Dogface puffer, comp., sys.   - 04/20/07
Hi,
<Morning>
I’ve seen a 10"golden dogface puffer in my LFS, are these fish compatible with Ocellaris clown fish?
<A puffer this size couldn’t really be trusted with such an attractive meal>
My set up consists of a 60" x 30" x 24"(144 us gallon) tank with 3 Aquamedic Biostarr filter/skimmers, an undergravel filter with power head, sander ozonizer and live rock. Currently I have only 2 ocellaris clown fish (about 2.5"), If I add the puffer fish would I be able to keep a Harlequin Tuskfish, and a large angel (either Emperor or Maculosus) as well? I don’t want to make any expensive mistakes.
<All of the fish listed, with exception of the Harlequin Tusk, would outgrow a tank of this size. The puffer would need at the very minimum a 180gallon tank, the Emperor; 280 gallons and around the same again for the Maculosus. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but these really are very large fish. I would look at some of the smaller tangs as any large Angel requires upwards of 250 gallons to sustain it for any measurable time>
Thanks Kev
<Sorry Kev, hope I’ve saved you a good sum of money though. Olly>        

Arothron and SPS - 5/2/2006
Hello All,
<<Hello Craig.>>
I am interesting in purchasing an all black Arothron nigropunctatus to place in a 200 gallon tank (after a vigorous 4 week quarantine period) with my other fishes.
<<Sounds nice, and it’s nice to hear QT!>>
All my other fishes are reef safe, and my bioload will not be upset by this fish.
<<OK<>
Once he has been acclimated to his new diet (four daily mixed pellet feedings of Thera+A and Vita-Diet from two different auto feeders; 3 times weekly homemade frozen with Mysis, Cyclop-eeze, Natu-rose, Spirulina, Selcon, vita-chem, Nori, krill, plankton, squid and clams; live Mysis and copepods from refugium as well), I would give him at least 6 months to love his new diet.
<<Do be sure not to over feed, and offer plenty of crunchy foods to wear down his dental plates.>>
Then comes the idea that I have been playing around with--adding two or three different colored plating species of Montipora capricornis and a nice yellow specimen of Porites cylindrica (I do have the proper lighting and more than enough water movement).  I would appreciate any comments on chances of success, or modifications to improve on any chances of success.  I do not have to have these corals, but they are my favorite and it would be great to add them to my tank with all of my marvelous fishes.
<<Corals and puffers together is always a gamble.  Some will chomp them to bits, others will never touch them.  The entire family is quite curious, and will sample/chomp on many things.  My best advice to you is to watch closely, and be prepared to choose one or the other, should a problem arise.  You may have better luck adding the Arothron after the corals, as to not highlight their addition/existence.  Also note that shrimps, bivalves, clams and such will more than likely fall prey to the puffer in no time.  All that said, ultimately it is up to the fish how tolerant/intolerant they are, and if you do decide to go this route, it’s your job to be prepared to remove the puffer or the corals to other proper accommodations if need be.  Good luck my friend!>>
Thank you for your comments.  I appreciate your time and knowledge.
-Craig
<<Glad to help. Lisa.>>

Nano Pack <lunch> 4/9/06
Hi my name is mason and i have a 27 gallon nano-cube with a dogface puffer, 2 left-footed hermit crab, and 1 margarita snail. I was wondering if i can buy this pack with;
          Scarlet Hermit Crab:  5    Blueleg Hermit Crab:  5    Turbo/Astrea Snail:  10    Nassarius Snail:  5    Queen Conch - Aquacultured:  2
<Hello there Mason, I don't see why you couldn't get this pack.  Some have problems with a queen conch in a tank that small.  Do your research on them on the website and then you can make an education decision on if you want to risk it.  Other than that it seems a go.  Thanks, Jen S.? <<Jen... a Dogface Puffer in a 27 gallon nano tank? And... it will eat all these... assuredly. RMF who suspects you didn't see/register the Arothron here>>
      Thank You
              SOLD OUT
Click her to contact the site owner about this product.             -->

My puffer bit my eel  12/13/05
Hello wetweb.
<Holy hello it's Michael Maddox with you today - have had zero time for 'ol WWM as of late :(>
I'm hoping you can suggest some remedies to help my poor snowflake eel. He was burrowing under the rocks in the tank and  
scraped himself up pretty good. Most of these wounds were healing, but the other day my stars and stripes puffer decided to bite him.  
Now the poor eel has a couple of puffer mouth sized wounds on his back and they're not looking so great. Do you have any suggestions  
for treating these wounds. I'm moving him to an isolation tank, but i think his wounds could use some more active treatment as opposed to hoping they heal.
<I would treat him with a broad spectrum antibiotic (make sure to dose appropriately and do not cease treatment early per mfg instructions) and keep him well fed.  Provide him places to hide (PVC tubes work perfectly) and monitor the water quality carefully.  He should heal fine.  Might I recommend putting him in a separate aquarium, and\or finding one of them a new home in the future?  I can guarantee you this will happen again>
thanks
<Anytime>
Dan
<M. Maddox>

