Tankmate(s) for a Green Spotted Puffer

[Foible]

I have a green spotted puffer (yes, he's SW as an adult) in a 40 gallon with lots of macro algae 20lbs of live rock, a HOB refugium that adds 5 gallons water volume, a skimmer, and an Aquaclear 500. He's a four inch fish that seems to be finished growing (growth was rapid for six months but no growth the last six months) so I think I could put another fish or so in with him space wise. Inverts are out of the question, they would be snacks.

He's accidentally nipped me before while I was feeding him and while he makes short work of ramshorn snails and ghost shrimp it doesn't more than pinch my skin. I know human skin is quite tough but I thought it'd give you an idea of what his bite is like. His mouth can take in snails smaller than a quarter inch.

There are plenty of holes in the live rock he can't get into and the macro provides pretty good cover.

Any ideas what I could put in with him? Preferably something either colorful or with an interesting personality.

 

[Kohan Bros.]

is it aggresive or not

i would recomend a another puffer or perhaps a trigger

 

[Salttanker]

How big is the green puffer supposed to get get?

Mike

 

[Kohan Bros.]

There are some green spotted puffers at my lfs but their in their fresh water stage they dont look big but mabey they change.

 

[loganj]

GSP's usually, AFAIK, get about 4" in most cases. I have mine in with a small snowflake moray. They get along fine as long as I target feed the moray at the same time as the puffer is fed. If not, they will scrap over the food with the moray being the winner. GSP's will fin nip sometimes...it depends on your individual fish. I expect the moray won't be a suitable tankmate when he gets larger. GSP's are great fish though and have quite a personality...I wouldn't trade mine for anything.

 

[Foible]

A scopus tang decided he wanted to be roomies with the puffer. He was beating the crap out of my sweet peaceful fish in the reef tank and bashing around the tank like a bull in a china shop. It has size advantage over the puffer. They seem to be ignoring each other. At first the puff caught a glimpse of fluttering fin over the top of a rock and swam at it. I thought, "Oh, crap, so much for this experiment." But as soon as he saw it was attached to a fish he backswam and got the heck away from it.

 

[Foible]

The roomies seem to be getting along fine although the puffer is occasionally getting startled by the tang.

 

[Foible]

I'd been lead to believe that green spotted puffers were the great white sharks of the aquarium but this fellow of mine seems pretty mild mannered.