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.

Care level: Easy

Diet: Omnivore

The Ocellaris clownfish originates from the Indo-Pacific, but many found in the aquarium trade are actually tank-bred which makes them much easier to care for. The Ocellaris clownfish is a great fish for the beginner due to its ease of care, fabulous colors, and peaceful temperament. Feeding: The Ocellaris Clownfish will eat most meaty and herbivore foods. Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, squid bits, and any other small frozen foods are acceptable.

General Clownfish facts:

Do Clownfish Need a Sea Anemone? One question a lot of fish enthusiasts have is whether or not clownfish need an anemone to survive in the aquarium. Although clownfish are a symbiotic species, they can still thrive without an anemone.

Mutualism of the Clownfish and Anemone Much like the way aphids produce a "Milk" for ants that in return guard the aphids from predators, clownfish and sea anemones also form a mutaulism. The clownfish benefits from the protection and housing of the sea anemone while the anemone benefits from the food the clownfish lures in.

Water Quality: Discus come from the soft acidic waters of Brazil and most require a pH of 6.0 - 7.0, but can tolerate a pH of up to 7.5. The temperature for housing Discus is relatively high at 79-86° F. Discus require the water to be near perfect conditions. With that in mind, you will want the largest aquarium you can find to house them (50+ gallons) and will need to do ~25% water changes weekly, since Discus prefer constant water conditions. Top all that off with a powerful filter and you're good to go!

Feeding: Discus should be fed at least two times daily and remember, it's better to underfeed then to overfeed since overfeeding leads to poor water quality. Discus are carnivores and should be fed a varied diet consisting of bloodworms, tubifex, high quality flake foods, and other frozen meaty foods. As you can see discus don't require anything particularly difficult so if you're thinking of getting some, go for it!