Tang Injured  11/19/05
Hi,
Can you please offer some advise for my Powder Brown Tang. Last night it was  bitten by my Stars and Stripes Puffer who is much larger. They both went for the same piece of food and the Tang was bitten in the mouth. Its mouth appears to be pushed over the side and deformed and bloody.
<Not good>
He immediately went to the back of the tank. This morning I put some flake in and he tried to eat but his mouth does not open nor is normal. It is pushed over to the side. Is there anything that can be done to save my Tang? Please help. 
Thanks... Sherry
<Not likely anything can be done... other than wait, hope for some "miracle" self-cure. Bob Fenner> 

Multi-Puffers 1/4/2005
Hello
<Well Hiya there.>
I was wondering if I could keep a Valentini Puffer, Green Spotted Puffer and a Stars and Stripes Puffer together in a 50 gallon saltwater aquarium with live rock, sand and crushed coral. Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks
<Well I would surely omit the Stars and Stripes, the potential size of this creature alone warrants at least a 200 gallon tank. As far as the other two; you're at about the minimum tank size for them. And as compatibility goes they may or not get-along. In short it's a gamble as Toby can be quite nippy at times and I have met a few GSP's who are just downright nasty as far as aggression. Adam J.>

Re: dogface w/ clown trigger?  9/8/05
Thanks a ton for your help.... we went ahead and separated the two guys, I think it's better to be safe than sorry.  The Clown Trigger is alone in a
120g and the Dog Face Puffer is in another 120 with a couple clown fish (mated pr), a yellow tang, 6-line wrasse, and a Toby (Canthigaster
jactator)**sp?.  these are the permanent homes... do you think the Dog Face will eventually need a larger aquarium? he's about 6-7" right now, but I've
read / heard conflicting opinions on the proper aquarium size. you're the greatest!
-Liz
>>>Hello again Liz!
I'm very happy to be of service to you!
You should be fine with that tank. These fish rarely reach maximum size in captivity anyway.
Cheers
Jim<<<

Reef and puffer  9/5/05
Hello gurus of the wet world!
You folks are my saving grace and today I am in need of a rescue... if you will.
I have a 70g FOWLR and am converting it to a reef.  It has been up for 18 months and all levels are fine.
The question is?????????
I have a sweet spotted puffer who does not eat snails or little fishes,  I never fed her live food, she even lets me pet her.  I would like to keep her in a reef environment.  Anything I should know? I can't seem to find any info on the subject. Help!
Ellen
<Is this a Toby... a Canthigaster species? If so, it may only take occasional small chunks out of sessile invertebrates, eat your smaller crustaceans, worms, and mollusks... a larger tetraodont species will be more problematical... eating more, and more randomly, as well as producing large amounts of waste. Bob Fenner>

Re: reef and puffer  9/7/05
Bob,
Thanks for the quick reply. The puffer in question is a Arothron nigropunctatus
Yes, The waste is a large quantity.
I am running a Eheim pro  and the tank is clear as a bell, there is also a skimmer that is rated for a 150g.
I am thinking of hooking up my Eheim 2215 as a supplement or investing in a wet dry. if I have to........
<Will need more... filtration, aeration, circulation>
Space is limited.
SO Guru of the deep.. how will this species fair?
Ellen
<Likely to munch on some of your reef... as stated previously, crustaceans beware! Mollusks, worms... even cnidarians. Bob Fenner>

