ally07 Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 Hi guys Wasn't sure whether to post this in Freshwater or Saltwater lest it spark debate as to the suitable salinity for a figure 8 puffer, so I posted it here. (FYI I'll raise salinity to low-end brackish once he gets a little older..) At the moment his (maybe her, I can't tell) diet consists solely of frozen bloodworms. I've tried mussels, but they've gone untouched. I did put in some small snails, some of which have disappeared, so either they're hiding or (s)he's been snacking on them.. Is this bloodworm diet appropriate for the long term? I do think that (s)he should get a variety of foods but (s)he isn't accepting other foods. How can I encourage more variety into the diet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 bloodworms are like sweets to kids. They are a good food but you need to feed a balanced diet. Stop the blood worm and don't feed anything else for a day or two, then try the mussel or other foods again. If he is hungry he will eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 16, 2008 Report Share Posted December 16, 2008 I've got puffers - stop feeding them bloodworms!!!!! They're really fatty and don't have that much nutritional value. Like TM said, like sweets to kids. When feeding them snails, they should be the size of their eye. They really need crunchy food, otherwise their teeth will grow too long and stop them eating. Bigger snails aren't so good because they often just suck the snail out, they don't eat the shell. Crabs are a good food, not that much meat on them, but they can crunch away at them. Frozen shrimp are good too, just defrost them and pop them in. They love mealworms once they get the hang of it, and I also feed mine feeder fish occasionally so they can get their veges (feed the feeders on veges for a few days) How old are your puffers? You should be feeding babies 5-6 days a week, and adults 3-4 days a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted December 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Thanks for the replies! Yeah, my puffer is really on a McDonald's only diet at the moment haha.. Alright I think I'll have to starve him for a couple of days and see how it goes. The snails I got were pretty small, so those were gone, now only the bigger snails remain, so I'm hoping he will pick off the baby snails as they appear.. Probably too small to eat mealworms, but I definitely want to make that a part of his diet eventually. He's only about 4-5cm at the moment, so most of the foods I offer are often bigger than his body size! At the moment I'm feeding him 6/7 days, I read somewhere that one day fast is good for them since they're always so greedy.. Where do you guys get crabs/ frozen shrimp? At the moment my freezer has bloodworms, daphnia (which I can't feed too much of either) and marinara.. I've also got live mealworms but they're too big, so they go to my cichlid.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 17, 2008 Report Share Posted December 17, 2008 Frozen shrimp you can get from the supermarket, just buy a bag and defrost them before chucking one in the tank. I just go to the beach and get a few crabs, I have a tank they live in for about a month before I feed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted December 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Oh, alright. I popped by the LFS today and mysis shrimp were going for $10.90 for a pack of frozen cubes!! Is it cheaper to buy them from the supermarket? Or are the supermarket ones too big? Just a quick update - after BARELY 48hours of fasting my puffer is now happily chowing down on mussels haha.. It was tough, I'll admit, he gave me those "puffy eyes" like a dog begging for a treat every time I glanced at the tank, but tough love worked haha.. Cheers guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 Just buy some prawns from the supermarket. You can get them for about $5 for a bag that will last a puffer forever. The stuff from the pet store is way overpriced and they aren't crunchy, so he won't have a chance to grind down his teeth. If you starve him for a while, he'll figure out pretty quick what's food! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 18, 2008 Report Share Posted December 18, 2008 How do you feed the prawns to them? Seems they'd ignore the crunchy bits and go for the chewy bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 19, 2008 Report Share Posted December 19, 2008 Nah, puffers will eat anything! When I first started feeding them, I'd spear them on a skewer and move them around so they'd chase them, but it only took once or twice before they figured out that it's food and eat it. I give them about an hour to eat whatever I feed, and if they don't eat it all they get nothing the next day. If they eat it all, I'll give them a tiny bit more. They're pretty smart and learn really quick that if they don't eat their dinner, they don't get fed tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted December 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2008 They are actually really smart fish when it comes to feeding! What I do during feeding time is to turn on the light and turn off the filter. Over time he's become accustomed to the habit, so now when the light is on and the filter's off, he swims near the surface expecting food. It's also good because whatever I throw in the tank is instantly assumed to be food.. He even tried some flake food last night haha. Their stomachs are definitely the way to get to their hearts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 hi was just wondering more about feeding mussels to them do you mean cut up live 1s from the supermarket or very small black 1s found in rockpools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 You can give them a live one from the supermarket, it'll last about a week if you halve it (cut the flesh too), put one half in the freezer, the other bit in the tank. Leave it while they eat, and put it in the fridge with tank water, then feed again the next day. You could probably leave it 72 hrs, but I usually only keep it 48 hrs with putting it in the fridge when it's not feeding time. The other option is buying frozen seafood mix that has prawns, crab and muscles. They're about $3-4 a bag for 300g, and that has HEAPS of food for a puffer. Just defrost and pop it in the tank, take out when he's fat. If you do that though, make sure you feed snails too, or their teeth don't get worn down fast enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 he was eating bloodworm and snails at the lfs when i got him he had a very round lil belly. there are heaps of small snails in the tank. i havent seen him eat anething yet ive tried daphnia, waterboatmen ,cut up shrimp, frozen bloodworms, microworms to no avail ive only had him 1 day maybe he will try eating when he gets a lil hungrier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 well he is eating shrimp now yay :bounce: im wondering if the shrimp or prawns with the shell on would be ane good to wear down his teeth ? i will buy some mussel tonite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Shrimp/prawns are good for wearing down teeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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