Puffer

[leopard_babe]

I just added a porcupine to my QT. I know that he will get to big for me to keep in my 46 display. When that does happen I will do something so that I do not cause stress to my fish. I would not want to put it through the pain.
Now I was wondering if I can have any form of clean up crew? I have done alot of research about puffers, and read that they eat inverts. Should I get a UV sterilizer, or can I have some snails or something? how much do UV's run? Where do they go in the tank. I am kind of running out of room, underneath my tank. Has anyone sussessful kept starfish and puffers? I know the puffer could eat the starfish, but the puffer is so little. What do you guys think of puffers and starfish?

 

[dillybobs]

I just gave away my puffer, and a trigger fish. Just for those reasons . Both fish, (as great as they are to have), basicaly destroyed my clean up crew. I watched in horror as my puffer ate the legs off a brittle star I had. One buy one his legs disappeared. till finally his body was consumed too. 10 dollar emerald crabs were nothing more than a light snack for them. Althought my skunk cleaner did well with both fish, I'm pretty sure one of them ate my peppermint shrimp. I feed them well but they just seem to perfer fine dinning instead!
On a good note, they did very well when I had a 55 gallon fish only tank.

 

[leopard_babe]

Thanks for the info. My puffer is a pig. So I will ex the clean up crew.

 

[racenrich]

Okay another opinion.
I have a 90g with 2-triggers(Clown & Picasso), 1-valentinni puffer, 1-porc puffer, 1-twinspot wrasse, and 1-watchman goby.
Outside fish, i have over 22 inverts in the same tank, plus 130# Live Rock, over 30 hermit crabs, and around 15 snails.
All in all everyone gets along. the triggers give each other crap but never anyone else. I know in the future, they say.
As for porky, the only thing he messes with is the snails. He has never eaten an invert or a crab. i did have about 30 snails to start and lost at least 1/2 of them. (could be the triggers as well.)
As for the clean up crew, i dont see a problem as long as they are in the tank 1st.
Anything i add now is a meal to most of them, but i've learned to put the small things in a night when everyone is resting.
oh yeah this tank has been running for about a yr now, with the triggers and puffers added after the clean up crew.
Hope this helps.
Cheers

 

[leopard_babe]

Thanks, I might try adding just a few. the puffer is in Qt. So maybe since they are in there first he won't bug them. Everyone has different success stories. Lets see if I can ad my own.

 

[lionstorm]

hey from what I've read pufferfish, especially porcs, personalities vary from fish to fish as much as human personalities vary. Some people can keep them successfully with cleanup crews some people cannot. A good rule of thumb is any crab without a shell (emeralds, sallys, even sand sifters) are fair game, my puffer is definately a crab killer I've had success with hermits, just be careful to get large hermits, some of the small ones got sucked out of their shell by my puffer
But they are great fish, I actually saw mine puff up for the first time ever this morning, it was pretty cool (he only did it because the other day he made the mistake of following my cinnamon clown into his anemone, got his nose stung )but other than that hes doing alright and don't be worried if he doesn't puff, means hes stress free
HTH

 

[leopard_babe]

Well I was not made to be a saltwater hobbyist. I bought my puffer, and had him in Qt. I bought a powerhead for the Qt. I turned my head for a second, and low and behold there he was stuck in the powerhead. i doubt he will make it through the night. His lips are all red and swollen. I only had him for a day and I loved him. He had a great personality. Grr... Anyone want to buy a 46 bow???

 

[phoenixinx]

Originally posted by Leopard_babe
Well I was not made to be a saltwater hobbyist. I bought my puffer, and had him in Qt. I bought a powerhead for the Qt. I turned my head for a second, and low and behold there he was stuck in the powerhead. i doubt he will make it through the night. His lips are all red and swollen. I only had him for a day and I loved him. He had a great personality. Grr... Anyone want to buy a 46 bow???
Don't stress yourself... accidents happen.
My question is how did he get STUCK to the PH? Did you not have a casing around in the intake? Even TINY damsels are strong enough to get away from the current of the phs.
Something else must be wrong... doesn't sound right.
Don't give up just because of one accident.
Otherwise I might get REAL tempted to buy that bow from you! I wouldn't mind starting a reef with such a tank!

