The Puffer Forum

My favorites in terms of looks and behavior are;




Canthigaster bennetti

Bennett's sharpnose puffer, they are hard to come by...They hail mostly from Africa but filamentous alage make up about 75% of their diet so they are a really safe bet around most inverts. Max size is also only about 3.5" - 4".



Canthigaster papua

Looks alot like the Hawaiin sharpnose puffer but has a smaller overall size and is in my experience a little less boisterous.



Canthigaster rostrata

These are usually just lablled as 'The sharpnose Puffer" , they are very common and really cheap. They are also very hardy. While they have a larger adult size (5-6") they are not of much threat, seagrass is 90% of their diet though adults do pick at motile inverts they find in the sea-grass beds from time to time.



and of course


Canthigaster valentini

The common valentini puffer. As most folks know it has a filefish that mimics it, so be careful when you are buying this one you are getting a puffer and not a filefish.



Adam J

Puffers that are herbavores? They still have the fused beaks? The tank is about 50g, 25x25x18". I think I could probably easilly fit a 6" puffer in there. What about the sizes for the above fish?

I'd also like to keep a dusky jawfsih too. Already have a really nice LR cave lined up for him & have been collecting rubble, for my next "Barney".

They do have fused beaks but they are no where near as dense as some of the other, larger, marine puffers like Arothoron sp. Keep in mind that filamentous alage tends to includes coraline algaes as well and they do tend to supplement that "algae-eating" with invertebrates, like micro-fauna, smaller shrimp, chitons and small bivalve.

Most of the fish I listed (unless otherwise noted) generally hit about 3.5"-4"

Adam J.