I met a new Porcupine today.

[CyberBob]

Today I decided to try out a new LFS. I fell in love with the porcupine there. He is on sale for $25.
I'd say he's about 7-8". He was returned by someone that "upgraded" whatever that means

What size tank would I need to keep this guy with a clown or two?
Would he be OK with any other puffers also? valenti for example.

[bertie 83]

120g min for the puffer alone , as i have just discovered marine puff mixing not recommended, might work for a little while prob end in tears tho. they have a huge porc at my lfs atm he is real sick tho £100 wtf

[CyberBob]

120g min for the puffer alone , as i have just discovered marine puff mixing not recommended, might work for a little while prob end in tears tho. they have a huge porc at my lfs atm he is real sick tho £100 wtf

hmmm .. ok, so porky + 2 clowns + a couple stars + cleaning crew + live rock, Anemone, etc ... we talking 150g ya think? or more?

[bertie 83]

i would say poss 180 to be safe plus sump maybe more. clowns get big dont they? can be a bit aggressive when older also. i could be wrong on that tho lol

[sevenyearnight]

120 gallon min, no tank mates. 2 clownfish of the same species are deadly vicious when spawning. Mixing different species will likely lead to fighting as they are damsels afterall. Mixing puffers is not recommended, one can possibly kill the other.
At 7-8 in, he is liable to eat a clown if he so chooses, so it's a risky situation. I'd go with as large as you can afford >120 gallons if wanting to chance any tank mates as I know the recommendation is in consideration of no tankmates.

[CyberBob]

i would say poss 180 to be safe plus sump maybe more. clowns get big dont they? can be a bit aggressive when older also. i could be wrong on that tho lol

I've only heard of the clowns getting 2-5" and they are rather peaceful from my experieneces with them.
I also like the blue clowns the best, but they can be hard to find. orange\maroon are the most common I've seen.
I've never kept more then a pair though. Perhaps they get aggressive with other males around or sumtin
But, I've never kept any with puffers ... so .... ??

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clownfis.htm

[CyberBob]

120 gallon min, no tank mates. 2 clownfish of the same species are deadly vicious when spawning. Mixing different species will likely lead to fighting as they are damsels afterall. Mixing puffers is not recommended, one can possibly kill the other.
At 7-8 in, he is liable to eat a clown if he so chooses, so it's a risky situation. I'd go with as large as you can afford >120 gallons if wanting to chance any tank mates as I know the recommendation is in consideration of no tankmates.

So, if I wanted a tankmate, it would have to be about 20" full grown? Porcupines can get about that size
I thought the clowns might be OK if I had a pair. They could hide in the Anemone was my thinking.
For some reason, I thought porcupines were docile. Maybe I'm thinking Fahakas?

[bertie 83]

i would defo recommend a fahaka thats 1 i have experience with lol.notankmates tho unless you want them dead lol

[CyberBob]

i would defo recommend a fahaka thats 1 i have experience with lol.notankmates tho unless you want them dead lol

fahakas are very cute. I guess I just have a hard time with a single fish tank. species tanks, sure np. but single fish ... drives me nuts.
I used to keep an oscar by itself, great lil fish, but lots of work for 1 fish hehe.
I also kept a tang before. I tried keeping it as a pair, but nope, wouldn't have it. it kept picking on the stars too

[sevenyearnight]

It's the pair of clowns that can get nasty. Yes, porcupine puffers can be less aggresive, even timid, but they could eat them if they decided, like if they pestered him greatly.

[CyberBob]

It's the pair of clowns that can get nasty. Yes, porcupine puffers can be less aggresive, even timid, but they could eat them if they decided, like if they pestered him greatly.

ahhh gotcha. what are typical tankmates for procupines?

[CyberBob]

By the way, hijacking my own thread here hehe

I re-arranged my fish a bit today. I got rid of almost all mollies.
take a look at my sig and let me know whatcha think. my 40g might still be a bit crowded, but I think the rest are pretty good. the levels were all 0\0\5ish this weekend and all tanks have gone clear. The 40g is still a lil milky, but the others are crystal. No, not the snail tank, it's milky yellow, but I did an 80% WC for them. I have a feeling that the snail tank with always be ugly

[sevenyearnight]

I don't have any experience with porcupine puffers, and haven't done much reading on them either since it's not something in my near future I will be able to house.
I don't have anything else to add personally.

[CyberBob]

I don't have any experience with porcupine puffers, and haven't done much reading on them either since it's not something in my near future I will be able to house.
I don't have anything else to add personally.

K. Thanks for the info

[Corvus]

D. holocanthus can differ with regard to aggression. A friend of mine has a very aggressive one here, who even killed a small grouper and some large damsels. But this the exception, most are timid. It lives with my Zebra moray, which is absolutely harmless, but he is afraid of the eel (which does not have real pointed teeth at all, but just plates), so it leaves the eel alone.

In the long run I'd aim for a 150-180 gallon tank if you want some tank mates. Among clowns I'd choose something rather large, not percula and such.

30% of porcupine success is buying a HEALTHY, eating specimen; 30% is adequate system and care and another 30% is a proper diet with vitamins. 10% is maybe genetics and luck.

Don't expect 20", though. See some threads here discussing the size of D. holocanthus.