 

[murray bmf]

I HAD a clean up crew when I added my porky-he quickly made a meal of all of them, except this one snail who had alge on his shell. I think the Porky doesn't know he's a snail.

 

[leopard_babe]

I still have my porky, he still isn't eating. Picky little

[hr]
. he is so cute swimming around, now if he would jst eat i would be extremely happy. i wouldn't sell my tank, I was just venting. maybe I should by a clean up crew, then perhas I would see him eat.

 

[leopard_babe]

I will tell you how he got stuck in the PH. I was just putting the PH in the Qt. I didnt have the filter/cover on yet. I had the lights off. SInce the little guy is a night fish he desided to wake up and seim around. I turned on the PH to see if it was running ok. I went in the other room to run the filter under hot water to clean it up. i watched him swim right into the PH, and get stuck. I immediately turned it off. He puffed up and swam to the other side of the tank, where he still is at. He appear to have a little blind spot, where his eye is a little cloudy. his lips were cut the other day, but that is gone today. He has a few bent quills on his head. Besides that he is ok. Now if the damn thing would just eat.

 

[phoenixinx]

Give him time... he's in shock.
Leave a piece of food in there... is it gone in the morning? He might be too shy to eat in front of you!
You just brought him home also, was he eating at the LFS? I'm pretty anal about wanting to know if they are doing AT LEAST this before I take them home.

 

[sheracr123]

I posted a reply in one of your other posts. (Along with a pic )
My puffer will not touch any clean up crew. Believe me I tried. What are you feeding him?
Although it is an expensive meal, it's actually good for a puffer to eat hard foods like clena up crews once in a while. It keeps their jaws and teeth healthy.
He might take a while to eat, but when he does start, he will be a PIG!!!
HTH
Mendee

 

[leopard_babe]

My LFS ordered the fish for me, so when he came in they called me. Then i went there and picked him up. So they never had to feed him. they feed their porky krill. i have krill and concle or something. It looks like a clam, and it has a hard shell. i have had him for a week. I have not seen him eat. The krill is still in the tank in the morning. i broke the little clam thing open beause I didn't know if he could. Due to the fact that he was stuck in the PH. He could have eaten some of that. i have not seen it.

 

[tony detroit]

Originally posted by Leopard_babe
I bought a powerhead for the Qt. I turned my head for a second, and low and behold there he was stuck in the powerhead.
I have a buddy that owns a fish store and he had the same accident. Put a bioball over it, or a cylindrical sponge filter.
Can I guess what type of powerhead.......Hagen Aquaclear???

 

[tony detroit]

I did the same thing to a maroon clown too. I felt pretty $hitty for that one.
As long as we learn from our mistakes...
My buddy that did that to his porky puffer, the puffer survived and came back around to good health after only a couple months. Make sure you take that food out of your tank. You'll get a nitrate spike. If they don't eat it within five minutes, chances are they aren't going to eat. Don't sweat it. My 100dollar stingray didn't eat for close to a week, I was freaking out when I first got him. Then all of a sudden....he ate. He'll come around don't worry about it. Puffers are pretty tough.

 

[leopard_babe]

Alright then I will sit there and watch him stare, for now. Do you have pix of your ray? I wanna see it. I love sting rays, and always have. I haven't been leaving the food in the tank, because I figured it would cause some kind of spike. That is what I named my puffer... Spike. He looks all better today. no red lips, and eye is looking normal. He swam by the PH and puffed, then swam away. It wasn't even on. i was laughing so hard. It was kind of like HA I showed you. thanks all!!!

 

[tony detroit]

here's one

 

[clownfish1452]

I have never had a problem with my porky puffer eating any thing in my tank but what I feed him. I have had him for about two years. I have chocolate chip stars many crabs and snails. They all seem to get along.
Sarah

 

[phoenixinx]

Originally posted by Leopard_babe
He swam by the PH and puffed, then swam away. It wasn't even on. i was laughing so hard. It was kind of like HA I showed you. thanks all!!!
Nah... I think it was an OH SHAT not you again!