Puffer eating clownfish

[my2rotties]

Well here is another reason not to buy mature fish from you LFS...

In all my research I read that puffers ate inverts, but never saw anything about mouth sized fish. However I know its a no brainer since most fish will eat anything they can fit into their mouths.

My false Percula is gone. I got up this morning and saw the male was missing, and the female is being patiently hunted. My maroon clown is much bigger but Griff is hunting for her all well. I know if he can nab her, he will. I soaked a prawn in garlic, chopped it up like Justin said to do, and he ate. However he is still hunting my clowns. He has great interest in my Damsel and man I wish he would catch that little jerk. I would not be sad.

I feel like I have a bad dog that just ate my shoes... I'm a little mad, but there is nothing I can do about it now. At least with a dog you can scold them...I feel awful for my male clown and keep hoping he shows up alive and in one piece. I see no trace of him anywhere, and expected to see pieces or something. I have seen Griff eat his prawns which are cut into bite sized pieces, and there is all sorts of scraps and carnage. I checked my overflows and sump and nothing indicates the fish was eaten. However his

I want to keep Griff and do not think Wai's would take him back. I did tell him what types of fish I had, and he never said a large puffer would eat them. I asked. So here I am a silly newbie with a rather large puffer that eats my fish. I figured he would back off the clowns when I fed him, but he really enjoys hunting I see. If I can catch the clowns before he does, I will have to rehome them.

He loves the rock wall at the back and does get my snails. He scoops them in his mouth and spins them around. I am not sure if he is sucking them out or not. I was preoccupied with finding my clowns. So this guy will accept prawns but he would much rather eat live fare. It makes sense to me that he would since he was already mature when he was caught.

Any advise on what I can try to do or live fish I can feed would be a great thing now. I really wanted some sand sifting fish for this tank but it may not be an option since this guy is so big.

I sure learned a lot from this one fish already, sigh. Too bad the clowns really do not take him that seriously and he almost gets them every time. I'm sure my male was slow to move and that was it. I have the rest of the week off but I can't stand here and try to scoot him off all the time. He is a slow swimmer but he is very patient, I know he will win. I have no clue how I will catch the clowns myself since I am not that patient or quick.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Sorry to hear about your clowns. I have to disagree though about him being like a bad puppy who ate your shoe and needs to be scolded Well actually I guess your kind of right but IMO its different. I know you already understand this but he came from the ocean at a decent size and his instincts are going to be much stronger than a baby porc (another reason big fish sould not be taken from the ocean). He grew up as an opportunistic predator who had to eat when he got the chance. If he ever found "tame" clowns in the ocean who did not try hard to swim away, there was no way he was going to leave them alone because he had already eaten a few prawns. They are eating machines!

I feel really bad for you and really, really hope this doesn't change how you feel about Griff. In your PM to me I got a good feeling about how much you care for this fish and obviously want whats best for him. Being that he was taken from the ocean at such a big size, he deserves a good home in a big tank like yours. If you take him back, he will most likely end up in a smaller tank. You really can't blame him for doing what he knows he has to do to stay alive. He will slowly loose the instincts to a degree and actually get somewhat lazy, only ever waiting for you to feed him. Eventually only you and the prawns you offer him will register as food to him.

I have had the exact same thing happen a few years ago. I had a nice pair of black and white clowns in a 180G and added a 6-7" Mappa Puffer. He hit the water, swam about a foot and came across the female clown. One bite and she was gone infront of my eyes. The male soon followed. Then my goby, damsels (there is hope there) and every other small fish was eaten over the next few weeks. After about 6 months or so though I tried some damsels again and he never killed anymore. They were my clean up crew. I think mine was another case of a decent sized fish being taken from the ocean and the problems it can lead to. I have had several puffers since then but bought all of them around 2-3" and not one has ever killed another fish.

Please give him a chance. He really isn't bad, just doing what he knows. He will make a great PET, unlike most fish. I know your an avid dog lover and this is as close as it gets with fish! There is a reason they are called Aquatic Puppies.

Can I recommend you add a trigger fish or two? Ideal tankmates for puffers and just as much personality as puffers. I would go with a pair of Blue throats in your tank or a Niger. Stay away from the overly aggressive ones like Clowns, Queens or Titans. Pink Tail is another great choice. If you want to get really expensive a single or pair of Crosshatches would be ok in your tank. A 260G is just enough for Crosshatches I think.

Also look into a bigger species of tang (not too big of course) and maybe a grouper to finish the tank off. Be careful with the grouper though because you don't want to end up with one that gets too big for the tank!

Good luck!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Both large puffers were probably hungry as well, since an LFS is less likely to feed them well compared to what you or I would do at home. Yes, they were also used to eating anything that they can catch in their mouths.

I was lucky that the bigger puffer was only 3.5-4" when I bought it for Irene & so it adapted to eating frozen and freeze dried foods fairly easily, with only a couple of casualties (2 slow clowns as well). However, since then, the two puffers have been model citizens, leaving all my other fish alone.

Clowns are slow swimmers so if you have a net ready when you feed some floating foods, you might be able to scoop it out when the last clown comes up to eat.

Anthony

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

Both large puffers were probably hungry as well, since an LFS is less likely to feed them well compared to what you or I would do at home. Yes, they were also used to eating anything that they can catch in their mouths.

I was lucky that the bigger puffer was only 3.5-4" when I bought it for Irene & so it adapted to eating frozen and freeze dried foods fairly easily, with only a couple of casualties (2 slow clowns as well). However, since then, the two puffers have been model citizens, leaving all my other fish alone.

