saddle valentini puffer and lion

[snakeman50]

would a saddle valentini puffer mess with a dwarf zebra lions fins
just dont want to get a puffer and have the lion get torn to shreds
thanks Logan

 

[fishieness]

it is very possible. It is possible for you to get a puffer that would be very peaceful... but of course, you wouldnt know without trying it. I have a valentini and although they are said to be fin pickers, i have had any picked fins. Then again, the fish i have with the largest fins is only a maroon clown about and inche and a half long. BUt the long, wide fins of a dwarf lion are pretty tempting.

 

[nixpack]

Fishieness---do you have a reef tank? I know Puffers are not recommended for reef tanks but I'm hoping--against hope--that I can hear of a success story of someone keeping a Puffer in a reef tank w/o any problems. I haven't started my tank yet but I do really want a reef tank...and yet, I really want a Puffer, too.
*sigh*
Claudia

 

[fishieness]

haha. Im facing the same dilema. No i do not have a reef tank. But my local fish store told me my snowflake eel would be fine in a 29 gallon...obviously... they were wrong. So im cycling a 40 breeder for him and 1 other smaller fish and i do want to make that into a reef tank. So i am getting the best of both things i want. I do hear the puffers will pick at soft corals like mushrooms and others. But i have also heard and seen a few picks of people with puffers and ive even seen a niger trigger in a reef tank. I would recomend you to decide what you want more, then go for that. It would be possible to set up a small nano reef too with like one fish to fill your desire for a reef. It would be a lot less expensive than a larger one too. If you want a reef more, you can get one set up, and then after a while add a small puffer and see how he does, if he starts any trouble at all, you could always return him if your local fish store is nice. This would not be recomended, but it is a suggestion. Also the other problem with puffers in a reef tank is a lot of them (most of them) will eat your clean up crew which are not only expensive, but help keep your water clean enough for the corals and inverts to survive. You would need a realy good protein skimmer because they are very messy eaters. Luckaly i have a clown fish who waits by my valentini as he eats, and basicaly gets his meal by eating his scraps that he chews up and spits out. So if you have a big waste producer like a puffer, but he eats all your clean up crew, your amonia and nitrates aregoing to get pretty high.