Blackspot puffer... ?  8/24/05
Hello guys.
First I wanted to say thank you for pointing out how pathetic most LFS's are.
<They, we are "all just human"...>
  I've been reading your site for months, and I'm glad to have found a reliable info source.  I do have one question that I haven't been able to find an answer.  Can 2 Blackspot puffers get along in the same aquarium?
<What species is this?>
  And one more question if I may... I have stopped purchasing fish all together for my LFS's with exceptions of rare finds...  I bought a Mappa Puffer... (we love puffers if you cant tell) and he didn't make it.... I'm assuming from the copper treatment the LFS provided before I could get to him...  The LFS assured me that he would be fine, so when I called back to let them know he didn't make it, they asked me my acclimation procedure...  I spent about 2 hours acclimating using roughly 15% water additions to the bag every 15 minutes until the volume doubled. Then dumped half and repeated the same process.  The LFS said that that's what caused his passing.... is that true?
<Doubtful>
Thank you for all the help you've given me.
-Mel
<Most puffers are best kept one to a tank... their respective compatibilities can be read re on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Re: Blackspot puffer 8/25/05
The puffers are  Arothron nigropunctatus (dog face? black spot?) I have two.. one about 2.5" and the other 6"  they are both in separate quarantine now due to an indestructible ich outbreak in 3 aquariums simultaneously...
<Yikes, no fun>
the 2 quarantines are 55's side by side... there is considerable excitement between the two of them, and that's why I was wondering if they'd get along together...
<Maybe... but can/could change in a very short period of time>
I have read conflicting opinions..... so I guess maybe just leave them separate to be safe....?  I'm attempting for the first time the 2 front attack (from WWM) for ich.... however 4 of the 6 fish in quarantine are scale less... what is the BEST alternative for copper...?
<Depends... on the species involved, your set-ups, the time you want to put into probable cures... quinine drugs, simple vacuuming... elevated temperature, reduced spg... Bob Fenner>
thanks again for your wisdom.
-Mel

Fugu questions 8/18/05
<Hi there!  Heather (LinearChaos) here> At my LFS there are 4 3" Takifugu rubripes.  They are in horrible condition.  Instead of being green with neon orange they are silver and a dingy brick red. <The Takifugu rubripes is not a puffer that is sold in the trade, this is actually a species that is eaten as a delicacy in Japan.  The puffer you are describing is the Takifugu ocellatus.>  They are also ungodly cheap ($15 a piece).  <Wow! That is cheap!>  I was wondering for now would a 30 gallon tank be big enough for now.  I have no problem upgrading later.  I have no experience with these guys.  <No, this species is extremely aggressive toward their own and 4 in a 30g won't last but a week.  They'll nip each other to death almost immediately since they will not be able to get away from each other in that size tank and cannot establish territories.>  I am aware of how hard they are to keep in captivity.  Also there is very little information on these puffers.  Do you know what salinity, hardness, temperature, etc... they prefer.  Any help would be great.  <I have successfully kept 3 of these puffers in an established full marine environment for over a year, the salinity is 1.019 and the temp is 82*F.  The tank is 55g and is heavily stocked with live rock to break up the lines of sight as much as possible to reduce aggression.  Please, if you are unable to care for these puffers appropriately do not purchase them.  ~Heather> Logan

Re: Titan Trigger
Hi Rob,
<Hello Kel>
You think I should try and put my gold puffer with the Titan? The scientific name that you mentioned below for the puffer is xanthic Arothron meleagris, correct? The puffer is 8 inches. :) Kelly
<I would likely try this... for both their company, interaction... Both about the same in terms of nutrition (messy, meaty...) and temperament. The scientific name for the Guinea Fowl Puffer is A. meleagris, the term xanthic ("yellow") refers to an absence of melanin (black color) in your "sport mutation" specimen. Bob Fenner>

New Dogface! (4/5/2004) 
Hi <How goes it? Michael here today> 
I have really enjoyed reading your website but I have a couple questions about a my new Dog Face Puffer Fish that I just bought today but have not taken it home yet from the pet emporium because I want to make sure that my water levels are perfect. <Good idea> 
I have a 92+ tank that I just bought a few days ago that has been established for at least 1.5 years and it has a 100 lb of live rock in it. It came with a yellow tang and a little fish about 2 to 3 inches long that changes colors and I don't know what type it is. <"Changes colors"?> I have been searching the site to get more info on the care and the size of a Dog Face puffer fish but aren't really getting the answers that I need so I was wondering if you can help in any way.  How big will a Dog Face get? 
<Close 10-12" in captivity with a good diet and room to swim> 
Will he get along with my Yellow Tang that is about 6 inches long? <Shouldn't be a problem> 
Will he eat my little fish? <How little are we talking about? What species of fish?> 
With the size of my tank, what fish would you recommend so that I don't get into some of the situations that I have read about on your site, with too many fish or fish that will hurt each other? <I wouldn't add much more biomass after the tang and the puffer> 
Should I buy a coral rock just to prevent my puffer from getting lock jaw or too long of Teeth? <Feed him snails and he should be fine, you can always trim his teeth if it becomes a hazard to his health> 
I would really appreciate any answers that you can give to me. Let me add that I had my water checked two days after putting it up and the store said that the water was almost perfect and they have not seen that from a moved tank set up by an amateur. <What are the numbers that "almost perfect" translates to? You want a fully cycled tank for a dogface, e.g.. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0-20 nitrates> I just have always wanted a saltwater tank for so many years that now that I have it I don't want to make a careless mistake seeing that nothing in a saltwater tank is cheap especially the fish! <An admirable concern and you've found the right place for info> 
Thanks for your time and patience. You really seem to care about your site and that in its self can be rare. <Thank you, we try. I love the site also!> 
Tammy from St. Louis, MO 
<Have fun with your new Puffer, they're my favorite fish. Just make sure you have a good amount of filtration, as they're messy! M. Maddox>

