what do you feed your porc. puffer

[freewilly2]

i have only seen him sifting through the sand and eating bugs and stuff. is it possible he eats what i put in the tank after i turn off the lights? i have never seen him eating what i put in the tank. i got him about a month ago and they told me he eats krill. i got the krill fed him didnt eat and still i havent seen hiom eating. i have tried brine shrimp and still i havent seen him eating. i have never tried live food maybe this would be better. also i am wondering what do you feed your puffer?

[triggerfreak]

They will eat anything.Try feeder ghost shrimp or guppies. The pork that i got will only eat live right now. He will come and take the shrimp or guppies right out of the net. Also try live brine. Sometimes the movement of live spurs them to go after it.

[Amoore311]

I really wouldn't recommend any kind of feeder fish for a puffer. Their natural diet consists of snails, mollusks, crabs, and shrimp mainly.

How big is he? The feeder shrimp are a good idea, but unless you gut load them prior they are a poor source of nutrition.

Head over to your local grocery store and buy a few small pieces of raw cocktail shrimp or a raw clam/oyster or two. He should devour those once you put them in the tank.

If you still can't get him to eat try soaking the food in garlic juice, they will work to entice him to eat.


When I had my GSP (acclimated to marine conditions), I just fed him common pond snails I bred in my father's 10 gallon guppy tank. If you go this route just make sure you take out any snails he won't eat b/c they will obviously die in the salt water.

[u418936]

There's probably something wrong with your puffer if he's not eating yet. I'd wager that most porc puffers would eat krill the first day you get them.

My puffer eats everything I put into the tank, but he likes live snails the best. Maybe you should try those.

[ralphie16]

lack of appetite could be an indicator or intestinal worms. puffers need to be de-wormed as a standard practice.

[JStorey]

I feed mine raw shrimp, squid, clams and fish I pick up at the Asia grocery market. I actually hand feed him and will eat as long as I keep feeding him.

[freewilly2]

how can i de waorm him? and what are other signs of worms?
also my porc puffer doesnt have teeth howcan he eat the oysters?

[tangyreefer05]

What happend to his teeth? :(

http://www.totnes-bsac.co.uk/reports/aust/puffer.jpg

[akaatomic]

My porc puffer will eat frozen krill, but not freeze dried. He loves frozen prawn and has begun eating chopped up silversides. Pick up some rosies from the pet store. 10/$1. I'll bet he'll chase them down and eat them all. After he eats something, start offering frozen shrimp-based food and only feed him live every few days. Eventually he'll eat whatever you offer.

[stdreb27]

Mine loves oysters, I just feed them on the half shell. don't put rosey reds in there that is just retarted.

[tangyreefer05]

if you use anything freeze dried make sure it soaks first so it sinks so they are not getting gulbs of air too, my dogface always liked the uncooked cocktail sized shrimp i left on the thin clear shell, then cleaned up after them.

[akaatomic]

Retarted? Tell any pet store owner that your carnivorous fish isn't eating and they'll tell you to try feeder fish. They don't need to be saltwater fish as they're getting eaten right away anyway. Rosies are about the cheapest that you can buy. Using freshwater feeders long term can cause fatty liver disease so they should only be used to keep your fish alive while you entice him to take dead food. Retarted. You're retarted jerkoff.

[tangyreefer05]

Easy buddy, i agree the retarded comment wasn't necessary, but neither was jerkoff...

Anyway I wouldn't agree with most LFS owners anyway since MOST of them don't know whats fact and what isn't, but if my puffer, lion or whatever fish refuses to eat, i would try anything to get it to eat, including live shrimp and fish. I had a small dwarf lion that would not eat, wouldn't go after any live food or frozen, I had no luck and it died, he just refused to eat, nothing you can do but try new things. Obviously a long term diet wouldn't be right, but he was just saying to maybe get the fish to snap out of it and get something in its stomach try a live guppie or rosey red. I would try guppies since they are smaller.. but have less nutrients I think I read before.

Good luck

[billsreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9428995#post9428995 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tangyreefer05
Easy buddy, i agree the retarded comment wasn't necessary, but neither was jerkoff...


Indeed. Neither word is appropriate on Reef Central.

stdreb27 and akaatomic lets not use such terms and keep the discussion flame free.

[samherston]

Goldfish work VERY well....

[akaatomic]

haha. I know...I know. I just got a little fired up. There's many ways to do many things. Better to stay open minded as one of those ways will save your fish. I have a juvenile Antennata Lion in my tank right now. He won't eat frozen or dry food yet. I throw a few rosies in twice a week and he grabs them before they know where they are. Just offering up the option that's all.

[ralphie16]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9413354#post9413354 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by freewilly2
how can i de waorm him? and what are other signs of worms?
also my porc puffer doesnt have teeth howcan he eat the oysters?

read this excellant write-up by a gentleman named "leebca" over at Reefland.com

http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine-fish-care-health-disease-treatment/18783-strange-excrement-fish-how-super-pooper-snooper.html

[freedive43]

One possibility is that if your puffer was recently collected, he may have a large parasite growing in his throat. 70% of the golden puffers and almost half of the large meleagris puffers that we bring in have a white armadillo looking parasite growing in their throat. It can get up to an inch long. Apparently it eats away the puffers tongue and then takes it's place - eventually starving the fish when it gets too large. We take a dentist's plier and remove the parasite on any of the affected fish. Watch your fingers though, the puffers have got sharp teeth.

[tangyreefer05]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9437611#post9437611 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by freedive43
One possibility is that if your puffer was recently collected, he may have a large parasite growing in his throat. 70% of the golden puffers and almost half of the large meleagris puffers that we bring in have a white armadillo looking parasite growing in their throat. It can get up to an inch long. Apparently it eats away the puffers tongue and then takes it's place - eventually starving the fish when it gets too large. We take a dentist's plier and remove the parasite on any of the affected fish. Watch your fingers though, the puffers have got sharp teeth. wow thats amazing, good work

[stdreb27]

Sorry I didn't mean to tick anyone off, I was really tired when I was posting. Although in my head I read yeah I JUST feed my puffer rosie reds.

[kdrun76]

Mine eats scallops, squid, fish I collect from the local estuary and freeze, and live grass shrimp and crabs. I have never seen him eat any live fish, but I do put bait fish in for the eel he shares a tank with. He seems to like squid best, but maybe that is just my imagination.
--Karen