Puffers....clear the smoke for me.

[Wxguy23]

My wife would like I puffer. I like my wife.

I have a 75 gal, 2yo tank with a yellow tang, 2 nemos, 2 royal gamas, a chocolate chip starfish, urchin, diamond golbie, shrimp and clean up crew.

While I read and have been told to stay away from puffers with noses and dogface, I am told or it seems I can get a Porcupine Puffer for a couple years till it gets too big and trade in. (I have traded before).

HOWEVER, they eat your clean up crew. So, how to you compensate for a missing clean up crew?

 

[James M]

Your shrimp and CUC are going to be goner. That’s being said you really won’t have one with a puffer

 

[Wxguy23]

Your shrimp and CUC are going to be goner. That’s being said you really won’t have one with a puffer

I get that, so what do you do?
As for the cleaner shrimp....that's a bummer. May have to reconsider for that. But can do without shrimp too.

 

[garbled]

I've kept multiple dog faces, and a porcupine. All in FOWLR tanks. All were really wonderful fish, but:

1. Crabs, urchins, snails, shrimp are super yummy.
2. Powerheads are yummy too, until I get caught in one, then death everywhere.
3. Know what else is yummy sometimes? Rocks. Some of us just love to chew the tips right off rocks.
4. Glass heaters are yummy, so are the little plastic guards to keep me out of them.

I cannot stress enough how wonderful these fish are. Of any fish I've found them to be the most intelligent, the most friendly, the most interactive, and the best pets. Every one I've ever kept could tell the difference between multiple members of the household as they approached the tank, and would behave differently for each of us.

But they will bite literally everything, and crush it to death. If you have a powerhead, they will swim right up to it and get caught in it. I build my puffer tank very differently than other tanks. No moving parts in the tank. No electricity in the tank. They love rockwork, and some will chew on it. This is really good, because it keeps their teeth worn down.

Also, acrylic tanks are super bad. They will destroy the surface by dragging teeth across it all day. (or trying to bite it, because everything must be bitten)

I've kept them with rabbitfish, large angels, tangs, larger hawkfisk, and they get along great.

I also recommend sand on the bottom, as they like to lay on it, and blow it around looking for food. Not powder fine, just not gravel, as it scratches them up.

 

[James M]

You might be able to keep conches and cowries but still risky.
Have you looked at the Canthigaster puffer family ? You would be able to keep one in your size of a tank.

 

[Wxguy23]

I've kept multiple dog faces, and a porcupine. All in FOWLR tanks. All were really wonderful fish, but:

1. Crabs, urchins, snails, shrimp are super yummy.
2. Powerheads are yummy too, until I get caught in one, then death everywhere.
3. Know what else is yummy sometimes? Rocks. Some of us just love to chew the tips right off rocks.
4. Glass heaters are yummy, so are the little plastic guards to keep me out of them.

I cannot stress enough how wonderful these fish are. Of any fish I've found them to be the most intelligent, the most friendly, the most interactive, and the best pets. Every one I've ever kept could tell the difference between multiple members of the household as they approached the tank, and would behave differently for each of us.

But they will bite literally everything, and crush it to death. If you have a powerhead, they will swim right up to it and get caught in it. I build my puffer tank very differently than other tanks. No moving parts in the tank. No electricity in the tank. They love rockwork, and some will chew on it. This is really good, because it keeps their teeth worn down.

Also, acrylic tanks are super bad. They will destroy the surface by dragging teeth across it all day. (or trying to bite it, because everything must be bitten)

I've kept them with rabbitfish, large angels, tangs, larger hawkfisk, and they get along great.

I also recommend sand on the bottom, as they like to lay on it, and blow it around looking for food. Not powder fine, just not gravel, as it scratches them up.

Hmmm...okay, I have all that. Bummer. I will move on.
Thanks

 

[Wxguy23]

Maybe I will get a butterfly of some sort. She likes those too.

 

[Evan28395950]

I have a Valentini, he does tend to kill some of my snails when theyre new to the tank, but then starts to not care. Whenever one my hitchhiker urchins forgets to go back into a hole before lights on it he’ll go for it, but some way they always survive. He goes for most corals besides soft and lps. Thankfully he doesn’t care for powerheads

 

[Carterfish]

If you want a replacement for cuc I would say a kole tang or algae Blenny. And get a Serpent star or 2 for detritus

 

[Saveafish]

Ive just wanted to see then puff.

 

[CindyKz]

My Valentini will go after small snails but leaves the large ones and the hermit crabs alone. I have a lone peppermint shrimp in there that has somehow managed to survive. He's in a softie tank and hasn't messed with any corals.

 

[Sailingeric]

My Valentini does not bother the shrimps, snails, or corals but YMMV.