Small puffers?

[D3NT]

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[TD="class: alt1"] I posted this on another forum but I thought I'd come her too because you guys have helped me a lot and I expect you have a lot more good advice in you!

Hello everyone! I thought I'd take this time to ask a question about something I'm interested in doing a few months from now. I currently own a tank around 115g. It's a reef tank with a few soft corals, a pair of clowns, a foxface, dragon goby, a yellow tang (as of today!) and a cleaner shrimp. I am still very much a beginner! My fish seem healthy, and my corals are doing okay. I am constantly trying new positions for a few of them to see where they're happy but so far none have shown serious signs of illness other than a stony coral which I will be giving back to the coral shop. I didn't realize I didn't have the lighting to care for stony corals. That's something I plan on changing in the future but honestly I'm a fan of soft corals anyway. That being said, my wife is finally interested in one of my hobbies! She even told me she wanted a tank dedicated to a puffer and she seemed to really like the Valentini. Even before I showed any kind of interest in SW aquariums she talked about how much she liked puffers. I'd love to get her a tank focused on these little guys, but I really can't afford two large tanks. I'd like to get her the smallest tank these guys can have. That doesn't mean I want the smallest tank they can survive in, I want the smallest tank they can live comfortably in. If there are smaller puffers I'd love to check them out. I have no problem getting a 60-75g tank for her, but for some reason I really love tiny tanks!

Finally, I HAVE to get her a cowfish. She may love these little guys more than puffers, and the most aggressive fish I have is my yellow tang. The only fish I plan on adding to my main tank is a hippo and a mandarin goby after a year. She loves the mandarin, but I can't deny that I love it too! Will a longhorn have problems with my current stock? Obviously every fish is a bit different but anyone think I'll have problems?

Thanks in advanced guys, anything the two of us can enjoy together is something I wanna learn more about!



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[D3NT]

Also, I was wondering if puffers and cowfish could live together. It seems as if puffers would bully cows, but God would she love that! What sort of decoration (preferably living) do puffers tolerate?

 

[EmilyXLC]

Last time I checked, neither puffers nor cowfish are not particularly ideal for a reef tank. I HAVE heard of some success, but you have to be extremely cautious... However, puffers are extremely fun, full of character & not too difficult to care for, so long as you can get your hands on one who has adapted to captive life well & is eating well. Keep in mind that every fish is different. One particular fish may love to pick at corals, while another of the same kind will leave them alone. It all depends on the specific fish & the situation. : )

I would steer clear of a cowfish, unfortunately, until you are more versed in the hobby, as I hear quite regularly that they are difficult to care for & extremely delicate. If they get stressed out enough, they can release a toxin into your tank which can harm other fish & probably corals.

Your wife has exquisite taste in fish! Puffers & cowfish are two of my absolute favourite fish. I have had a puffer in the past (porcupine) & I have ALWAYS admired cowfish, but I feel as if I will always admire them from afar. I'm too scared of one crashing my tank...
: /

 

[D3NT]

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking of a fish only tank for the puffer anyway. I read up a little on cowfish and I don't think I have the ideal tank for one anyway, so I'll be admiring from afar too!

 

[wysiwyg]

cowfish are not reef safe cause they eat tube worms puffers are not reef safe cause they will nip on stoney corals to help keep there beaks worn. you could keep a valentini in a 60 or 75g tank easily. i have a blue dot toby puffer with a longhorn cowfisn and female black boxfish and they live in harmony. i would not suggest a longhorn for a 75 but would suggest a boston bean or black boxfish for a 75g

 

[D3NT]

Thanks! I think she'd like the boxfrishes too. It'll be a while before I start anything like this, but it's fun to read up on some of this stuff in the mean time.