The Puffer Forum

Hi guys!

I've got a newly set up marine tank (FOWLR) which got its first fishy inhabitants today - 2 baby clowns. In a temporary tank is my little GSP, Billy, who is currently at an SG of approx. 1.010 but will eventually join the clowns and any other inhabitants. If it turns out that he can't play nicely then he'll get an upgrade all of his own but my pocket and my already jam-packed house are praying that if he's the smallest and last in, and we're stocked with fast-movers he'll take his place and be a good boy.

Obviously, we're going slow and steady with stocking and won't put another fish in for a minimum of two weeks but we're planning ahead and looking at our options for fish number 3... There's a Valentini in our LFS who has been there for months and a) we're kinda in love with him and b) we feel reeeeeally sorry for him. We know he'd be cool with the clowns but do you think he and Billy would take issue with each other when Billy finally goes in? It won't be for a good few months and the Valentini is at least 3, if not 4 times the size of Billy.

Thanks, guys

Surprisingly, it's the pair of clowns you should be concerned about, a mated pair can fight to the death.
What size of tank is this FOWLR?
It it's not a good plan to put a valentini and gsp together, they would probably kill other fairly quickly according to what I've heard from others' experiences. It is not a good idea to mix puffer species, and it is usually best to keep specimens as singletons.

The clowns will be fine together, but thanks anyway We'll cross Valentini off our list then. Thank you.

They don't fight each other, they fight off other fish. I don't think I worded that right.

Ya those clowns will be the biggest threat in that tank.


How big is the tank?

I'm kinda with Xray about the clowns. They're fiesty little buggers with sharp little teeth. The tank would have to be pretty big for your GSP to join them. The clowns need a territory to themselves. The second another fish enters it, they get attacked. I'd seriouly only try this if the tank was 75-100 gallons. Even then, I'd be nervous, especially with no corals (or anemones) for the clowns to hide in. Just my opinion.

Cool. Thanks for the input, everyone

What species of clowns? How big is the tank? What other inhabitants?