Animal Stories - People Talking About Puffers - Boxfish - Porcupinefish



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Latest Animal Stories on Puffers - Boxfish - Porcupinefish (96)

Brendan Cox - 2012-02-19
I just bought a yellow bellied dog faced puffer. It is very active at night, but during the day it just lays under a rock until feeding time. It has a healthy appetite. Is this normal?

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Jeremy Roche - 2012-02-20
Very normal Brendan! They can be a bit shy when intoduced into a new tank. I use to hand feed mine krill with tongs to get them comfortable. Once comfortable they have amazing clownish personalities.
tom - 2012-08-16
yes it is normal

Julie Skillman - 2012-07-02
I need help with my Dog face puffer! His mouth is open and he is showing his teeth and has a black swollen tongue? Could he have gotten bit in the mouth by one of my other fish? Or could it be his teeth are too long?

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tom - 2012-08-16
His teeth are to long give him a clam or two

Mika - 2005-07-20
I have a blue-lined toby, and although he is personable and rather easy to keep, he does take nips out of the other fishes fins. My poor sailfin tang looks scalloped now!

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Bill - 2012-07-24
I had a bigger Maroon clown that used to always have bits of her fin bitten off and you'd always see her chasing the puffer and anything else away from her anemones. The poor fish had a pretty hard life and died early for other reasons. One bad winter the water temperature got pretty low and every fish died in the tank but the Maroon clown and her little partner. Then we restocked the tank and it happened a couple of weeks later and her partner died. She probably died a year or two after that. Oh yeah, puffers are infamous for nipping.

seatzy - 2012-07-15
I have recently purchased a 200 gallon fish tank, it is something special. I have plenty of live rock and have started to put my fish in (once tank has matured). I have Valentini puffer, two lion fish, a wrasse, granddad blenny, convict blenny and I have just today got myself a dog-face puffer today. He has fitted in like he has been there since the beginning. He allows the wrasse to clean him and has accepted the other fish, as they have them. I am wondering if he will end up eating my clean up crew. I have a few nice orange legged hermits and the like. I also have a sand sifting star fish, he won't attack that will he? thanks

Rajee - 2010-03-10
My Boxfish is attacking the goldfish wings. How to avoid it.

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Jim Jones - 2010-03-18
??? Goldfish Wings?? If you mean a freshwater goldfish then you are mistaken on your Boxfish, and Boxfish are exclusivley saltwater. You might be talking about a freshwater puffer, and unfortunatley, dangling things will always be picked at (had a saltwater puffer "eat" the stingers of a lionfish and died... he couldnt resist.
roywilson - 2012-07-11
Maybe you need feed small crab's 'earthworm's or? maybe because the goldfish is small. In fact boxfish are predator. They eat smaller fish when it's angry. You should get a female boxfish or? get some more fish. I suggiest get other pufer fish
Jeremy Roche - 2012-07-12
Try re-arranging the tank and make the Boxfish focus on looking for a new territory.

Dj Orion - 2007-08-27
I just got a yellow spotted boxfish the other day and added it to my tank. The tank is occupied with a long horned cowfish, porcupine puffer, dogface puffer, queen angel and blue spotted puffer. Once the boxfish entered the tank, the dogface immediately attacked it. This dogface has never attacked anything before, so I am doubting their compatibility. I quickly removed the dogface from the tank, and placd him on a frying pan. (just kidding) But I would be extra careful on what fish to keep with this one.

michael - 2005-06-22
I was recently snorkling just off the coast of Destin Beach Florida and caught a baby spiny box fish. Might not have been the ethical thing to do, but I netted him and have returned him home to my marine aquarium, where he is housed with a similar sized porcupine puffer, 3 blue damsels and many snails, hermits and other small crabs. He seems more interested in the live seaweed and alagae at this point and I'm concerned about acclimating him to a proper diet. Any suggestions?

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Daniel - 2012-06-10
My spiny boxfish was not eating so I read some replies on a couple forums, so I had cooked shrimp in my freezer. I pulled one out, thawed it and dropped it in the tank, he ate it immediately!!!! I was happy to see him eat. If yours likes it you should feed him about 3 times a day in smaller portions

Peter Cook - 2012-05-02
I had spotted box fish. He was going fine for about 2 weeks then I found him caught in the power head. Turned the pump off he was ok was eating a bit of damage on his back then he died 3 days later

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Jeremy Roche - 2012-05-02
Sorry to hear that. The stress from an injury can cause death.

Lisa - 2012-03-26
I have had a cowfish for one year now. He is in a 95 gallon tank. Started in a 29 g nano. He is now 9 inches long. He is the most important fish in my tank. He is housed with other fish, but I have not purchased anything I am afraid to lose due to the stories of them being toxic if stressed or dying. With that said, I love this fish. What is most important to them is food!! I feed 3 to 4 times a day. 4 brine am. Then pellets and flake and repeat with 3 brine and one mysis then flakes and pellets again. I stretch the feeding out so he has fun and I also turn of side blowers so he doesn't have to chase rhe food to much. He does get irritated at times and gets patches of black. Usually because I am visiting him without food!! He spits water. Splashes water and is truly entertaining. I highly recommend this fish if you don't work and be there for it and feed it ALOT!! It really can get large so I have heard and I hope I don't have to deal with that issue to soon. They are NOT just fish. They
are pets. They recognize you and expect alot of your attention. If you can't do that then pass. Otherwise you will lose it.

tiff - 2011-06-02
I just had my dogface puffer for about a month, and she turns a darker color sometimes, and shes always resting on a rock or the gravel at the bottom of the tank. Is this normal? Can someone tell me what to they feed their dogface.............

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Charlie Roche - 2011-06-02
Yes, the dog face puffer will change colors. They don't usually do this in an aquarium enviornment but they can. They do it very naturally in their own natural habitat. So don't worry about that one. OK feeding........

Puffers are primarily predatory fish though they do graze on algae as well. Acceptable foods include shellfish, crustaceans and hard shelled foods such as snails. A large variety of all kinds of live and frozen meaty foods are best. It is best to feed small amounts several times a day. Some of the suggested frozen foods include prawn, crabs/crabs legs, bloodworms (live or frozen), blackworms (live or frozen), silversides, and mussels. Be sure to wash these foods thoroughly before feeding. Live foods can include snails, crabs, crayfish, shrimp (these are good for keeping their teeth trimmed), and earthworms. Live fish will also be eaten but it is thought it may cause problems such as 'fatty" liver and so should be fed sparingly or not at all.. Puffers are not picky eaters and will quickly become adapted to a variety of prepared aquarium foods and an occasional algae wafer. Flake food is not recommended. Even though they may eat it, puffers will not thrive on it.

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