Anybody keep a dog ace puffer in a reef?

[maddyfish]

Does anybody keep a dog faced puffer in a reef?

[kiknchikn]

I highly doubt anyone does, as they are known to eat soft corals.

[godoggo]

They also eat hermits, snails, stars, urchins, clams, and any fish smaller than they are. Save them for fish only predator tanks.

[alkataz]

I also doubt you will find anyone keeping puffers in general in a reef they tend to be quite distructive in a reef environment. I have a puffer in my aggressive tank that has some corals in it and BTAs, but I don't keep any inverterbrates in it because they tend to wind up a quick snack for the fish.

[saul]

are cowfish the same with respect to reef compatability?

[maddyfish]

Does anybody have first hand information on a dog faced puffer in a reef setting? Not just asumptions, and things you may have read?

[alkataz]

What we are telling you is not hearsay. When I wanted to add a puffer to my tank I was advised against it and I thought the same thing that all the reports of the damage they do were just based on talk and assumptions. I did a lot of research. I talked to lots of people who keep puffers and some of them had tried to go against the advise they received and added them to their reefs with sometimes disaterous consequences. The horror stories are the rule instead of the exception.

[vonodie1]

I have a friend that had a porcupine puffer in her tank with mushrooms and toadstools, but can't answer as far as a dogface puffer.

HTH

[maddyfish]

I am mainly concerned with what sort of corals they are known to eat. As I have no algea, I have no snails, or crabs. No shrimp, or starfish as well. The tank contans a 5" yellow tang, and a yellowtail blue damsel. I am prepared for the damsel to be eaten. I have xenia, zoos, shrooms, and a candy cane.

[katpurdy]

i have a 12" 5 year old DFP in tank with a yellow tail blue damsel...they sleep together, and a yellow tang. In the past he has eated green button polyps...so far that is it. He is spoiled so he doesn't touch the 30 smails or the 20 hermits that are in with him...why should he when meal times are mussels, prawns, scallops, clams, oysters etc. A well fed fish doesn't pick...or so they say...JME

[ERICinFL]

Put it in there and get back to us.

[Amphiprion]

What kind of evidence do you want of Arothron nigropunctatus' legendary destructiveness? They feed on an assortment of invertebrates. Specimen diets have ranged quite a bit, but nearly all contain at least some corals (notably Acropora sp., according to FishBase and J. E. Randall). Others would be sponges, tunicates, algae, anemones, crustaceans, etc.

If that wasn't bad enough, several specimens had diets that consisted almost exclusively on cnidarians--the majority of which were hard corals. Here is a quantitative gut analysis that is an example of one such specimen:

60.0 cnidarians hard corals juv./adults 60% coral fragments
20.0 cnidarians hard corals juv./adults 20% scleractinian coral polyps
20.0 cnidarians n.a./other polyps n.a./others 20% sea anemones

I say your chances of success with this fish in a reef setting is minuscule to nonexistent.

[clekchau]

there is a guy that has kept a puffer in his reef tank for years and highly recommends it, here is a link:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=160734&highlight=puffer

interesting read

[staticx]

LOL
You can keep a puffer in your reef no prob, well maybe a little prob. Yes all the things everyone lists is what they eat. All you have to do is keep it well fed and it wont bother anything. Same thing as the snowflake eel alot of people say no way but they are fine as long as you keep it well fed. I am going to get a puffer for my reef. Alot of other people have puffers as well. This threaed and all the people saying no is what has made my mind up.

[goalieman392]

i have a valentini puffer in mine, no problem of eating any corals in the past.. have had him about 3-4 months

[u418936]

I used to have two tanks. One was a 90 gal with a dogface puffer (my favorite fish ever), and the other is a 125g reef tank. My 90 gal broke down, so I moved my puffer into my reef tank--he was slow and tame, so it would've been easy to catch him if he started causing problems.

To my surprise, he never disturbed any of my corals, clams, or shrimp. He never seemed happy in the reef tank, though: He didn't swim around as much as he used to, and his appetite went way down. I don't think he liked the high current and the bright lights. I was worried about him, so I returned him to my LFS.

[abeard]

If you have to have a puffer, go with a valentini puffer. I have had mine for over a year. I am missing a sand sifter though.

[cristhiam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8351961#post8351961 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saul
are cowfish the same with respect to reef compatability?

No totally different, I have mine in a mixed reef with LPS, SPS, clams and softies. On the other hand my saifin tang is not totally reef safe :) picks on my brain.
I have pictures on my www

[david pinder]

Have had a puffer in my reef 400 gal 6 mo no problem he is really fun to watch him