The Puffer Forum

Greetings Guys I'm new to this forum and to puffers , but I figured that this may be a good starting point to do some pre purchase research..

I'm looking for a puffer to add to my tank, I have no real idea what I want or will get, hopefully this is where you guys can help me out.

I guess a little about my current set up would be helpful in order for you guys to aid me in deciding if I can really house a wonderful little guy for long term of not.

So my tank as we stand

350 gallon marine appx. 72 in long, if that matters
100 gallon sump/ refugium
Sump is planted to filter water
Reef octo skimmer 2x water volume
Reef octo nitrate reactor 2x volume
75 ++ kg live rock
1.5 in coral sand substrate
1 hp Chiller, current temp 27
Phosphate reactor on the way
Reef octo led grow light on refuge
72 in mh lamps on main tank


Water params,

Ph 8.3
Salinity 1.024
Amm, 0
Nitrate, nitrite 0

The tank is fairly new 9 months but all prams are strictly monitored... I'm obsessive compulsive 2x a day am and pm

Water is treated with blue spaces 1x a week
Water is treated with perfect balance a and b every 3 days
Water is 50% change monthly
Water was cycled for 4 months prior to any livestock added, other than rock, and clean up crew.

Refugium livestock:

Turban snails x 4
Blue spiny lobster x 1, 5 in currently
Purple spotted lobster, 2 in
Maidens hair, local Thai alge... Not sure of English name filters nitrates ect.. Looks like tumble weed with small bubbles
Cucumbers x 3
Peppermint shrimp x 1

Main tank stock:

2x blue ribbon eels appx 36 inches each... Yes they are eating for 9mo now
1x green bird wrasse appx 6 in long
1x humu humu picasso appx 2 in long
3x Niger triggers appx 2 in long
2x one spot fox faces 3 in long
1x black and white butterfly fish 4 in .... Cycling in qt tank for appx 27 days now, will be added to main tank at 45 days
1x horseshoe crab 2 in currently...... I think, it lives below substrate... But can see it moving,
5x turban snails
4x blue leg hermits .5 in
5 x cucumbers
4x fan worms 5 in diameter

I know that the clean up/ stressile inverts will need to be moved... Plenty of room in the refuge / filtration areas for them

My main question is with my current fish stock, should I consider a puffer,...and if so any recommendations, I'm leaning towards a golden...is this a good idea.? My main concern is for the eels, they currently live 99 % of their day fully hidden in 1.5 in PVC tunnels under the substrate, they have 3 meters with 4 exits so not exposed much other than their feeding time ....which is done by hand separate form the other fish...

Your tank sounds wonderful! Sorry to say, none of your inhabitants are safe with a puffer though. Especially the crabs, even the ones below the sand. Anything that doesn't move quickly (ie: eels) are a prime target for pufferteeth.

I'm curious--why the MH lighting, if you have no corals? It is $$$ to run a chiller...

Your tank sounds wonderful! Sorry to say, none of your inhabitants are safe with a puffer though. Especially the crabs, even the ones below the sand. Anything that doesn't move quickly (ie: eels) are a prime target for pufferteeth.

I'm curious--why the MH lighting, if you have no corals? It is $$$ to run a chiller...

I was afraid that was going to be the response... If I was to move all inverts to the refuge, and had fish only, is there a smaller speices that would work... Sorry for the annoying questions, just trying to be thorough.

The tank setup sounds beautiful... pictures? You really seem to know what you are doing. Sorry to say that a lot of your fish would be prime puffer food . The only thing we are considering housing with our Figure 8s is Bumble Bee Gobies. Ive seen people keeping them with tetras, guppies, but it seems that pretty much any fish is at risk if the puffer is in the mood for a snack. They are solitary by nature. Ill let the experts on this site fill you in, Im still new at this myself .

You could try one of the sharpnosed puffers. There still is no guarantee it'll behave with your other fish.

Horseshoe crabs do terribly in captivity. They only eat tiny creatures from the sand & need about a 20' sand bed to get enough food regularly for an adult. They do not belong in the aquarium hobby.

The hoseshoe is on loan to clean for a month or so then back to his home, 3000 gallon tank, not mine... The chiller is really needed here as its pretty much 30-35+ here all year around, with out one the tank would be just to hot to sustain the little guys, as for the lighting I know its not needed, but if I was planning for some corals ect... But took a diffrent route. So I guess it looks like there will be no puffer, how about cow or box fish... I have been very sceptical about attempting to keep any of these after reading so many warnings about the toxic nature of the guys.reason I'm asking is I just saw some pretty 4.5 in blue boxes at the fish market.but they are beaked as well so I'd figure that they would have the same capabilities of chomping away at pretty much any other tank mates... Anyways guys thanks so much for your time and patients with these questions,
Regards,
Tb

Good thing you're skeptical about the box/cowfish. You are correct about that... Any amount of stress can wipe everything out. I'd hate to see you lose those ribbons, since you've got them eating.

Wonderful news about the horseshoe living in a 3,000g! Aren't your cucumbers enough though, to clean your sand bed?

There pretty lazy actually.... Spend most of their time lounging around the base of the rocks..... Almost never do anything with the sand, so not efficient at all for cleaning the substrate, needed a better way of preventing build up, ie. The horseshoe, but it is not realistic for long term due to how large they will grow, my snails and hermits are the same .... Rock and glass only.... Strange