Puffer Compatibility
We finally purchased our "last" addition, a dogface puffer (Arothron nigropunctatus) to our tank (50 gallon, running for a year now). <You need at least a 125g for all of these fish>  This has always been my favorite fish, and I waited until I was absolutely sure the tank was set before purchasing him.  The tank mates are:  Huma Trigger (Earl), True Perc (Charley) (currently on his way to his own tank), and a Foxface (Frances) (Siganus vulpinus).  We had expected some "difficulty" from our Huma, but the trouble has been with the Foxface.
He has always been such a docile fish, but not anymore.  He will display his fins whenever the puffer is around and chase him literally all around the tank. The puffer has been eating extremely well, and has been acted quite curious in his new tank.   Meanwhile, the Huma could care less about this new addition.   We were told by our LFS that these guys would be okay together.  My question is this, is the behavior of the Foxface due to the addition of the puffer and nothing more? (We've had the puffer now for four days)  Or do we have something to worry about?
The Huma, Foxface, and Puffer are pretty much all the same size - 3.5".  <If you were to get a larger tank that territorial behavior would most likely disappear.  These fish tend to want to establish their won territories which could be large in size.  Good Luck!  Heather> Pardon the "hurricane" names, but with the exception of the puffer, the
rest of these guys made it through the four hurricanes here in Florida!
Thank you for your help. Allison D. Fralick

Arothron nigropunctatus
Hello! Per your suggestion I have decided to turn my aquarium into a marine setup. The 3 Mono Sebae I have already are taking it very well and almost seem to enjoy all the new things to pick at! 
<excellent!>
What I wanted to ask about was inverts...are there any inverts that the Dogface Puffer (A. nigropunctatus plan to get won't make quick work of? Also, I've seen some sites that say that this guy is reef-safe and just as many that say he is not. 
<not really... it is likely an undue risk. All crustacea are at risk and this toothy predator will much many macros and some soft invertebrates out of curiosity/search for tasty tidbits. Not reef safe by my definition>
I don't plan on trying to maintain a full reef setup, but I have always kind of liked open brain corals, would this be a one-or-the-other situation? 
<yes... not safe with most sessile invertebrates>
I certainly don't want to wake up some morning only to find my puffer has efficiently cleaned the aquarium out of everything! I have had brackish puffers in the past and know they are quite able (and inclined) to eat everything in sight, but is there any possibility dogface puffers are different? 
<nope... thanks for asking :) >
I haven't placed an order for the puffer yet, I'm still letting the Monos settle in so if you have any pointers on puffer-safe inverts and hardy corals that would be awesome! 
<for what its worth... the monos aren't fully reef safe either. Keep an eye on them. But do enjoy all with lovely live rock and plants. And to solve your coral compatibility problem... what of plumbing a fishless refugium inline (upstream perhaps) to keep corals in?>
Thank for all the great support! You guys are awesome! Rachael
<best regards, Anthony>

Puffer's and Invert. food/tankmates
I have a 90 gallon tank that has been set up for about 4 months. I let it cycle with damsels for about two months everything was great( although I had 15 damsels when I started and ended with 4). I have since added 2 yellow tangs (Zebrasoma flavescens), a clown fish ( Amphiprion ocellaris), and a Long-Spined Porcupine Puffer (Diodon holacanthus). I understand that the puffer is not good with invert's. I would like to start adding live rock and corals is this a good idea, if so how much rock should I add and how fast should it be added.
>>
Adding the live rock is a great idea on several counts... You won't regret it... better livestock health, easier maintenance, never ending fascination with what comes out of it.
The Puffer will likely chew on bits of the live rock... and in all likelihood your corals, other invertebrates. Do start with a few hardy soft corals if you want to try your Puffer with the non-vertebrates. Maybe a leather, toadstool...
Bob Fenner

