The Puffer Forum

Hello,
this is my first post on here, so please go easy on me
Is it possible to house more than two puffers in the same tank ? I currently have a dogfaced and a porc in a large fish only community tank, and have absolutely no behavioural issues at all. I'm trying to find information on having more than this in one tank, but am struggling to do so. My dogfaced is so docile i can't ever imagine aggression to be a problem, but what would happen if 3 or more were housed together ?
Your input on this would be most welcomed .
Kind Regards
Anthony

What size is your tank? How big are your water changes? What is your filter? How grown are your puffers as of now? As for the compatibality, i'll let the seniors answer that.

Ref size of tank, thats what i'm trying to find out I currently have a 6' x 2' x 2' with a 4' sump, approx 800ltrs, but am looking to upgrade this. The information i'm after is:-
1) can 3 or more df puffers be kept in one tank ( as i can't seem to find any information on this ) , and 2) if they can, what size tank would be required.
Sorry for the confusion

You really just never know. Each puffer will have a different personality, and as some age, they get more aggressive.

I think dogface and porc combos have been tried very often.. but you need a really BIG tank for it to work, not only due to agression but the simple fact that these fish are messy eaters and big waste producers, you need a lot of volume to keep that water clean!

6'x2'x2', I think that's a standard 210 gallon tank if I remember correctly.. with the sump you are set up nicely for the dogface and porc I think.. but I'm not that well versed on the saltwater species. I would not add more to the setup though, just my opinion. I know its tempting when they are little and young, but they don't stay little forever!

Hello and welcome to the Puffer forum. If my calculations are correct your tank is 210 gallons. Adding another puffer to this tank would not be advisable. Each puffer is different on what tank mates it will tolerate. Puffers are not community fish in general and it is never advisable to house more than one puffer together in the same tank. With that said I believed that the most successful pairing of puffer fish is one spinney (ex. porc puffer) and one smooth (ex. dog face puffer). The dog face tend to be one of the more docile of the puffer family, watch that your porc is not bulling him/her. Again this is not written in stone as each puffers personality is different. As far as what size tank would be required to house more than 2 puffers it is not so cut and dry of an answer.
Good Luck with both of them.

I have only heard of bad endings with combining even the 2 species you have now.

Thanks very much for the replies, it's much appreciated.
Don't worry, i'm not looking to add anything to my existing tank, it's just right as it is . The porc / dogface combo works very well in my experience, but as you say, i presume it all depends on the temperament of the fish themselves. It was just a thought, thats all.
Once again, thanks for the input .

Are they both adults?

My calculators are saying 180gal...

You are correct. And much less, with live rock in there. No more fish please! Be sure there is a lot of rock & caves for territories.

As already stated, i am not looking to add anything into my existing tank It was just a query as to if 3 or more dogfaced puffers could be kept in one tank ( not mine ) .

I have heard same species can have aggression. Their really isn't a way to pair them sense it is so difficult to determine sex. Not a good idea. I believe you've had success so far because they are two different species.

Got it... just in case...

Thanks very much, i think it's become very clear to me now that more than one dogface isn't a good idea .

I'll try and post a picture of my two puffs ( if i can work out how )

Your Dogface is quite round!