Clowns are slow swimmers so if you have a net ready when you feed some floating foods, you might be able to scoop it out when the last clown comes up to eat.

Anthony

Yup another great point...LFS don't feed puffers well enough usually.

I remember J&L (who I think do feed them well actually) had a Starry puffer that started eating all the dwarf lionfish. I think they said he ate like 3-4 in a few days.

[my2rotties]

Don't worry Justin, he is staying. It's my fault that I brought him home and I learned a big first hand lesson. I know its not his fault, but why can't he catch the stupid damsel fish. I hate that guy, and Griff would be off my poop list. I will have to figure out how to catch the remaining clowns and rehome them. I just hope he doesn't get my Mandarin goby, I would be beyond ****ed. Skipper is my little elusive buddy. The purple dartfish has no worries since he can vanish in a split second. My anemone died so the clowns can't even hide right now. Mind you, I see pufferes housed with lionfish getting strung constantly. I am sure he would eat the anemone too... He would probably laugh at its sting.

The two remaining clownfish seem to be more savvy to Griff now. It is like a National Geographic show in my tank. Griff LOVES to hunt, and I am sure he will settle down eventually. At least he has a hobby now, instead of gazing out the window all day.

What can you do... he is a wild animal and it is to be expected. I am glad I didn't see the clown get eaten, that must have been awful to watch knowing how they eat. I think I would rehome every other fish before bringing Griff back to the store. I just hope I can find fish from fellow members so I know they care about the fish and not selling it.

He is leaving Cash the purple tang alone so my husband is fine. I might get what I wanted in the end... a tank FULL of puffers.

He is so darned cute with that perma smile, how could I bring him back. He looks so happy hunting the rock wall, and the clowns are brightly coloured like krill.

BTW... You should move to the forest in Bragg Creek, you can get 2-4 acres and a nice big house for about what you were going to pay for a condo pout in Vancover... bring my dogfaced puffer with you. He already has a name.

[my2rotties]

Gryphon is about 8-9" long. I am not sure how much bigger he will get from here. I find my clowns can shoot off like a bullet when they needc to. They are brutal to catch and with all the rocks and rescaping I did last night, I will never catch them. They seem to know better now though.

I have to say watching Gryphon hunt is amazing. He pretends to be doing something else entirely and then scoots over to the clowns. The damsel keeps messing with him, and Gryphon is focusing on him for now. I would pay him to get the little jerk.

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

Both large puffers were probably hungry as well, since an LFS is less likely to feed them well compared to what you or I would do at home. Yes, they were also used to eating anything that they can catch in their mouths.

I was lucky that the bigger puffer was only 3.5-4" when I bought it for Irene & so it adapted to eating frozen and freeze dried foods fairly easily, with only a couple of casualties (2 slow clowns as well). However, since then, the two puffers have been model citizens, leaving all my other fish alone.

Clowns are slow swimmers so if you have a net ready when you feed some floating foods, you might be able to scoop it out when the last clown comes up to eat.

Anthony

[sphelps]

Yeap puffers definitely eat fish, I use to feed mine goldfish

[my2rotties]

Do they die when you put them in salt water? I would guess that would be "yes". He really loves to hunt but most fish would be hard to catch. The clowns and dartfish are fine now, but they probably won't sleep at night for a LONG time. Gryphon really has it out for the damsel fish but that won't be happening anytime soon. The damsel is way bigger then the clowns so I shudder at how he will eat it if he gets a lucky shot.

How do you feed them goldfish? I better not be getting any orange fish after that as well.

Well he almost got the maroon clown he is much faster then I gave him credit for... I love having my desk beside the tank I don't miss much.

Originally Posted by sphelps

Yeap puffers definitely eat fish, I use to feed mine goldfish

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

Do they die when you put them in salt water? I would guess that would be "yes". He really loves to hunt but most fish would be hard to catch. The clowns and dartfish are fine now, but they probably won't sleep at night for a LONG time. Gryphon really has it out for the damsel fish but that won't be happening anytime soon. The damsel is way bigger then the clowns so I shudder at how he will eat it if he gets a lucky shot.

How do you feed them goldfish? I better not be getting any orange fish after that as well.

Well he almost got the maroon clown he is much faster then I gave him credit for... I love having my desk beside the tank I don't miss much.

Please do not feed freshwater fish to saltwater predators. It is one of the worst things you could feed a puffer. The only time I would ever feel the need to try this is with something like a angler fish who will absolutely only eat live foods. Guppies would be the choice though, not goldfish. Puffers will eat frozen foods. They do not need to hunt. Yours is already eating prawn, so you are lucky. Keep him on a good diet. Try as much different fresh but frozen sea foods as you can. You can buy them fresh but make sure you freeze them. You never know what nasty parasites are on fresh foods. Then thaw them in vitamins and feed.

Don't get you puffer in the habit of eating freshwater fish for no reason. It will lead to a shortened life. Freshwater feeders lack HUFA's(highly unsaturated fatty acids) which are vital to marine fishes diet. Live freshwater feeder fish can also have a variety of diseases and infections that can lead to infections in your puffer. Very bad idea. Try to stick to their natural diet if possible. I highly doubt if a wild puffer has ever eaten a goldfish

Remember your trying to keep things are natural as possible for your puffer. Try to get some mussels, clams and maybe some squid.

[fishoholic]

I gave 2 three striped damsels to my friend who has puffers, triggers and lion fish. I warned her they were elusive evil little buggers, she warned me they would probably be lunch. I believe (and her puffers had eaten other small fish before) after 4-5 months all that happened with the damsels is that they would pester her trigger! She ended up rehomeing them, I don't know what'll happen with your damsel but it might live for awhile yet!