Puffer eating clownfish

[mark]

Never really thought about Puffers eating fish until I read this post today and was a little surprised. Now out of nowhere the wife just calls and asks if I want a Puffer for my tank (which has damsels, clowns and chromis) as her co-work is thinking about getting rid of one. Talk about timing.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by mark

Never really thought about Puffers eating fish until I read this post today and was a little surprised. Now out of nowhere the wife just calls and asks if I want a Puffer for my tank (which has damsels, clowns and chromis) as her co-work is thinking about getting rid of one. Talk about timing.

It really depends on the size and where it came from. Most puffers will not seek out fish to eat from your tank. I think its just more common with larger specimens that have just come from the ocean.

I have kept many puffers over the years (12 years of puffers including freshwater and brackish) and only had that one mappa ever eat live fish form the tank.

For example I would be extremely shocked to hear of a dogface eating tankmates. They are one of the most gentle puffers you will come across. They do eat most inverts and some coral though.

[my2rotties]

My puffer is a very large fish whom spent his life in the wild until recently. He hunted on the reefs and now that he is in my 260g, he feels he is on a reef again. I was a little upset, but I have no regrets in buying him. He came form a reef, was stuffed in a small empty store display tank, and then came to my husband's work of art. I am happy he feels so comfortable that he wants to hunt like in the old days. If I can catch the clowns before he does, I will be rehoming them. He is the mostawesome fish and it is great to watch him behave like a wild fish. He constantly changes hunting methods and is always thinking. I read they are very inactive fish, but he used every single inch of this tank and checks out every nook and cranny for food. He made this tank build worth while.

Originally Posted by mark

Never really thought about Puffers eating fish until I read this post today and was a little surprised. Now out of nowhere the wife just calls and asks if I want a Puffer for my tank (which has damsels, clowns and chromis) as her co-work is thinking about getting rid of one. Talk about timing.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

My puffer is a very large fish whom spent his life in the wild until recently. He hunted on the reefs and now that he is in my 260g, he feels he is on a reef again. I was a little upset, but I have no regrets in buying him. He came form a reef, was stuffed in a small empty store display tank, and then came to my husband's work of art. I am happy he feels so comfortable that he wants to hunt like in the old days. If I can catch the clowns before he does, I will be rehoming them. He is the mostawesome fish and it is great to watch him behave like a wild fish. He constantly changes hunting methods and is always thinking. I read they are very inactive fish, but he used every single inch of this tank and checks out every nook and cranny for food. He made this tank build worth while.

From the sounds of it, he is acting quite natural in your tank and that is a great thing. Porcs do tend to be inactive in general but it depends on the individual. They are usually nocturnal but not always. When diving in Trinidad last year we encountered many porcs and they were all awake in the daytime exploring. They would actually come right up to you and check out what you were doing. They would not quite get within arms length but pretty close. I wasn't too thrilled when our guide grabbed one but it never inflated and didn't seem to mind everyone petting it. It must have been about 13" and much wider/thicker than any I have ever seen in a tank.

LOL...they are so easy to catch. They are slow but its not even that. They seem to be very curious about people and not too fearful. I think the ones we saw see people quite often though. There was a grouper who knew people will feed him...he was a pain following us around begging for food

[my2rotties]

Well this guy was up probably most of last night, the entire day, and now his hunting strategy is to sleep right besdie the clownfish's coral that she is hosting. I put argonite in the water before lights out so he looks like a ghost with a mask in the murky water. His tail is hardly an inch away from the clown and he appears to be napping. NO fish has ever entertained me like this guy. Ed my older foxface was a smart guy due to his age, and this guy is no different. People whom think fish are stupid don't know what they are talking about. I wish I knew how old he was, the store said 18 months (how do they know honestly?), I already worry about his lifespan.

I would like to get a few small crabs to keep him busy perhaps. I will be really surprised if this clown makes it through the night. I wish I could catch her darned it.

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

From the sounds of it, he is acting quite natural in your tank and that is a great thing. Porcs do tend to be inactive in general but it depends on the individual. They are usually nocturnal but not always. When diving in Trinidad last year we encountered many porcs and they were all awake in the daytime exploring. They would actually come right up to you and check out what you were doing. They would not quite get within arms length but pretty close. I wasn't too thrilled when our guide grabbed one but it never inflated and didn't seem to mind everyone petting it. It must have been about 13" and much wider/thicker than any I have ever seen in a tank.

LOL...they are so easy to catch. They are slow but its not even that. They seem to be very curious about people and not too fearful. I think the ones we saw see people quite often though. There was a grouper who knew people will feed him...he was a pain following us around begging for food

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

For live crabs, let your LFS know that you want them so that when they get in a shipment of live rock, they can save you the hitchhikers in the cooler box. The LFS around here usually get 5-10 at least every shipment, if not more.

Being on the coast, my wife & I like to drive out to the shore & pick up some live shore crabs under the rocks at low tide.

Anthony