Puffer and corals

PhantomHalo · Jan 1, 2020

Would a Golden puffer or yellow belly dogface puffer nip at zoas, mushrooms, leathers, chalices, hammers/frog spawns/torches, or brain corals? Just trying to plan the corals going into the tank prior to getting one. Thanks!

Peach02 · Jan 2, 2020

The golden based on what websites selling them are saying will eat invertebrates but not most coral however I would be very skeptical of this.
Same goes for the dogface
Plus they are well equipped to eat LPS and SPS with their beaks.
Someone at #reefsquad might have personal experience though

YeetReef · Jan 2, 2020

I have kept many types of puffers. Dog Faces, Porcs, variety of toby's. None of them have ever ate my coral but I seem to maybe an outlier. One Time I had an aggressive Valentini puffer that would pick at fish but not any of my coral(still gave it back to my lfs) but every other puffer I've had has been a model citizen.

PhantomHalo · Jan 2, 2020

Nice! I figured they’d probably pick at or eat SPS and LPS, but leave softies alone. I’m hoping I can still make it a somewhat nice looking reef with out the SPS.

YeetReef · Jan 3, 2020

PhantomHalo said:
Nice! I figured they’d probably pick at or eat SPS and LPS, but leave softies alone. I’m hoping I can still make it a somewhat nice looking reef with out the SPS.

the only time they ate a coral was if the food falls into the coral they might accidentally nibble on whatver its caught on

tehmadreefer · Jan 3, 2020

Puffers may do something to sps or encrusting montis since they do bite at the rock from time to time to control the growth of their beak.

moat certainly don’t eat coral as part of their diet...

PhantomHalo · Jan 3, 2020

Awesome! That is great to hear. I will have 3 large angels in there that will nip at the corals, but I was just worried about the puffer actually eating them. Not too worries about nipping as none of them are going to be super expensive. Thanks all!

Radman73 · Nov 18, 2020

Late to the party, but mine eats acans and zoas lol! Has only taken one nibble of a monti that I've seen. I'll accept it though as he also is eating vermetid snails of which I have an infestation. Hopefully I'll still be able to keep some coral. If not, I'll move him to the 75gal fuge once the DT is clean.