Fish compatibility
I have 1 Kole Tang, 1 Common Clown, 1 small Hermit crab and 2 small Green spotted puffers. I just added the Puffers yesterday, bought them on a whim at a store I had not been to ( don't know if the people are just trying to sell, not educate). Any ways, should I take the puffers back? Maybe just 1 of them? Also, I want to get a protein skimmer or a UV sterilizer. Which do you recommend? Will one help more than the other with my reoccurring ick problem?
<I'd take back one of the puffers. I'd get a skimmer before a UV sterilizer. I'd get a big healthy Lysmata cleaner shrimp, or two, to help with re-occurring ich - and I'd start quarantining/freshwater dipping all incoming fish. If you have ich that periodically cycles through your tank without addition of new fish, it's established, and you have to decide whether to experiment with a cleaner, (Gobiosoma goby would work too) or remove all the fish and lay the tank fallow for several weeks to starve off all the ich... -regards, Lorenzo>

Xenia and Puffers
Hi Bob,
I had a couple of unrelated questions for you.
First off, I have a 40g tank with a few juvenile fish in it. A Picasso Trigger (Rhinecanthus aculeatus), a Reticulated Puffer (Arothron reticularis) and a Mappa Puffer (A. mappa). I am wanting to add a Stellatus (A. stellatus) to the mix. The Reticulated and the Mappa get along well, although the Reticulated is FAR more aggressive of a fish than the Mappa.
Do you think the 3 puffs would be OK together?
<In a four hundred gallon system maybe... not a forty... this is way too small for what you have already>
Second, I also have a 3 year old reef tank that is pretty densely stocked with fish and soft corals. I had an amazing Xenia colony that spread like wildfire and covered several rocks, eventually migrating to the highest peak in the tank and directly in front of the return outlet. The colony was doing marvelously and I was fragging it monthly to take into my LFS, but one day, out of the blue, several of the larger stalks became discolored and withered away... almost as if they had been stung by another coral or anemone. There are no other corals or anemones within range of the Xenia, however. At the same time I also lost two large and beautiful Capnella sp. which showed the same withering process and then just decayed. After that, the colony crashed and left me with 2 large stalks. The whole colony used to pulse quite dramatically as well, which has essentially stopped. So, after much research and deliberation, I began supplementing iodine (Lugol's solution). Tests prior to this (Salifert's) showed iodine/iodate levels of around 0.1-0.2ppm. I raised the level slowly to 0.6ppm in accordance to seawater average iodine levels, and noticed the Xenia began pulsating a bit more. After a few days they stopped again, and this has been going on for several months now. The colony has not grown appreciably, and I am stumped as to why. The chemistry in the tank is VERY stable, with the exception of PO4 levels of 0.5ppm which I am constantly battling due to the foods I feed the corals and fish (loads of HUFAs). I am sure the problems the Xenia is facing has to do with some imbalance, whether it be PO4 or some other trace element problem.
<Yes, I agree... but what? Either something exhausted, rate-limiting... and/or (though I strongly suspect "or") a chemical interaction... maybe resultant from the other soft coral incident>
Everything else in the tank is growing like weeds... I am TOTALLY stumped, and was wondering if you had any insight as to what I might search for or try in order to re-establish this stuff.
Thanks a ton!
Christopher Burns
Curator seahorse.org
<In such cases... we (lamely) move some substantial part of the colony to another separate system... in the hope/trust that "whatever" is the cause, the new circumstances will be more propitious... Otherwise, large water changes, bolstering with iodide (potassium is my fave) and activated carbon use usually resolve such problems over time. Bob Fenner>

Re: Xenia and Puffers
Thanks for the quick reply! The fish in the 40 are at most 3" and it has a LOT of filtration. Appreciate the input, but I didn't want to give you the impression I was mistreating them! :>
<I understand... and know you must be aware that the puffers grow to lengths about the length of this tank in the wild>
In the reef, I am thinking about quitting the iodine supplementation, and have been running carbon full time for many months... I have just recently removed it, thinking that perhaps there was a food source being pulled out by the charcoal.
<Mmm, let's not mislead browsers... activated carbon is not synonymous with charcoal>
I have read that there is NO scientific evidence that even Xenia NEEDS iodine, however, there does seem to be an enormous amount of anecdotal evidence to support the need. What do you think? Also, what is your opinion on carbon use in a reef (always, never or off and on)?
<Yes to both iodide and activated carbon use... on a punctuated basis... the iodide once a week in general, the carbon monthly>
Thanks for your time!
Chris
<Be chatting, Bob Fenner>

Re: Xenia and Puffers
Cheers, Bob! Thanks for the info, as always.
<Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner>