Hi guys last night I had a dream about getting a porcupine puffer fish. Today I walked into the LFS to get some things and there was a little porcupine puffer fish they told me arrived last week staring right now.
Right now I have an empty 200 gallon I was planning on getting an arowana for but I also feel arowanas may need a bigger setup than 200g in the long run regardless. Additionally, I also don’t feel I really connect with them the way I do with puffer fish. Besides seahorses and clowns, they’re my favorite fish. I love their eyes and expressions.
I went home to research and was extremely disappointed to see that many of them hate captivity, scrape their eyes up and down the glass all day and are prone to infections. I tried to automatically write it off then but he has stuck in my mind all day.
I hate the idea of keeping an unhappy fish - is 200g really big enough? I don’t want to see any of the pacing behavior.
I was also wondering if I could potentially house a pair of clowns with him. Even though they’re small enough to be a snack I feel damselfish are good about holding their own even against big fish. I could also add a bubble tip. I am not going to move my existing clowns in with him but maybe get a new pair. Should I go for maroon maybe?
I’ve also read varying reports of their aggression in the first place. Many say they leave other fish alone most of the time. I am not sure of which decision to make and if I should cycle my tank to prepare for a freshwater aquarium or for another salt. I really would like to get it going this way. I’ve kept dwarf puffers and they were great and I enjoyed feeding them little snails.
Most of all I just don’t want an unhappy fish but I really would like to reserve him and start cycling the tank if I know he’ll be happy. I would be fine with him just being a single fish, too. He was only about an inch long. How quickly do they grow? Do they seem happy in your care in your experience?
Thanks!
