The Puffer Forum

I have a fairly large porcupine puffer (8-9") in my 150 gallon FOWLER. I have a semi aggressive predator tank so I feed primarially meaty frozen foods (shrimp, krill, jumbo mysis, silverslides to the lion, tusk, and eel). I recently bought a very chunky blend of "Larry's food." I think this is great food and it will prevent me from having to vary the food every day because it is a blend.

http://www.larrysreefservices.com/reef-frenzy.html It's close to the same ingredients as this, without the algae.

I know that puffers aren't really supposed to eat fish because they can get fatty liver. Is this only an issue if they are fed fish primarially for a long time? These are the ingredients of the food below. Should I avoid feeding this food to the puffer?

LRS Reef Frenzy® Ingredients:

•Fresh Wild Caught Scallop

•Fresh Wild Caught, Hand Peeled Shrimp

•Fresh Wild Caught Ocean Perch and Whitefish (Haddock)

•Premium Mysis Shrimp

•Squid

•Tuna

•E. Pacifica Krill

•Fresh Shucked Oysters

•Zooplankton, Rotifers, Live Phytoplankton



•A Hint of Garlic Dosed RO/DI Water (No garlic pieces are in the food)

•Oyster Eggs and Ovarian Tissue

•Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (Selco)

•Buffered Ascorbic Acid (Added as an Antioxident)

I think that variety should be fine. I'm more concerned with the puffer/lionfish combo. I have seen many a puffer killed by those poisonous fins, when going after them.

Is it ok because fish is not the main component and he is still getting his crustacean and mollusk fix? He's my favorite so I want to keep him healthy.

As far as the Lionfish goes, they both keep to themselves. The puffer never pays any attention to the lion and doesn't pick on him at all. He's a big sissy. I had to remove a yellow tang that was 1/3 of his size and was picking on him. Whenever the puffer does go near the lion, the lion actually retracts his spines. Maybe he knows the puffer (Sean) isn't a threat? I know that accidents happen and at any time there can be an accidental sting, but hopefully I gave them enough room (150 gallons) that that doesn't happen. The lion won't get more than 6-7" which is close to where he is now.

Maybe I should be clear, it is a Mombassa Lion, NOT a Volitan.

jasonrusso wrote:Maybe I should be clear, it is a Mombassa Lion, NOT a Volitan.

Good to know!

Is it ok because fish is not the main component and he is still getting his crustacean and mollusk fix?

You are correct.