Has your puffer eaten your other fish?

[Oberst Hajj]

My wife really wants a porcupine puffer for our 270g FOWLR tank, but I am a little concerned with it possibly eating some of our smaller fish. We have a clown that is still only about 2" long after 4 years and several wrasse about the same size.

What has your experience been with puffers and other small fish?

 

[MONTANTK]

I have seen puffers which have eaten smaller clowns. While I was working at an LFS we had a golden puffer which hated when cleaner wrasse would try to peck at it. It bit 2 or 3 in half before we realized what was happening

 

[lion king]

Yeah a porc puffer does have the propensity to eat small fish.

 

[G Santana]

Puffers gonna puff.
There are no guarantees, and puffers have a voracious appetite.
I have always seen them as predatory fish best suited for large fish companions.

 

[smlarson72]

Mine has eaten a couple of our fish. He even tried to take a bite out of my finger the other night when I wasn’t paying attention while feeding my eel. Didn’t break the skin but it hurt.

 

[Oberst Hajj]

Thanks for the replies everyone. My wife really wanted one in our FOWLR tank, but has decided that she would rather us not risk having some of our littler fish get eaten.

 

[smlarson72]

Thanks for the replies everyone. My wife really wanted one in our FOWLR tank, but has decided that she would rather us not risk having some of our littler fish get eaten.

You might look at other puffers. In have a Valentini in my 72 gallon and love her.

 

[Oberst Hajj]

You might look at other puffers. In have a Valentini in my 72 gallon and love her.

Thanks, I'll show the Wife and see what she thinks of that one.