Porcupine Puffer ?

[jtfishman]

Hello. I have a 150 gallon tank and I want a Porcupine puffer. I want everyones pro's and cons about the puffers. Will they really eat all my snails crabs and shrimp? I have herd yes and no. What do they mean that they are messy fish? Do they get ick alot? Will they eat smaller fish? How big will they get in an aquarium. Let me hear everyones pro's and cons of this fish.

 

[draconis321]

very nice fish yes they MIGHT eat you snails, shrimps and ect but there better chance they won't if you feed well just be careful not to catch with a net and not to take them out of water air goes in doesn't come out. they some time take bites out of rock and are some what ich prone but most puffers are.try a sand filter it stops the food and crap from sitting at the boottom and rotting preventing ich. but a wonderful fish. their a shortage where i live so im pretty sure there is every where else so fi you can get one get it

 

[srfisher17]

They get big and probably will chomp any invert or small fish. IME, they'll eat, or take a bite out of anything that resembles food; IMO, they are not safe with crabs, shrimp, etc---that is their diet in the wild. It is not unusual for one to take a bit out of any tankmate. Great fish, lots of personality. All 3 online dealers I checked, including our sponsor, have them; and the lfs I was in last weekend had a bunch of them. As to ich: if your tank doesn't have it and you properly quarantine everything that goes into your tank; no fish will catch it. Ich is a parasite and, contrary to folk lore, does not live for ever just waiting for the right target; nor is it airborne. Here's an excellent thread on this forum that explains the ich life cycle. https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/127007/faqs-fish-diseases-treatments-quarantine-health-info

 

[hobrien]

I have really liked mine that I got a week ago. It took a couple days for it to eat but it finally did and beats the trigger to the feeder guppys. I paid $20 for the one I bought but it is under 2". I cant wait to get it to eat from my hands and same for the trigger.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by HOBrien
http:///forum/post/2588825
I have really liked mine that I got a week ago. It took a couple days for it to eat but it finally did and beats the trigger to the feeder guppys. I paid $20 for the one I bought but it is under 2". I cant wait to get it to eat from my hands and same for the trigger.
Your profile says you have hermits. If they're with the porky, I'm afraid they'll be lunch sooner or later.

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by JTFishman
http:///forum/post/2588391
Hello. I have a 150 gallon tank and I want a Porcupine puffer. I want everyones pro's and cons about the puffers. Will they really eat all my snails crabs and shrimp? I have herd yes and no. What do they mean that they are messy fish? Do they get ick alot? Will they eat smaller fish? How big will they get in an aquarium. Let me hear everyones pro's and cons of this fish.
I had a 5 year old 7 inch puffer in Charleston SC, when I was moving x-country I got set to give all my fish to a friend of mine...He had cycled his tank with 5 damsels, and had a bunch of hermit crabs as the cleanup crew. My puffer had never been around small fish nor inverts since I had gotten him at 2 inchs 5 years ago...Within 30 mins my friend had 1 damsel, within 48 hours he had 0 damsels and 0 hermits.

They are very very hardy IMO, they eat big meals and create a lot of waste...They are the marine equiv. of a dog. They beg for food and spit water at you...Very fun fish, but they do restrict what you can keep in the tank as they mature.
Originally Posted by HOBrien
http:///forum/post/2588825
I have really liked mine that I got a week ago. It took a couple days for it to eat but it finally did and beats the trigger to the feeder guppys. I paid $20 for the one I bought but it is under 2". I cant wait to get it to eat from my hands and same for the trigger.
A bite from an adult puffer hurts like hell....Trust me

 

[leftyblite]

My puffer was just like a puppy dog. Begging for food and spittting water if I didn't feed him fast enough. It got to where he would only be fed by hand. As far as snails and hermits, they won't last long. Even though I thought I was feeding mine enough, he liked to usually have a midnight snack which meant I had to replace my cleanup crew every so often. I caught him once around 1AM crunching up one of my snails and when he saw me it was like OOPS I didn't do it and then he swam to the other side of the tank and hid.

 

[srfisher17]

Expecting a porky not to eat snails, hermits, etc; would be like expecting a barracuda not to eat fish.