good small puffer????

Mako

EET MOR KATFISH
Nov 19, 2001
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Wake Forest, NC
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I have a 55g fish/invert tank that has a few golf-ball sized hermit crabs, assorted blennies and gobies (SC natives), and a couple of big sea urchins (almost baseball size). Are there any smaller puffers that won't attack the urchins? I'm not worried about the hermits, they're pretty big and solid.
 
All puffs will go after inverts. It is what they eat in the wild. The smallest of the Puffer species are the Canthigaster sp. but IMO they are more likely to go after the inverts than their larger cousins. Anyway, hope this helps and good luck!
 
I agree with Mono. I had a small blue spotted puffer. Cool fish, but he ate ten snails, a coral banded shrimp, and about 10-20 hermit crabs. He then started taking bites out of my clownfish fins. You can tell from the trademark "round" bites. So I don't think there are any safe puffers, no matter how small. Mine was only 2 inches max.
 
Thanks guys, kinda dissappointing, but thanks! I love the urchins and such so I won't risk it. Much appreciated!

Matt
 
Not a SMALL puffer but...

Just to add in my two cents. I had a 125 gallon with a 14 inch stars & stripe puffer and had a coral banded shrimp, huge strawberry hermit crab and 2 pincushion urchins all living together and they all got along just fine. But my puffer was weird. If I wanted to KEEP any corals, he'd eat them...if I offered him some dying corals or sponges for him to eat, he wouldn't touch them. *Sigh* I miss him. But he is not happily living in a 1500 gallon tank. :o
 
Puffers and Inverts

Once again...with my reply about my puffer living with a bunch of inverts. I have to echo the other post that says that it is a "risk". My guy would eat quahogs (he was a beast) but one particular one he would not eat and lived in my tank for a year in HIS cave with him. Yet continues to eat others that were offered. Sometimes they will live together, other times ***MUNCH***
 
I Sufferd At The Hands Of A Solandri Puffer Was Told Shoudnt Harm Shrimps Oh Boy Were They Wrong After He Had Finished Ripping The Heads Of My Dancing Shrimps He Turned His Attention To The Cleaners And Terrorieed Them 1 By 1

A Lesson Well Learnt I Will Steer Clear Of Puffers With Any Type Of Invert
 
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