Crayfish, worms and Puffer....

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puffer_girl

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 31, 2005
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United States
So, went to the lfs today to buy feeders for my palembangensis puffer. Decided to try something new so got him mealworms and crayfish. THe crayfish were the smallest ones they had but were still fairly large. Put them in figuring that if they were too big he'd leave them alone (did this once in the past and the crayfish lived with him for quite awhile, he didn't even mess with it!) Well, this time he ate the crayfish hole and now he is laying on the bottom of the tank, resting on his fat belly, looking very sad. Are crayfish good for puffers? Now I am worried (I took the 2 big claws off) that the small claws might poke him internally. Does this ever happen?!

Before he ate the crayfish he ate one mealworm (took 3 tries). The first 2 he just got so close to them that he was cross-eyed and watched them until they drowned.... After they stopped moving he lost interest quickly....

For future reference, nutritionally what is the the food for puffers and what should be avoided?
 
I have often noticed that if you overfeed your puffer, that they will often lay at the bottom of the tank and show distressed coloration. I have seen this in my fahaka, GSPs, and F8s. Also, with a crustacean like that he could of ingested some pieces of shell, from what I understand puffers are known to regurgitate their food, often at night time or in seclusion, to get rid of any unwanted foods in their stomach. I have a friend with a Suvatti puffer and it is infamous for puffing itself up and blowing out chunks of shells after he takes down a big meal of crustacea.. They were very paniced at first, but after doing some research I found this is often times normal.


That is why it is important to keep a puffer tank clean and have good maintenance. They are messier than people think. Make sure you keep up with your water quality and keep us updated if he shows any other ill signs..

Puffers should have a well-balanced diet, so try to offer them as much variety as possible. The seafood market is your best friend. Also they need vegetation in their diet, as they usually ingest algae through crustaceas in the wild (That is their primary food source).. Gut-loading ghost shrimp with spirulina flake is an idea.. I have heard of people even getting their puffers to eat algae wafers. For preds like that who need vegetation I will even inject live feeders/worms with Spirulina/Vitamin supplements..

Hope that helps!
 
yes, it's a planted tank, i'll take a pic in a minute. I lost one to the filter over night. they are really small. they arent active yet, but did eat some bloodworms yesterday. 2 were sickly when I bought them, but they were only $3.00. I am running an aquaclear filter, the one rated for 30 gal. tanks.
 
Puffers should be fed on a variety of the following:
large puffers:
mussel meat
cockle meat
prawns fish meat

small puffers:
any of the above chopped up
mysis
bloodworm
artemia
etc

Mussel meat and prawns are the dons of puffer fare. Both seem to affect colouration - prawn brings out white colours, mussel - yellow. This is most noticable on the bellies of the fish.

Oh, always blanch the food to lower the salt content.

Happy munching!
 
Dwarf puffers can be a little picky, probably want to be feeding at least 2 times a day. They love bloodworm most but try anything small. Tiny rams horn snails are worth a try if you can get them.
Just keep experimenting and check out the puffer forums.
 
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