The Puffer Forum

Hi all... I have a question, I work one day a week at an aquarium store local to me I have for about 12 years now. A customer brought in what I believe is a checkered puffer fish that is getting too big for his tank. I want to bring it home to my 90 gallon. I have a porcupine puffer that I have had for 14 years and there is only a starry blenny and a small sharp nose puffer in there also... my question is can I keep the checkered puffer in that tank also? There's not much info on the net about the checkered puffer. I don't want to see this sweetie go to someone who will bring it back in a year because it got bigger or it's eating their crabs and snails exception because we get that alot.. comments and suggestions soon please

It should be fine with the other fish in the tank. However, your tank is a little small for your porcupine puffer, as they need about 150 gallons or more.

I would NOT keep any species with another species of puffer. They are quite aggressive.

My friend has a tank with a porcupine, stars and stripes, and golden dogface puffer and they get along fine.

For how many years? How large is the tank?

He got the golden dogface about two years ago, and he's had the other two puffers for around six years. The tank is a 450 gallon cylinder.

Tank size does have a large play in this.

Oh, that makes sense. But I think that the sharpnose and checkered puffer would be fine together in a 90 gallon.

I have to disagree.

I know I shouldn't get it, with my 90 gallon, my porcupine is 14 that is a long time to have a puffer in an aquarium. I had a 150 before, had a leak and the biggest tank/ stand combo I could find that day was the 90. In the 150 I had my porcupine, a dogface, a bird wrasse and a mappa puffer, map got too big after 2 years and I felt bad, so a friend who worked at Seaworld took him there, he is now in their biggest tank, the shark one I think...the dogface passed 2 years ago, wrasse passed as well...I had all these fish for 10 plus years..only one who came to the 90 is the porcupine...I brought the sharpness home because a customer brought him in half dead, and I needed to help him...3 years later, still going strong..anyways ..I really want the checkered puffer, which is what I think it is, by research, I've tried to upload a pic but it says they are all too big..I probably won't bring it home, I'd feel bad...I will take good care of it at the fish store and ask them to keep him there until I can take it....I don't want to stress out my porcupine either...poor girl is old
Thanks all

To Pufferpunk:
Well you are the expert, and you've been keeping fish for longer than I've been alive, so I'll trust your word over mine.

To stacyb13:
That's a cool story. For the sake of your other fish, it would probably be better if you didn't put the checkered puffer in your current tank. However, just keep taking care of him in the pet store, and I'm sure he'll end up with you or find another good home.

Adding that puffer would be bad news. You have made the right choice

Thanks all Happy New Year!

Thanks, you too!

Hi, I was the making of getting a checkered puffer. What can I feed it and where is the best place to buy what it needs?