The Dogface Puffer
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by: RedClownfish
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Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 Time: 5:22 AM
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Scientific name: Arothron nigropunctatus
Minimum Tank Size: 90 gallons
Characteristics: A semi-aggressive fish from the Islands of Solomon and the Indo-Pacific. Capable of growing just over a foot long.
Dogface puffers, like many other large fish, have a very unique and interesting personality. They will often swim up to greet you and splash the water with their tail to let you know they want fed, and boy do these fish eat! Dogface puffers enjoy food items ranging from shelled shrimp, fresh clams, squid, and krill. (On a personal note: my Dogface wont go near squid, but he loves all of the other foods mentioned!) Since Dogface puffers are usually not very shy, you can try to hand feed them a few weeks after they have acclimated to their new home. I like to hold a krill with my fingers and let the puffer eat the krill, he seems to enjoy krill more when I do this. If I just throw the krill into the tank, he loses interest. Also be careful never to let him get near your fingers, my Dogface is perfectly capable of cracking thick clam shells and I wouldn't want him to mistake my fingers for food! Dogface puffers are classified as carnivores, but mine chows down broccoli intended for my Blue Tang. They will truly eat almost anything set in front of them! Be sure to feed them lots of hard-shelled meaty foods, as puffers need to wear down their continuously growing beaks.
The Dogface puffer is semi-aggressive and therefore should not be housed with other puffers, seahorses, sharks, stingrays, and invertebrates. Cleaner shrimp such as the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp may get along with the puffer fine do to their natural roles, see video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcqtfEwKVr0&feature=player_embedded
While the Dogface puffer is not particularly difficult to keep, you should have some experience with marine fish before you get one. The most common causes of Dogface puffers not eating is due to water conditions or the fact that they are a recent addition to the aquarium. Since some puffers refuse to eat, it is highly recommended that you ask to see them eat at the pet store before you purchase your puffer.
Dogface puffers are not recommended for reef tanks unless you have an extremely large setup. This is due to the fact that they will eat most all crustaceans, invertebrates, and anything that isn't sand. It is not recommended that you keep even an anemone in the same tank as a puffer since Dogface puffers are very inquisitive and may end up harming themselves by repetitively trying to eat the anemone.
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