Reef safe puffer fish?

[MsRepresents]

I have a 29 gallon biocube with roughly 25 pounds of live rock. It currently has a coral beauty angelfish and toadstool coral, with plans to add two clownfish, a mandarin goby, and some more soft coral. We will eventually upgrade to a much larger tank to give the fish a larger, more suitable environment as they age. My theory is, since the coral beauty is ambiguously reef safe (with a 30 gallon recommended minimum and a tendency to nip at corals) but hasn't caused any problems, is it possible to find small sized puffer such as a saddle valentini (also with a 30 gallon recommended minimum and a tendency to nip at corals) with a good temperament who will be fine in a reef tank like this? I would love to hear your advice and any experience with various kinds of puffers to see if this is a possibility for us.

[Jessie Nicoletti]

if its a soft coral it MAY* be ok as far as corals go however if you do happen to get one niping at a toadstool chances are wtih that small system all the fish will be sick by the time you notice not to mention even with it being a lesser agressive puffer i would say no avoid at all costs . when you get a tank of 90 gallons maybe you can get away with it but no stony corals and probarly want the corals all in first and keep the puffer well fed so it isnt as tempted to try a piece of coral a soft coral that is nipped at releases toxins cause it will be stressed

[chrisfont23]

Why not just abandon the whole coral idea? Angelfish are not entirely reef safe either. The coral beauty you have, in a tank that small, with two clownfish AND a goby is probably enough to make it feel territorial. Throw in a puffer...geez. Needless to say, you better have a pretty damn good skimmer on that thing and keep up with your water changes.

I started this hobby with two green spotted puffers (I posted this on another thread so just search for it if you want more details). Anyway I asked myself the same thing. I still have the corals. I don't have the puffers.

GL!

[leebca]

You are looking at each individual fish's 'listing' of a recommended tank size, but forgetting that the tank size was as if that fish were alone. One fish in the 30 is what it means when a fish is recommended for a 30 gallon container. You should look at some of the stickies in the Forum that discuss tank size and fish stocking limits. Think of it this way. Let's say you look up the recommended tank size for 16 fishes and each is recommended for a 30 gallon tank, do you really think putting 16 fishes into one aquarium the right thing to do?

The 29 is good for a pair of Anemonefishes IF they are of the small species. For instance, that size would not be appropriate for a pair of Maroons. After the mated pair is there, there is no room for any other fish. Just a reasonable clean up crew. Same goes for adding the Puffer. The Saddle Valenti has grown in my tanks to become over 6" in length. Though it was supposed to be 'small' this fish belongs in a 45 gallon aquarium. You'll find different web sites and books recommending all kinds of ranges of tank sizes for fishes, but the authors of those books never actually kep all the fishes in the book, and the Web sellers don't keep them to when they are full grown.

When you get the larger tank, or if you now know the size tank you want, then plan it out after you get the new tank up and running. Mixing a lot of fish in with corals can become difficult since many corals don't handle nitrates very well, which is what a heavy bioload of fish will produce. You want to try and balance the bioload with the sensitivity of the immobile invertebrates you want. The Reef Forum will probably be able to guide you better with those kinds of choices.

Regarding 'reef safe' it is hard to control Nature. Although the species may seem to get along with some corals there are two problems: 1) Not all invertebrates were 'tested' as being with the species, and 2) not all fish in the species will behave the same. Just take it slow and watch it carefully. Sometimes, when the fish is properly nourished and well fed (both), it will leave even some of the tempting tank life alone.

Take it slow and lightly stock so your success will be guaranteed. I want you to have that success. I know how it is to always want just one more fish. Good luck!