Puffer Experiment is over!

[JustinReef]

Well that was short lived ;)

As many of you know, I tried a second dogface in my 130G. Right away, the two puffers checked each other out but seemed fine. They even slept in the same cave. I would even say the new smaller one was very curious and "liked" the bigger one. He followed him all around. About three days later, my Niger decided he all of a sudden hated the new dogface. Chased the poor thing all over to the point the dogface was jumping into my canopy and lights to escape. I put an eggcrate divider in the tank to keep them separated while I figure things out.

Waited a few days and tried again. The Niger was fine for a day but on night two of the second try, I hear water thrashing. The niger had taken a chunk of fin off the poor puffer.

Back to the eggcrate. At this point I had decided I would move the new dogface to a new home but my fiance LOVES the new one (Its very, very yellow) and wanted me to try one last time. So I did. Two days went by without an issue until today.

But this time the other dogface attacked. :rolleyes:

He didn't really do any damage but was chasing the smaleler now one around. I fed the tank and he stopped and they look like best friends again. Go figure.

I am not liking the trends here though and feel its just a matter of time before the new one gets hurt. Whether it be from the Niger Trigger or other dogface.

So they are sectioned off again while I figure things out...

Here is the real problem though. My fiance claims the new one is innocent and should stay. She really loves this fish. But I have had the other one a little bit now and can't imagine giving it away.

Complicated.

Just thought it would be good to share for all of those who were interested in how two dogface puffers would fare. I would say it can be done but in a bigger tank. They do seem tolerant of each other although I did not try it long. I think in a large system like 400-800G it would work well. Maybe a school of them ;) I actually would try a group in a 600G tank...

[danorth]

Hey, someone has to try! People didn't think 2 tusks could be in the same tank...proved that wrong for a year and a half....cleaner shrimp with some triggers and it worked. Sounds like your test would have worked too if it wasn't for the niger.

[JustinReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13837303#post13837303 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by danorth
Hey, someone has to try! People didn't think 2 tusks could be in the same tank...proved that wrong for a year and a half....cleaner shrimp with some triggers and it worked. Sounds like your test would have worked too if it wasn't for the niger.

I really do think so. He is the one I am more worried about. I have a feeling the other puffer also saw him bullying a "weaker" fish and decided to join in that one time. The other puffer never really went at him hard either. Still would worry me to have two in this size tank. I think it needs to be bigger to work.

[agreeive?fish]

well since you dont want to get rid of your other puffer and trigger and your better half wants the new one to stay there is only one answer

Congrats on your new tank purchase for the new puffer

[JustinReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13837456#post13837456 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by agreeive?fish
well since you dont want to get rid of your other puffer and trigger and your better half wants the new one to stay there is only one answer

Congrats on your new tank purchase for the new puffer

LOL...No I have to let go of the new puffer. She will get over it. She already knows that is what has to happen and will be fine. We have too many tanks as it is.

[Snausy]

I had a cute little dogface in with my big S&S for about five days...that whole time the little guy looked up to the big one, following him around and totally copying everything he did. I had a picture of them sitting together on a rock perch both looking at me, then the dogface would glance over at the S&S to make sure he was doing it right etc etc...it was totally cute and my gf at the time LOVED watching them together. She said it was like watching a little brother trying to be like a big brother.

Then one day when the S&S was begging for food, the little dogface got too close and the big S&S feeling crowded turned around and bit him a couple times on the belly pretty good. The poor little guy limped off to a corner and sulked for the rest of the day. Good thing it was the belly because it's so stretchy that it just made some deep moon-shaped indentations rather than cut him open.

I liked that dogface so much that I pulled him out immediately realizing that he was going to get cut in half one day and the S&S was just tolerating him. He didn't like him at all and one day(probably when I wasn't there to stop it) he would just snap and kill the little guy. Experiment over.

The other time I tried to put two dogface puffs together it only took about a day for the established one to start beating up on the new one(which was actually bigger). Puffers biting each other is not a fun time, ya know? That will get really ugly really quick with those sharp beaks.

I won't be trying again...good luck in your attempts!

btw, people say Niger Triggers are nice...I say the ones that have nice triggers are lucky because every niger I've had ended up being such a bully that he got removed. I've seen my dogface and my niger go toe-to-toe for about an hour straight with nobody winning. The whole family was rooting for the puffer and we really wouldn't have cared too much if he cut that trigger in half the trigger was such a jerk.

[JustinReef]

Yeah mixing puffers can be hard. I have kept up to 6 together for three years and it was fine though. Very hit or miss.


Right now I have three that get along great and one more that is not fitting in. It was worth a shot though.

[rssjsb]

Sorry to hear it didn't work out. Even sorrier that I'm not close enough to take the new guy off your hands. My new 120 is just about ready. :)

[Snapper66]

I am Glad I am not the only one Running Experiments For Me it is Groupers Which Seems to Be Working.Sorry that Your Experiment Has not Worked out:( But if You Dont Try You wont Know.

[elecbzerk]

Justin, I've wondered how multiple puffers would do together, guess not I know. Sorry you have to me your fiance unhappy! buy her a nice gift to help with the decision.

[DamnPepShrimp]

I think you need to get rid of your niger, he seems to be way too aggressive for your setup. Or take him out and introduce any new fish then re-introduce him. Sorry things aren't working out for you though.

[the real fishman]

DamnPepShrimp is right. you need to take the niger out. and re introduce him. introducing fish in the right order is very important. General rule is that you should alays add the more aggesive fish last such a triggerfish. Take him ou, add anoher fish. then add the niger in again. his way the fish in there already have their established turf. at the moment the niger feels that the new puffer is walking over his turf and dosent like it.

[Snausy]

It's funny that you mention "re-introducing"...I learned about that just doing it once. My HT was beating everyone up including my puffer(I know I know, aggressive HT???) but I yanked him out and put him in the qt(solitary confinement) for a month...then because I didn't know what else to do I put him back in to see what would happen. He's been a nice fish to his tankmates ever since.

[limitdown]

Compatibility is one the biggest reason why FO's aren't necessarily easier to keep compared to reefs. The number one reason being disease.

Fish are individuals, like humans. Opposites sometimes attract, while at times "birds of a feather flock together".

Most people believe that large angels of the same species cannot be kept together, however, my buddy keeps 3 grey angels (pomacanthus arcuatus) of different sizes together without any problems. He also has 2 adult blue face angels. He tried to keep 2 passers together, but that turned into a major disaster.

[AquaKnight]

Sorry to hear this Justin. I agree, without the Niger, it definitely sounds like it could have worked out.

Just for tossing my unsuccessful puffer attempts into the same thread, 4" Spiny Burrfish and 4" Hawiian Blue Spot Puffer (125gal), Spiny was too timid and never left the corner, too stressed. 3" Spiny Burrfish and 2 (2"/2.5") Southern Puffers, the larger Southern constantly nipped it and bit Spiny. 2 (2.5"/3") Southern puffers. The 2 Southerns and Spiny were wild caught by me no bigger then a pea. I thought the 2 Southerns would form a pair (to spite knowing their solidarity in the wild), but came home to find one of the puffers dead and attached to a powerhead. Definitely the 2 got into a fight, as I noticed a bit of aggressive beforehand, then both fish had damaged not related to the powerhead (fins, etc).

[t1gerbee]

I keep a juv stars and stripes, a topaz and a green spotted (puffers) in a 100G tank with no issues..

I did have a juv porc as well, and he/she would go all war like , show dark patches of colour and fly at the stars every so often. Never bit though, just threatened..

I think one of the fish needs to be removed at the first sign of violence, as it might not survive another attack...