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Puffer & Butterfly

MadReefer

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Looking to do some restocking since tank seems to be on the up swing. I plan to get rid of the sole perc and bangai which leaves me with a hippo tang, yellow tang, flame angel and pseudochromis. I would like to add blue spot puffer or pakistan butterfly. I know it says caution for reef tanks. Anyone have any experience with them?
I have LPS, SPS and leathers.

Thanks
 
R

raccioppi83

I can tell you that the puffer is not reef safe. They will decimate your CUC and more than likely your SPS. As for the butterfly, I've got no info.

EDIT: If your puffer gets spooked, it can potentially release tetradotoxin.. Which will kill your other inhabitants.
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

I had a valentini puffer. It did not bother the CUC at all. It played nice until I added some SPS and it decided to take the tips off. Maybe I didn't feed it enough...or maybe it just wanted to chomp on something to wear it's teeth down. The plus side is that the fish had a wonderful ability to identify the owner and chase after you. From that perspective the fish was immensely enjoyable. I would go with a puffer in a FO only LPS/soft coral only tank.
 
lefkonj

lefkonj

Boxfish release a toxin, not puffers, so don't let that stop you. I have a Blue Spotted puffer and while he does occasionally pick at the CUC, he is fine otherwise. I keep my tank well fed as well but I really enjoy the puffer, he is 1/8 the size of some of my tangs and he gets in there to eat Nori all the time.
 
MadReefer

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
Thanks for the puffer info.

Been doing plenty of research and found 3 types of Butterfly fish that are are supposed to be reef safe:
1) Zoster
2) Pyramid
3) Schooling Banner

I found these Butterfly fish are reef compatible with caution.
1) Orange
2) Mertensii
3) Spotfin
4) Tahitian
5) Tear Drop
6) Copperband
7) Yellow Long nose
8) Saddleback
9) Falcula, True
10) Lemon

Two of the many references I checked not including on-line stores I looked at.
Keeping butterflyfish in reefs: What to look out for and what to avoid awesome fish spotlight, butterflyfish, Fish Videos, Magazine, reef tanks, Saltwater Fish, Video Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog

Reef Safe Butterflyfishes? - Reefs.com

Summary:
*Chelmon
* Forcipiger
* Prognathodes
* Hemitaurichthys
* Milletseed Butterflyfish (Chaetodon miliaris)
* Schooling Bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes)
* Roaps Complex Butterflies (Declivis, Mitratus, Tinker's etc.)
 
NikkiT

NikkiT

I like copperbands. We have had several, great fish.
I had a long nose many years ago (literally in the 90s), and he ate aptasia, which was awesome.

I know you have already gotten feedback on the puffer, I had a blue spot puffer in the 90s as well, and he was a massive jerk. He ate my shrimp, my snails, and attached my maroon clown and beat the heck out of her. He lived out his life in a single species nano after that.
 
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