Would a porcupine puffer nip at a clam?

[Ballgame]

My g/f and I are getting a puffer and just curious. Also, does it have to be a reef tank? We have live rock but its not a reef tank

In tank there are two clowns, Citron Goby, Blue Mandarin, and a Lawnmower Blenny just in case they would nip at a clam as well

[Ninong]

A tank with live rock but without corals is usually considered a FOWLR (fish-only with live rock) tank. Live rock is a good thing to have in a marine aquarium, even if all you intend to keep are fish.

I hope you have a very large tank because a porcupine puffer grows VERY fast and its adult size is 18". Once it is large enough, it will eat the smaller fish in your tank. It probably will not eat the Mandarin because it has a nasty tasting slime covering, which is why it has aposematic coloration. It probably won't eat the lawnmower blenny either but the clownfish and the gobies are goners.

P.S. -- In case you are considering converting your tank to a reef tank in the future, a porcupine puffer cannot be kept in a reef tank because it will eat just about everything.

[Ballgame]

A tank with live rock but without corals is usually considered a FOWLR (fish-only with live rock) tank. Live rock is a good thing to have in a marine aquarium, even if all you intend to keep are fish.

I hope you have a very large tank because a porcupine puffer grows VERY fast and its adult size is 18". Once it is large enough, it will eat the smaller fish in your tank. It probably will not eat the Mandarin because it has a nasty tasting slime covering, which is why it has aposematic coloration. It probably won't eat the lawnmower blenny either but the clownfish and the gobies are goners.

P.S. -- In case you are considering converting your tank to a reef tank in the future, a porcupine puffer cannot be kept in a reef tank because it will eat just about everything.

poor clown fish The whole reason we got the tank is for the porcupine puffer, my g/f loves then and I try to get her whatever she wants. Maybe we should wait a little until the other fish get a little bigger because they are pretty small right now.

Thanks for the reply!!

[Ninong]

The puffer will get big enough to eat fully grown clownfish and gobies. It's just a matter of time.

There are lots of fish that people may want to keep but unless they have an adequate size tank they should pass. A porcupine puffer cannot be kept for very long in anything less than a really LARGE tank.