Is my porcupine puffer just weird?
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 11:40 am
Hi all,
So a couple of months ago I picked up a Porcupine Puffer for my 55 gallon tank (roughly 48 inches long). The only living thing in the tank other than the puffer has been a horseshoe crab whom comes out every few days. Yesterday I added a turbo snail (for algae, large enough to not be eaten) and a blue spotted goby whom is about 5 inches long. Generally speaking the Puffer has done very well and has definitely grown in size.
I know Puffer's have personality so I'm wondering if the below is normal or OK with the caveat that she is just odd:
1) I've heard they are picky eaters but this is ridiculous! At first I tried flakes, omnivore pellets and frozen krill. The only thing she would eat is the krill but only when very hungry. I tried ghost shrimp which she would chase but not eat and clam which she didn't care about. A couple of weeks ago the local grocery store had a sale on uncleaned squid (full bodies, eyes, etc) which my wife wanted for calamari. On a whim I tried a little for the Puffer, whom loved it. So I froze some of the discarded bodies and tentacles. She loves it... to the point where it is the only thing she will eat. I'm a little worried about this as it appears she only wants frozen squid. If it is thawed out, she will not eat it... it has to be frozen. At this point she is even turning down the frozen krill.
2) She appears to be afraid of the dark. Generally she lurks in the top right of the tank above the live rock. She seems to like to play between the heater and the power head cable. If I turn the tank lights off she will frantically swim to whatever part of the tank is closest to the nearest external light source. It is somewhat fun to watch her swim back and forth as the living room and kitchen lights are turned off/on. Is this normal? When I started telling the store to the local Petco, the woman interrupted me to say "They like the dark" and seemed very surprised when I mentioned that she actively seeks light sources. I don't think its a heat issue... my tank has two 100W heaters on each end of the tank and it maintains roughly 77-80 degrees.
3) The Goby is the first true fish introduced to the tank with the Puffer. I was concerned about picking the right fish as I know Puffers can be aggressive, hence the 5 inch long bottom dweller. The opposite appears to be true... its hard to explain. Its almost as if she wants to cuddle with him. So far he has been shy and hiding along the live rock under the power head while until now the puffer usually hangs out above the power head. Ever since the Goby has been introduced, the Puffer has been swimming down to the live rock and laying in the sand next to the Goby. She is not picking at him, puffing or otherwise being aggressive. She just wants to be close to him. This of course is annoying the Goby who wants to be left alone. I know Puffer personalities can be shy or aggressive... but has anyone ever seen them be social to other fish? When I purchased her, she had been kept with a handful of other fish and like I said, has been alone since then. I had thought about introducing some cheap damsels to see what happens... at least that way if she decided to snack on them they didn't cost too much. At this point it looks like she would just play with them.
4) She doesn't puff when threatened. At all. We caught the cat on top of the tank reaching in. However she does randomly puff... and swim directly into the power head.
Anyway, hopefully shes fine and just has an odd personality!
So a couple of months ago I picked up a Porcupine Puffer for my 55 gallon tank (roughly 48 inches long). The only living thing in the tank other than the puffer has been a horseshoe crab whom comes out every few days. Yesterday I added a turbo snail (for algae, large enough to not be eaten) and a blue spotted goby whom is about 5 inches long. Generally speaking the Puffer has done very well and has definitely grown in size.
I know Puffer's have personality so I'm wondering if the below is normal or OK with the caveat that she is just odd:
1) I've heard they are picky eaters but this is ridiculous! At first I tried flakes, omnivore pellets and frozen krill. The only thing she would eat is the krill but only when very hungry. I tried ghost shrimp which she would chase but not eat and clam which she didn't care about. A couple of weeks ago the local grocery store had a sale on uncleaned squid (full bodies, eyes, etc) which my wife wanted for calamari. On a whim I tried a little for the Puffer, whom loved it. So I froze some of the discarded bodies and tentacles. She loves it... to the point where it is the only thing she will eat. I'm a little worried about this as it appears she only wants frozen squid. If it is thawed out, she will not eat it... it has to be frozen. At this point she is even turning down the frozen krill.
2) She appears to be afraid of the dark. Generally she lurks in the top right of the tank above the live rock. She seems to like to play between the heater and the power head cable. If I turn the tank lights off she will frantically swim to whatever part of the tank is closest to the nearest external light source. It is somewhat fun to watch her swim back and forth as the living room and kitchen lights are turned off/on. Is this normal? When I started telling the store to the local Petco, the woman interrupted me to say "They like the dark" and seemed very surprised when I mentioned that she actively seeks light sources. I don't think its a heat issue... my tank has two 100W heaters on each end of the tank and it maintains roughly 77-80 degrees.
3) The Goby is the first true fish introduced to the tank with the Puffer. I was concerned about picking the right fish as I know Puffers can be aggressive, hence the 5 inch long bottom dweller. The opposite appears to be true... its hard to explain. Its almost as if she wants to cuddle with him. So far he has been shy and hiding along the live rock under the power head while until now the puffer usually hangs out above the power head. Ever since the Goby has been introduced, the Puffer has been swimming down to the live rock and laying in the sand next to the Goby. She is not picking at him, puffing or otherwise being aggressive. She just wants to be close to him. This of course is annoying the Goby who wants to be left alone. I know Puffer personalities can be shy or aggressive... but has anyone ever seen them be social to other fish? When I purchased her, she had been kept with a handful of other fish and like I said, has been alone since then. I had thought about introducing some cheap damsels to see what happens... at least that way if she decided to snack on them they didn't cost too much. At this point it looks like she would just play with them.
4) She doesn't puff when threatened. At all. We caught the cat on top of the tank reaching in. However she does randomly puff... and swim directly into the power head.
Anyway, hopefully shes fine and just has an odd personality!
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