Whats the story with puffers?

[jesseh83]

Everyone that I have talked to says that you cant put puffers with any other fish, but every where I go I see puffers with other fish! I know that you cant put them with inverts but what else can you not put them with. My wife wants a dogface puffer and I don't know what others he could go in a tank with. Also are puffers really aggressive. I really don't want to build an aggressive tank.

 

[roboticfish]

I have a Dogface with a Foxface, ScissorGoby, and a Algae Blenny. All is happy accept he likes to eat my snails
Right through the shell even!
My wife wont let me get rid of ours she loves it to much, but I'm very limited on things i can have so think very carefully as you might end up returning other lifestock.
Thanks, Jayson

 

[jesseh83]

My wife really wants the puffer and every time we go somewhere and there is one her eyes just light up. So i pretty much am going to have to get one. Will they become bullies to other fish that are smaller than them. I dont want to put fish in there that are not going to be happy.

 

[cryptics]

I have had many puffers. The problem they have is they absolutely love to eat. So they will eat almost anyone from your cleanup crew. They will also try to steal food from others and are sloppy. The only time any of my puffers hurt a fish was a bite taken out when they were fighting for food. That said the Dogface is by far the calmest. Stars and Stripes and Porcupine will go through anyone to get food. My Stars and Stripes use to try to pull Silversides away from my Tesselatta Eel