Silly Question

[timmystood]

Heya Guys

This will seem a silly question once I know the answer but:
Why are Puffer's not suitable for reef tanks? Or at least tanks with just soft coral?

Cheers
TIM

 

[Mr.September15]

They like to eat corals with their strong teeth

 

[timmystood]

Got a mushroom coral which hitch-hiked on my LR and my Ceylon Puffer has never shown any interest in eating it?

 

[Ter]

he will also like ur cleanup crew
Ter

 

[ikon]

my 4" porcupine puffer has never touched my 20+ mushrooms, frogspawn or assorted zoo colonies. and i rarely find dead snails and hermits..he has eaten a few but they were tiny ones.

 

[ox5477]

he will also like ur cleanup crew
Ter

Wee Wee! Escargo!! haha


Thats interesting ikon.... I guess there are always exceptions to the rule right? I mean I still wouldnt put a puffer in a big coral reef I had set-up, why take the chance when more likely than not he will will reek havoc.

 

[timmystood]

he will also like ur cleanup crew
Ter

Well, what if I don't get a clean-up crew? Not essential to a reef are they?
I brought all the expensive equipment last year ready for a reef tank but still have the Puffer problem. I love him to bits so don't want to re-home him. Maybe just 2 or 3 soft corals would be ok?

 

[Lynden]

They like to eat corals with their strong teeth

he will also like ur cleanup crew

There numerous reports of Tetraodonts as small as Canthigaster and as large as Balistoides being housed in a full fleged reef tank and causing little or no harm. The Puffer that eats corals is the exception; not the other way around. I myself keep medium-sized Triggers in with Cleaner Shrimp, despite much of my research telling me that the Triggers would make a meal out of the shrimp. I also kept a Green Spotted Puffer in with my Cleaner Shrimp until the puffer was killed by an intake.

As you will see in FishBase, the puffers don't eat corals in the wild. Why on Earth would they suddenly change their evolutionary characteristics and ecological niche when they are placed in the aquarium? It's a MYTH I tells ya; a myth. In fact, I challenge everyone on here to find a single report in which a well-fed, healthy Tetraodon puffer actually ate corals (or even a clean-up crew for that matter). Liveaquaria, etc.'s recommendation doesn't count.

-Lynden

 

[timmystood]

Oh! Now I might give it a try!!