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Jared Wood 
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 Topic: Brackish Puffer Reef Safe?
Posted: April 13 2004 at 4:16pm |
My interrest has been sparked on the idea of acclimating a brackish puffer to sea water and then adding to our reef tank.
I just have some red flags going up in my brain and want some comments from every body.
The puffer would be one of these guys:
Tetraodon biocellatus (Figure Eight Puffer)
Tetraodon nigrifilis (Spotted Puffer)
My worries are that they love to eat snails. Would one of these guys eat all the good worms, bugs and snails in our tank? And I haven't found any referrence to them with soft coral.
Has anyone done this? I know that Adam mentioned having seen it done.
Is it a good idea or a bad idea?
************* The following section is for Mark Peterson****************
210 gallon tank
20 gallon sump
MH & Actenic Lighting
290 pounds LR
DSB
feed dry food daily
feed frozen food maybe twice a week
feed bbs cyclopies goldenpearls once a week (goldenpearls is like pixysticks for coral)
Aquarium is 11 months old.
Yes, you can come visit.
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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my dinosaur theory yet?
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: April 13 2004 at 4:19pm |
Jared,
The second part of that post is fantastic. Give me a second to catch my breath and I'll answer the first part. 
Adam
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: April 13 2004 at 4:22pm |
A while later............
okay here I am. The puffers I was thinking of were Tetraodon biocellatus. (note to Carl- notice how he used the latin name first)
I'm not sure how "Reef Safe" they are. They would eat any little bug and invert they could find... but then again so would any wrasse or angel or pseudochromis. As for eating your coral. I think you are okay with these guys, especially since I only see them at about 1" in length.
Adam
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P.C Pond buildr
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Posted: April 13 2004 at 9:01pm |
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I have had these (both of the pictures) In a reef tank for years with no problems other than they eat crabs and shrimp, just get small ones and it won't be a problem.......
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Jared Wood
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Posted: April 14 2004 at 7:04am |
P.C.
What kind of crabs and shrimp do they eat? Are you saying that they eat peppermint shrimp, fire shrimp, and shunk shrimp? Do they eat hermit crabs and Emerald Crabs?
What about Astrea and Turbo Snails?
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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my dinosaur theory yet?
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Carl
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Posted: April 14 2004 at 9:41am |
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In Syracuse
"I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf
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jglover
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Posted: April 14 2004 at 10:01am |
Carl I love your new statement we'll put a boot in your **** .
Go Army!!!
from SGT JGlover
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P.C Pond buildr
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Posted: April 14 2004 at 6:57pm |
 SandyReef wrote:
P.C.
What kind of crabs and shrimp do they eat? Are you saying that they eat peppermint shrimp, fire shrimp, and shunk shrimp? Do they eat hermit crabs and Emerald Crabs?
What about Astrea and Turbo Snails?
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Anything they can get in their mouth. Just get small ones, mine never really were a problem, mostly they went after hermits. I never saw them go after snails.
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Jared Wood
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Posted: April 15 2004 at 3:02pm |
All right I am going to try this.
We just bought a Tetraodon nigrifilis. He was kept in brackish water at the LFS. Right now I am using a very slow drip to acclimate him to our water parameters. We'll see how it goes.
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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my dinosaur theory yet?
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: April 15 2004 at 3:04pm |
I would do that slowly. Like acclimate him over 3 days.
Adam
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Jared Wood
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Posted: April 15 2004 at 4:57pm |
Will do.
He is in a 10 gallon bucket with some live rock rubble, a heater, and a powerhead.
We diluted water from our reef tank to match the salinity in his bag and that is what he is swimming in now. Tomorrow and over the weekend we will slowly replace the water in the bucket with water from our reef tank. He should be ready to be introduced on Monday.
Any other advice?
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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my dinosaur theory yet?
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jbruse
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Posted: April 15 2004 at 9:28pm |
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I had that same puffer years ago in a FOWLR tank and he was picking on my naso I got pissed and scooped him out and threw him directly in my FW tank he lived for about 2 years after that
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P.C Pond buildr
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Posted: April 15 2004 at 9:50pm |
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I only took a few hours to acclimate mine. In the wild they can swim into saltwater from the estuary in a few minutes. Mine Is still doing fine ...had him for 7 years
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Jared Wood
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Posted: April 16 2004 at 12:06pm |
Here is a picture of the acclimation chamber. I am using the power head to move water from the bottom of the bucket toward the surface. And mixing in our reef tank water with the green tube.
Here is a blurred picture of the puffer investigating my finger.
I think I am going to split the difference between 3 days and a few hours and finished his acclimation around 4:00 pm today. I think it will be better to get him into the aquarium for the weekend than the have him stuck in this bucket swimming in his own filth until Monday.
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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my dinosaur theory yet?
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Shane H
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Posted: April 16 2004 at 12:48pm |
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I am very curious to see how this all works out. My daughter is always wanting one of those in her tank. If you're successful - I'm doing it! Do you think they will eat bumble bee snails?
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Summertop
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Posted: April 16 2004 at 1:39pm |
What about Arius jordani (Columbian Sharks)? Anyone know if they are reef safe. I was thinking of giving one a try. Here is a quote from www.liveaquaria.com
"This species prefers some aquarium salt in the water, and may also be acclimated slowly into a saltwater aquarium, as they live in both freshwater and saltwater during different times of their life. ... Feed this fish sinking catfish pellets, bloodworms, or a high quality algae food."
Edited by Summertop
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Shawn Winterbottom
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: April 16 2004 at 2:02pm |
Summertop,
I bought one of those for my buddies tank about 4 months ago. It is awesome! That fish doesn't stop swimming and he is all over the place. He swims more than wrasse do.
They do better in freshwater than salt, if you ask me. But you can get some in brackish water at Fish 4 U, which is where I bought his. I would acclimate him like Jared is doing. I think they are reef safe, and way cool.
Adam
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fishgirlheather
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Posted: April 16 2004 at 2:59pm |
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I would like to acclimate my Yellow Spotted Puffer to full SW. He was in fresh water at the LS, do you think 2 or 3 weeks would be a long enough acclimation time? Also, do you think he will he try to eat my decorator crab or other inverts and fish? He is only about 1.5'' right now, and he hasn't tried to eat the ghost shrimp or guppies in his tank yet so I think they'll be safe. I just want to be sure.
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55G barebottom reef w/ dual 250 watt MH 45 pounds LR, 3 Damsels, Green Spotted Puffer, Yellow Tang, Hawaiian Dusters, Sun Polyps, various mushrooms, zoos, leathers, softies, Lps, and SPS
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Jared Wood
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Posted: April 16 2004 at 3:08pm |
I'll be able to tell you about what/who he eats in a week or two. 
As for the acclimation time. From everything I have learned so far it sounds like 3 weeks would be plenty of time.
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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my dinosaur theory yet?
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fishgirlheather
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Posted: April 16 2004 at 3:16pm |
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Thanks, I'll keep you posted on how he is doing.
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55G barebottom reef w/ dual 250 watt MH 45 pounds LR, 3 Damsels, Green Spotted Puffer, Yellow Tang, Hawaiian Dusters, Sun Polyps, various mushrooms, zoos, leathers, softies, Lps, and SPS
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