do you think i should get a puffer

[ocgearhead]

i was at LFS the other day and i saw a small black striped puffer. i was wondering if it would be ok in my tank. i already researched everything on keeping a puffer and am comfident that i could keep one.

tank specs.

dont know exact spec but i think its around a 45 gallon tank
tetra tec pf 300 HOB filter
only 15 lbs of LR
40lbs of normal rock
50 lbs of crusshed coral substrate
20 lbs of sand

fish

maroon clown
yellow clown goby

i have had my tank set up for over 9 months and everything is good

 

[nccoastal]

i don't know of many puffers that can live happily in a 45 gallon. and as long as your puffer likes the clown and goby they will be fine. Puffers have to be provided with foods such as small snails, crabs, and clams to keep there teeth down.

things you can put in the tank with puffers =rocks, sand, fast fish, bigger fish, meaner fish, fake fish, your hand to clean (maybe).

things you cant put in tank with puffer= snails, hermit crabs, regular crabs, shrimp, smaller fish, slow fish (well slower than the puffer), corals, anemones (maybe), air line tubing,

but that is all depending on the puffers. mine might be unusually meaner than someone else's.

i can pet mine and play games like try to get my finger. I push them down they come back up just to be pushed back down again.

 

[ocgearhead]

any one else have an opinnion on whether or not i should get the puffer. i have it on hold right now.

 

[Fishieness]

you can put a puffer in your tank. just not a stripped one. The only ones you can fit in there are the sharpenosed puffers like a valentini, a saddle toby, honey comb, and hawaiian blue dot puffer. All the others get way way too big. as far as care:nccoastal pretty much got it all. ALthough from what i have seen, the sharpnosed puffers are much less agressive. My valentini doesnt bother any of my fish or hermits or snails, ect.

 

[ocgearhead]

how quickly do they grow? the striped puffer i have on hold is only 1 1/2 inches long.

they have a valenti there too so ill prolly lean twords gettig that one

 

[Liz]

Yeah the canthigasters (sp?) don't get very large. I am not sure what a "black striped puffer" is, do you know the latin name?

How big are the clown and goby? My 3-4" puff bit the belly out of a 2" gold-striped maroon clown.

 

[ebi]

Many kinds of puffers get VERY large. I would be cautious...