I got a couple puffers

[Pufferpunk]

No need for snails, just crack open the mussel & let him eat the meat.

 

[cichlidgirl]

Are the mussels sold in the fresh seafood section of grocery stores, typically on ice and closed shells, still alive ? do you store them in the fridge, freeze them ? Put them in a tank used for plants or live foods ? I have some macro i keep in a seperate tank for my tangs , could i put them in there you think ?

 

[Pufferpunk]

Always buy closed frozen shelled food. If it's open that means it was dead when frozen. If bought live, then freeze 1st, to kill off any nasties & then defrost in Vitamin water.

 

[cichlidgirl]

I normally dont use tank buddies because i have such large tanks, is it true what i read about their parasite clear being effective for both internal and external parasites ? What do you all use for internal parasites. I have seen no signs of any external parasites. I also have a internal parasite medicated food pellets but since the burrfish wont eat pellets...

 

[cichlidgirl]

One more question, being fleshed out on the sides is not a sign of good feeding in burrfish correct ? Im assuming because of the jelly feeling of its body behind the head that the area i should be looking at is the underbelly not the sides like in other fishes .

 

[nikkibellamy]

heres some information on your dog faced puffer that i hope really helps!

*the dog faced puffer got its name for looking like a dog..i think we kinda guessed that lol. but they also are kinda like having a dog in a tank beacuse they are very affectionate, they like coming up and being hand fed. they are very intelligent and recongize their owners and get excited when they see you. some are known to show you their teeth which is their version of smiling!!
*and like most dogs they are not picky eaters!! they quickly adapt to a varity of food and sometimes algea, but it makes them bad for reef since they will eat soft corals
*they do have teeth and these teeth need to be maintained! they keep growing like bunny teeth!!! if you let them grow out they will need to be trimmed which doesnt sound like an easy task, but its either trim them or let them die...
*these little guys can produce a big bioload on your filter so make sure to keep up on your water changes!! and they uasually get any where from 9-16 inches!!! thats a big fishy!!
*good food: live foods such as snails, crabs, crayfish, and shrimp (good for teeth) and earthworms, shellfish, crustaceans. frozen food: prawn, crabs/crab leggs, bloodworms, blackworms, silversides and mussels
*bad food: live fish are bad for them it can give them fatty liver, flake food can be used, they might eat it but they cannot thrive on it
*a large vareity of live and frozen foods are best in small amounts everyday

 

[Pufferpunk]

Great 1st post!

CG, Could you post a pic of the burrfish? You should soak his food in the dewormer.

 

[cichlidgirl]

Sure thing, no problem. I will try to get one of him right now. I lost my camera cable so we will have to make do with a cell phone photo for now. He is still eating the sargassum LOL. I guess thats good, appitite coming back maybe.

 

[cichlidgirl]

Normally i would have posted the pic and not a link but i use photobucket and im having trouble with it today, i uploaded to flicker but i dont usually use it and am not sure how to post a copy of the pic directly into the post using flickr. Anyway, here they are :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanauthement/5519171720/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanauthement/5518580565/in/photostream/

Here is the tank the burrfish is in :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanauthement/5518580759/in/photostream/

 

[Pufferpunk]

Nice tank! Lots of competition for food though.

He's not as skinny as some... I'd treat anyway, they really have a bad rep for IPs & it won't hurt to treat.