The Puffer Forum

ok so my tank is cycling right now and im tryimg to decide what i want in it. But here is the problem, one of my requirements is my tank MUST have a puffer in it, i absolutly love them. However my wife says that it MUST have clownfish in there also, is there a way that you can think of that we both can have what we want? any species of puffer that will not chomp the clownfish up. The thing is everywhere i read that has a compatability chart they list clowns and puffers as completly compatable, but when i talk to people on forums they say something completly different. Thank you!

What size tank do you have?

And Welcome to the forum!

sorry let me tell you about everything i have

60G tank
30# live rock
30# base rock
60# live sand
2 powerheads that put out 300GPH each
and an aquaC remora skimmer

A toby would be a good puffer for you. I have a solandri toby with a false percula and they are starting to form a friendship of sorts.

If you look at the pufferpedia there are the valentini, paupans and some other tobys which would be fine, its just what you can find at your lfs and which ones you like the look of.

The other sw puffers get too big for a 60gallon and some are pretty aggressive.

oooo i love the valentini he was my second choice behind a spiny box
anyways let me just show you my anticipated stocklist,

1 valentini
1 yellow tang (i know i should have 70gallons but its another one my wife said I MUST HAVE which is ok because im getting a 75 gallon on a trade in about a year)
2 clowns i belive fale-perc
1 spotted cardnial
1 citrus goby
1 flame fish
and i would love to have a flame angel too but i think that would be overstocking

all of them im going to buy as juvies so that i can let them grow for a year then swich over to the 75G

I think that should be fine. I don't know much about flame fish or the citrus goby. I've read that cardinals like to be in groups rather than just one, maybe you could add a couple and then wait on one or two of the other fish you want until you get the bigger tank.

thank you!!! you are so much help!!!!!

Sounds good. Cardinals do fine alone, especially in a tank that size. They can actually be quite aggressive to each other in small groups. I know there are a few species that are now endangered which means if any are seen anytime soon, chances are they are (thankfully) tank bred.

Flame fish are kinda shy and somewhat delicate. The yellow tang may pick on it and the puffer might pick at its fins. I wouldn't add the flame angel until you got the larger tank and your rock matures and can sustain its scavenging habits.

Tobies would be great.

Make sure you choose your yellow tang carefully. They may be considered the easiest of all the tangs to keep, but in my house they are the 2nd hardest right after sailfin tangs. Its strange that the normally hard to keep tangs do well with us, just odd luckiness or unluckiness.

My sailfin was one of the hardiest fish I ever had! It was pretty aggressive too, not fun.

spiny box are really tough to acclimatise, they just don't eat very well to start with, have big IP problems.. and get to a foot long...

valenini's are wonderful, they buzz round and examine the rock... then somehow stick their bellies to things and sleep upright....


love them.