Puffers things

[tbonesteak1020]

I got a new porcipine puffer and i was wonderin any key things i should no...i looked up research but stilll just wonderin about stuff, i have a snowflake eel who trys to bite him but i dident think he could do any damage.can he?

 

[vegas made]

Originally Posted by Tbonesteak1020
I got a new porcipine puffer and i was wonderin any key things i should no...i looked up research but stilll just wonderin about stuff, i have a snowflake eel who trys to bite him but i dident think he could do any damage.can he?
no the eel is blind and just snaps at anything that goes in front of him but the puffer will be fine with him and you have to grind his teeth down well feed him hard things here and there so his teeth grind down is what i was told

 

[psusocr1]

know that they get insanely large and you need a huge tank for them..

 

[kanicky]

Okay, well, first give us your tank size, and the other tankmates of the puffer and SFE...
Yes, Porcupine Puffers can get very large, and generally need a tank no less than 75 gallons.
They are carnivores and should be fed mostly hard, meaty foods, such as raw shelled shrimp, clams, mussel, lobster, etc. The hard foods help them keep their teeth filed down, much like a hampster.
My Valentini Puffer, Diddy, also loves frozen mysis shrimp and frozen Emerald Entree. He even goes for New Life Spectrum Pellets and Formula Two Algae Sheets/Pellets.
Most Puffers are generally not reef safe, but it all depends on the temperment of the individual fish, and also depends on how well-fed they are. My Puffer likes to mess with the hermit crabs and snails every once in a while, but does not mess with any mushrooms or zoo's. He also does not bother my CBS, but he might bother a more active/visible shrimp, such as a Cleaner or Peppermint, if he got the chance.
All Puffers are messy eaters and should be placed in a system that has adequate skimming and filtration.
Puffers are very intelligent and learn to recognize "the hand that feeds them." Some will even spit water at you from just below the surface, which is a really funny occurence.
I hope you enjoy your new fish-friend. He/she will probably become your favorite in no time

If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

 

[kanicky]

Oooh...
I just read an older post of yours where you listed your current stock:
"small 5 inch snowflake eel be kept in a 55 gallon tank with a naso tang,foxface,2 emrald crabs,coral banded shrimp,cleaner shrimp,horseshoe crab,cleaner clam,arrow crab,and tomato clown"
Did you add the Puffer to this mix?
I'm not the Puffer Police or Fish Police or anything of the like, but I do want to warn you, like others have in the past, that if you do have the Puffer in with all of these other fish, then you are above and beyond maxed out for a 55 gallon.
I hope by now you've gotten a bigger tank (I'm thinking 90+ gallons for what you have/had, and even that's pushing it.)
Anyway, no flaming or bashing here, just a little curiosity and concern

 

[psusocr1]

the puffer will eat allyour crabs and shrimp as well.. if you value them you might want to take them out

 

[tugglife2]

kanicky,
I also have a Valentini Puffer named "Puff Daddy".

 

[tbonesteak1020]

U were deffinatly right kanicky about my size issue igree 100 percent, heres the story i never got an arrow crab i was thinking about it when i posted that, my naso was taken by my cat Milo (stupid cat), my eel i think ate the emeralds,i added a brittle star that ate my cleaner clam, so when i added the puffer there was a snowflake eel,cleaner shrimp & coral band shrimp,brittle star,foxface,and tomato clown and that was in a 65 gallon not a 55 i misstyped in that thread, but the puffer bit my coral band shimps arm off so sadly i had to take him back, but i plan on buying another tank a 165 gallon and hopefully ill get a new puffer.......
P.S.
Will the shrimps arm grow back?

 

[kanicky]

Tugg- That's cute

I love 'Diddy to pieces!
Tbonesteak - Yes, the shrimp's arm will grow back. My CBS has lost his arms/pinchers twice, during a tank rennovation, and they've always grown back. No worries there

And I'm glad to hear that they (the fish) are not in a 55, however, a 65 is still a tad small for a Puffer, a Naso Tang, a Foxface, a Tomato Clown and a SFE. However, I see that you will be getting a bigger tank, so hopefully that can be done sooner rather than later

Anyway, happy tanking to you! Take care!

 

[stdreb27]

Yeah, a 150+ would be much better for a puffer, my dogface is in a 180, and only 7 inches, I don't think I'd go much smaller, he roams around the whole tank, alot. And they will eat any invert. They love them, I don't think I've had any last more that a couple weeks, snails, hermits, I was smart enough not to put shrimp in there.

 

[ccampbell57]

Originally Posted by Tbonesteak1020
I got a new porcipine puffer and i was wonderin any key things i should no...i looked up research but stilll just wonderin about stuff, i have a snowflake eel who trys to bite him but i dident think he could do any damage.can he?
Here are a few things that I learned over the 3 years that I had my puff:
1. Vary the diet (krill, silversides, clam, crab, etc) - this is the most important
2. Watch out for the snowflake, my LFS showed me pictures of what a Snowflake did to a puffer and it wasnt pretty (bit through the stomache)
3. Ensure that the other fish are tolerant of it. My hippo tang always it my puffers tail.
4. Pay close attention to how your puffer is acting, they are like dogs and will react accordingly.
Good luck!