Foxface vs Narrow Lined Puffer

[CrewePD210]

Good day! Im not sure what is going on here. I have a 5" one spot foxface, and a 5" narrow lined puffer in a 150 gallon tank with a chameleon wrasse, a pair of clowns, a sharpnose, and a tomini tang. It is pretty peaceful in there, except for the foxface and the puffer. They both hang out all day under the same rock. At feeding time, the tank gets a squirt of 4 way + carnivore cuisine + bloodworm mix. The Puffer gets 2 or 3 clams at night.

The foxface pokes the puffer, not constantly, but consistently. When the foxy tries to steal food from the puffer's clams, the puffer stands his ground. Then they go and hang out together for the rest of the day. They literally lay on each other, and the fox will poke the puffer every so often. The puffer may or may not swim off, but never stays away from the fox for more than a minute or two. They are not fighting, but it is just weird.

Has anyone else had anything similar happen?

 

[littlefoxx]

Not with my puffer but my foxface and sailfin do something similar but then they sleep together at night. I wouldnt think the foxface is stinging puffer if the puffer looks okay and keeps chillin with it

 

[MikeReefs]

Foxface are known to gets a bit territorial during feeding time. They are pigs and eat a ton. They won’t do any damage but I’ve seen mine nudge fish out of his way and bluff that’s he’s about to nip. They are peaceful any other time of the day

 

[littlefoxx]

Foxface are known to gets a bit territorial during feeding time. They are pigs and eat a ton. They won’t do any damage but I’ve seen mine nudge fish out of his way and bluff that’s he’s about to nip. They are peaceful any other time of the day

My foxface killed a very large red coris wrasse, the spikes went through her face and she died

 

[CrewePD210]

Not with my puffer but my foxface and sailfin do something similar but then they sleep together at night. I wouldnt think the foxface is stinging puffer if the puffer looks okay and keeps chillin with it

Yea hes definitely not stinging him. He lays his spines flat when they are cuddling, and gets out in from of him and puffs them up when something else comes close, almost like the fox is protecting the puffer or something

 

[CrewePD210]

Foxface are known to gets a bit territorial during feeding time. They are pigs and eat a ton. They won’t do any damage but I’ve seen mine nudge fish out of his way and bluff that’s he’s about to nip. They are peaceful any other time of the day

My fox just swims around to eat, and leaves the puffer alone during feeding time, they are not competing for anything, as the puffer is the only one that can tear the clams up.

 

[CrewePD210]

My foxface killed a very large red coris wrasse, the spikes went through her face and she died

Sorry to hear that. This guy doesn't get aggressive, he will actually lay all of his spikes down so he can touch the puffer? The puffer, on the other hand acks like one of those fish that hangs under a dock all day, just comes out to eat.

 

[Boehmtown]

My fox face and dog faces puffer were best friends. Shared the same cave etc. We're constantly together

 

[Tripod1404]

My two bar rabbitfish used to do this with a coperband butterflyfish. Rabbitfish live as pairs in the wild, so I assume since we mostly keep them singly, they sometime try to pair with other fish.

Mine would even do the “take turns while eating” behavior, when CBB was picking up stuff from the rock crevices, rabbitfish would keep guard for any predators. It eventually grew out of it.

 

[littlefoxx]

Yea hes definitely not stinging him. He lays his spines flat when they are cuddling, and gets out in from of him and puffs them up when something else comes close, almost like the fox is protecting the puffer or something

Oh maybe thats it! My unicorn tang has a similar relationship with my dog face puffer, she hangs out by him and darts at other fish if they get too close. They sleep in the same cave