much? They are really cool fish, but I have resisted the urge to buy one because I didn't want to lose everything in the aquarium.
Depends on who you talk to
. I don't doubt they probably posses the ability to, I doubt that they can release it on a mere wimp. The only first hand accounts I've read are from a dead cowfish, found at minimum the next day. How they are able to determine it was poison from the cowfish, and not the ammonia that shot up because of a dead large fish, is beyond me.
 
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