The Puffer Forum

ok well out of pure curiosity what size tank would you need if it is even possible to house a porc puffer and a guinefowl puffer? and if you could mix some kind of lion fish?

besides reefs those are like my three favourite marine fish, and yes i know they are al either huge or mean (or both lol) so i was just thinking if it would be possible to house them together, i know there is a general rule of one spiny and one smooth puffer but just wondering if someone had some input.

I'd think a 220 would probably work alright. Of course, the lionfish would have to keep from pissing off the puffers.

You have to be careful with the larger puffer species with nipping. The lionfish has very appealing spines that a puffer might just want to taste.

You could always do two tanks. One for the puffers and one for the lion fish.

i also want to set up a large reef tank so im thinking when i get out of college my first aim for a tank is going to be the reef then the large puffer tank, so another tank might be in the range further down the line for more fish like a lion, trigger and other oddballs that arnt really reef safe. but if i could get all of them in the same tank then even better lol. are the spines on the lion fish as dangerous to puffers as they are to us? as in if he decided to nip the lion would it just be like a normal fin nip or would i be looking at a dead puffer?

Your looking at more of an injury to the lionfish if he is nipped. Then the stress from the bite can make it sick. I don't think the toxin would harm the puffer but...I could be corrected.

A F8 I have once ate the stinger and poison sack off of a yellow jacket... that's way more venom than one spine of a lionfish, I can attest to that, having been stung by both. The F8 was fat and happy after his meal. Still trying to figure out how the thing got into the tank.