Small Fahaka Puffer: What To Feed and How Often?

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T

tvanslooten

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 20, 2005
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I just picked up my first Fahaka Puffer over the weekend. He's only about 3-4 inches from tip of tail to tip of mouth. The fist store sold me a couple bags of frozen clams and shrimp to get me started but I have no clue what I'm doing as I've never had these before.

Do you feed them daily, every other day, weekly...what is the ideal schedule? And when I do feed him, how much should I give him? I threw in a whole frozen shrimp last night - which was about half his size - and he ate it up real quick. Is one shrimp enough (or one frozen clam) at this point or should I be feeding him more?

And is there anything else I should be feeding him besides frozen clams and shrimp?

Travis

P.S. Is there a place to buy frozen whole shrimp in bulk? The fish store sold me a couple packets of the Omega One Whole Alaskan Shrimp but you only get a handful in each packet for about $5. It would be nice to be able to find a source to buy these by the bucket fulls or something bigger. Can you buy whole shrimp in a grocery store...probably not.
 
Be very careful about overfeeding it. They are like a fat kid on a cupcake - they keep eating till they get sick. I have overfed mine 3 times in the year I have had it. Never again. If they puke you have a real mess on your hands and it can poison them.
Any large grocery store will have whole frozen shrimp by the pound and it is frequently on sale. Make sure you give plenty of food with shells to keep his teeth ground down.
 
So are you saying one shrimp per day is good for now? What constitutes as "overfeeding?" When I had Piranha in this tank, I could get by feeding them once a week. Can I do the same with this guy or does he need to be fed more...like once a day, once every few days...what is the ideal schedule? And when I feed him, is one shrimp or one clam enough?

Travis
 
^ i replied to your original thread regarding what to feed...

As to how often, if your puffers tummy is flat / sunken in, then its definitely time to feed, and at that size / age, i'd feed it small meals everyday, till its tummy is slightly rounded is perfect, just not overly full or that means it overate...


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Perfect. Thanks.

Any food ideas besides clams and shrimp?

Travis

Fat Homer said:
^ i replied to your original thread regarding what to feed...

As to how often, if your puffers tummy is flat / sunken in, then its definitely time to feed, and at that size / age, i'd feed it small meals everyday, till its tummy is slightly rounded is perfect, just not overly full or that means it overate...


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Click to expand...
 
Here is the selection of foods my girl gets:

Clams in Full shell (for teeth trimming) / Mussels in Half Shell (Same reason) / Market Prawns / Live Cray fish / Scallops / Massivore & NLS pellets...

You can also feed cockles as well as other seafoods if your puffer will accept them... but what i just listed seems to be what most puffer keepers feed their larger puffers...
 
One other food source i forgot about is Snails... Although avoid MTS, as i've read horror stories of them chipping even a fahaka's teeth...


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I feed MTS to both my Fahaka and Mbu several times a week. I haven't experienced any problems. They usually break the shell close to the opening. I think it is a little thinner there based on having smashed zillions of them when I didn't have snail eaters.

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^ i've heard of people that do still feed MTS to their puffers, but after having heard of chipped teeth more than once decided to avoid them all together...


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