Did you know a Dogface Puffer REALLY PUFF'S! Pix's INSIDE!

[bulletsworld]

Hey thought I would share this...

I was given this dogface puffer months back that they didn't think was going to make it. I doubted myself. At the time, it was black in color, curled in a ball, infected with velvet & ich pretty badly and even a bad case of fin rot, was missing most fins and couldn't even swim.

I cured him & nursed him back to health in a 29 gal QT that he's still remains in for over 3 mths now, but he’s fully recovered & doing great. YEAH! .

As they have dogface puffers STAMPED “NOT REEF SAFE” I often felt bad thinking he depressed in the bare bottom 29QT tank. Adding smaller fish in with him before, he never bothered & was not aggressive at all being very gentle natured and a very personable fish. Has to know what you’re doing all the time, follows you around the room. Very neat!

So the other night, as I'm cleaning his tank...After having the battle of not being able to find him a good home. I question myself thinking hmm....wonder what he would do in my 77gal reef tank?

I scope him in a cup (less stress-not exposed to air at all) & slowly put him in my 77gal. He swims around very slowly and stops to look at EVERYTHING. Now first thing you think of with a NOT reef safe animal, from what you read about them is "they will eat inverts", so I was worried. Keeping my eyes glued to the tank at all times. He never bothered & wasn’t interested with a single invert, my clams, lobster, snails, crabs or shrimps. So I kept watching him.

Then as I’m watching the dogface he slowly swims over to a mushroom....FAST….CHOP…releases! Telling myself its only a mushroom I let him carry on.... He looked at the colt coral.. CHOP! Then proceeds to swim around Telling myself maybe he’s just curious, wants to know what it is…o.k only a little piece out of the colt coral... Then he goes over to the Xenia... CHOP! Takes a bite & proceeds to the next coral. He was sampling a piece out of EVERY CORAL!!!!!

He seem to leave my LTA alone but went over to my RBTA at the other end and did this strange blow threw his mouth, blowing the tentacles of RBTA & before I knew it he snapped really fast at the RBTA and CHOP! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! OMG! O.k I grabbed my net & cup! He's getting OUT OF THERE!!!! So the next to happen... The puffer knowing I'm taking him out. He starts doing a chocking action under the water! Suddenly he getting bigger and bigger and bigger! PUFFED UP SO HUGE! OMG! I had NEVER SEEN a dogface puffer actually PUFF! It was the size of a football!!! Sorry I don’t have pictures of his FULL puff, as I had to grab the camera! But fully puffed he would just roll around like a beach ball floating on the top of water, eyes sunk in his ball. It was the weirdest thing I EVER did see! To un puff he would spit the water out of his mouth but then puff up again when I attempted to capture him again.


Puffers inhale water to fill their selves up! It’s the neatest thing to see! But NEVER recommended to EVER try as they only do this when extremely stressed. It was the coolest thing to see but felt bad that I stressed him.

Anyway I thought I would share my experience. DOGFACE PUFFERS DO ACTUALLY PUFF & ARE NOT REEFSAFE. They WILL EAT ALL YOUR CORALS! I just never gave him the chance to sample my inverts. So when you’re in doubt and you think you can put them in the reef... Note to Self: NOTTTT!!!!

Enjoy pics! Before & after

BEFORE
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...gface.jpg?7900

BEFORE
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...uffer.jpg?3802

AFTER
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...p-med.JPG?5313

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...d-med.JPG?3768

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat..._ball.JPG?3891

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat..._down.JPG?2363

Sorry not sure how to post these pic's on this post.

[Murminator]

[Jaws]

Will they eat sps corals the same as LPS or soft corals?

[bulletsworld]

Seemed to just eat the LPS and the soft corals. Although I only have very little SPS if any. He seemed to LOVE softies though but nibbled on my pagota coral (LPS), up candy candy...so just never kept him in there long enough to sample the SPS or yummy morsles of clam, crab, snails, etc.

[BMW Rider]

Probably thought you had taken him out to the all you can eat buffet. He was just getting started with the salad bar when you interupted him.

I had a porcupine puffer once in my FO tank until I discovered my large hermit crab only had three legs. The crab was my wifes favourite of the pair so the puffer went. Then the crab died anyway

The puffers are pretty cool but not for a reef.

[Bob I]

So how is the RBTA after the attack.

[bulletsworld]

Hey Bob, He only bite a tip of a bubble off the RBTA before I tried to grab him. The RBTA collapsed the first few days but like the fussy creature that it is, its back to normal again.

Originally Posted by BMW Rider

Probably thought you had taken him out to the all you can eat buffet. He was just getting started with the salad bar when you interupted him.

Yeah for sure hey!

Yeah I love the porcupine puffers (my fav) too, very cool creatures and smart too. But your right not for the reef. Puffers are cool though.


Well tonight new owner came to pick up the Dogface Puffer. Was kinda sad letting him go. I have bites through all my corals to remember him by though.

[snaggle]

Lee,

He made it to his new home safe and sound, and his has been busy checking out every inch of it this morning. Last night he was looking kind of lost. The only time he went to the far side of new tank was at feeding time . He looks happy now and I planning on getting him a friend soon. .

Brad

[danny zubot]

Wow, thats insane. Don't puffers also release toxins into the water when they puff?

[bulletsworld]

Originally Posted by snaggle

Lee, He made it to his new home safe and sound, and his has been busy checking out every inch of it this morning. Brad

Hey Brad, thats awesome. Well he's got a good home now. Yeah he's pretty curious though, but its really cool that he watches everything hey and very responsive. You will figure out his "I'm Hungry" dance soon enough, its cute. Also I forgot to tell ya he will eat from your hand (Krill or Silverside) but he gets excited so you gotta watch your fingers.

Originally Posted by danny zubot

Don't puffers also release toxins into the water when they puff?

Puffers dont release toxin in the water, that's Boxfish that do that. The puffers flesh is poisonous. In the wild, puffers puff up knowing when the predator eats them, parts of its flesh are poisonous (death) if digested. It seems to be a big thing in Asia where they are trying to ban the capture & eating of Porcupine puffers as many people continue to risk there lives with the chance they may die after eating a porcupine puffer. They have special chefs that train for long time to perfect the art of cooking a puffer and restaurants that have puffer on their menu for a pretty big penny

So don't go kissing your new puffer Brad, it could be deadly!