The Puffer Forum

Thinking about getting this setup. It's a 66 gallon all in one system and I'll probably make a few small upgrades to it.

I imagine with that tank size, I'll probably have to look at one of the smaller lion fish. Any suggestions on what puffers may be a good idea? Thinking maybe the Valenti Saddle since it will be sharing 66 gallons with a Lion Fish.

I don't think I can add any other fish to such a tank. I totally get that disaster may strike and the puffer can get poisoned or the lion fish might be cut in half. Still, from googling it seem there are a number of aquarists out there keeping the combo.

Find out about those aquarist's long-term success with this combo. I have often heard of this ending badly for both species.

Sounds like a great tank!

i actually have pondered that same combo. i havent looked it up i just think it looks good. I wonder what the long term success rate is though....its probably like housing a porcupine and a bulldog in the same yard. ...lol anyone ever read that story? look it up on google its kinda funny...and sad but a lil funny. bulldog gets like 500 needles in the face...poor thing. but a lil funny

its probably like housing a porcupine and a bulldog in the same yard.

OMG, perfect analogy!!!

Don't do it. Get either one or the other. It will be better for you and for the fishes sake.

Thinking this over, this is probably a terrible idea.

They're both top line predators and it's not like they're going to be best friends. They probably won't like each other at all, not like either will get lonely of other fish.

I guess I'll just go with two smaller setups or something like that.

Puffer fish have a tendency to eat lion fish, don't do it lol

I tried this very combo with a Porc and a Lionfish. They lived together very peacefully for about three months. One day during feeding, my porc gobbled the food up on his side of the tank and then darted over to grab some of the Lion's food and accidentally bit off one of his quills. The Lionfish became enraged and started attacking my porc relentlessly. I ended up having to partition the tank in half and tried to re-introduce them a few days later. The Lion continued to exhibit the same behavoir and I had to give one of them away.

66 gallons, if I read that correctly, won't be enough to house something like a Porc when he/she is full grown. Something smaller and a bit more mild-mannered like a dwarf Lionfish and something like a Velenti would probably work though. I had a Velenti and a Fuzzy Dwarf that worked extremely well together and that would fit your size requirements.