Porcupine Fish?

Question

I want to buy a porcupine fish and I want to have all my "P's" & "Q's" Correct, and have the tank set up before I go and get him (Im not going to add any other fish until Im comfterable I can take of the one). I would like to know WHAT SIZE TANK he will most comfterable in, WHAT FOOD he would prefer, and basically HOW TO KEEP HIM HAPPY AND most important HEALTHY.

Thank you everyone for the great insight, I think Im going to go with everyones advice and just stick to a fresh water puffer, and do Zoe's direct advice and go with a dwarf puffer since they are less agressive need a little tank and are less picky about the water aslong as theres lots of plants to hide in. Plus you can put 2 to 3 fish in 1 ten gallon tank, so I might do 1 male and 2 females to make him less agressive during mating season or just do the 1 male. Ill decide after I cycle my water

Answer 1

Is it possible that you are confusing procupine fish with puffer fish? They are easily confused, but puffer fish are more common, and there are freshwater varities. Porcupine fish are strictly salt water, and they are quite large, requiring large aquariums.
So, I do suggest you get a puffer fish, not a porcupine fish. Setting a tank for a porcupine would be very expensive, because it would have to be a full marine tank and those cost thousands to set up.

Anyway, puffer fish come in many different varities. There are dwarf puffers, figure 8s, green spotteds, etc. You should see what is available at your local fish stores, and then come research them in depth before buying them.

The first thing you need to know is whether the fish is freshwater or brackish. Petstores sometimes keep brackish fish in freshwater so do not rely on them to tell you. Do the research. If the puffer you want is brackish, you will need to add salt to the water. Salinity depends on the actual species.
As for tank size, again that depends on the species. Some of the smaller types are fine in 10 gallons, and some need more around 20-30 gallons.
FYI, you will never be able to keep other fish with your puffers. Puffers can probably be described as a bi-polar species ;) Some of them are very aggressive and would nip and attack the other fish to death; others are very, very shy and would be constantly stressed by other fish. With some of them you can get away with it, but they will always be happier and healthier by themselves (and this also means no other puffers, not even the same type).

Your puffer should eat a combination of mollusks and snails, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp and other frozen meaty foods.

Before you buy him, make sure that you cycle your tank. In the wild, and in established tanks, there are nitrifying bacteria that break down toxic ammonia from fish waste and excess food into less toxic nitrates. In a brand new tank, these bacteria don't exist, so any fish in the tank will produce ammonia, which, not being broken down by bacteria, will kill or weaken the fish. So, it is vital to cycle your tank.
There are a few methods. Do you have access to an established tank? These bacteria live in the gravel and in the filter cartridge, so if you can get some from another tank, you can put the bacteria right into your tank (don't let the gravel or filter cartridge dry out). If you do this, in a day or two, your tank will beready for fish.
Another way is to get Bio-Spira. It is the actual live bacteria in a little pouch, and your tank will instantly be ready for fish.http://fishstoretn.com/bio_spira.html

Other methods, which include putting a source of ammonia in the tank and letting the bacteria build up on its own, or putting a fish in and letting the fish produce ammonia (which borders on animal cruelty, because the fish will suffer from the ammonia in the tank), take 2 to 6 weeks before your tank is ready. If you rush that, any fish you buy may die, so try one of the instant methods I mentioned above (bio-spira or gravel from another tank)

While your tank is cycling, you can visit local fish stores and see what puffers are available, and you can research them and decide which you want to go with and whether you'll need salt etc.

Answer 2

If you mean a porcupine puffer, you're dealing with a saltwater tank, and if you dont know, im here to tell you, saltwater equipment is VERY expensive, and you cant really skimp too much, because s/w fish need excellent water quality. I would not keep a porcupine puffer in less than a 150, as they get quite large at 10-12 inches. They also are not a reef safe fish, so you'd need to get quite a bit of live rock for that size tank, 100 pounds at lease. Buy your tank, buy your live rock, a large Sump or wet/dry filter, powerheads, heater,protien skimmer, test kit,aquarium salt,refractometer,hydrometer, all the accessories. Set up your tank w/live rock and all equipment,(make sure your salinity levels are where you need them before you add the live rock.) and walk away. What you're doing with the live rock in the tank is cycling it, just like in freshwater aquaria. So let your tank run and cycle with the live rock in it for about 2 days, and check your water parameters. The goal here is to monitor the nitrogen cycle. It will probably take a total of a couple of weeks if you use the live rock, just monitor it every 2 days or so. Your ammonia and nitrite levels will start low, build and build and then bottom out, after which they will usually briefly spike again, and then lower. When your water parameters have been stable for a couple of days, You are ready to add your puffer. Only add him, and feed him lightly (remember, puffers have beak like teeth so they need crunchy food) for the first couple weeks or so. Just keep an eye on the water quality, s/w fish are picky about it! good luck

Answer 3

You will need a saltwater setup for a porcupine fish. If this is your first aquarium, I would not suggest starting with a saltwater tank. There are puffers that are freshwater and brackish that you could start with and most likely have much better luck. For a porcupine you will need at least a 55 gallon tank. Bigger would be better. Most likely though, if you are not an experienced aquarist you will not be able to keep him happy and healthy being in your first saltwater tank.

Answer 4

55 gallon minimum and it is saltwater i think
resaerch on google.com put in porcupine fish care