I’m just trying to learn what I can do better to help my puffer grow up a bit faster he’s only about an inch long and has stayed the same size for over a month. I currently feed him every other day primarily blood worms and trumpet snails he has some feeder guppies to keep him entertained or to eat whichever he chooses he’s in a 75 gallon tank temp is always at 78 ph is 7.3 and water quality is good I made sure it was a sand bottom so he can wallow and he has lots of plants and holy rocks to to hide in or around. I read online they grow like an inch a month and now I’m concerned because he has shown any growth in over a month. What can I do to help him grow faster?
Fahaka growth
- Thread starter Cmba
- Start date
Im going to take a guess you’ve got a Fahaka puffer?
Now, as for growth rate that is just an average and everyones experiences will differ depending on tank size, water quality, food, parasites and even the genes of said fish and how they were kept prior to being bought...
With that said, how long has this tank been setup, how did you set it up and have you tested your parameters recently?
My other advise might be to consider finding a more varied diet for your puffer as blood worms are mainly just water and dont carry much nutrition, you can try other worms such as live black worms kept in a container inside the tank so they dont end up everywhere, pieces of fresh seafood cut down to smaller size and even just chuck in a few more snails and let your puffer goto town on them...
Also, since your puffer is young you can pretty much feed him every day till his belly is rounded but not overly stuffed, then as he puts some size on him you can cut down the feedings slowly to every other day or even every few days as he grows...
If after time he still doesnt seem to be growing then that could mean your puffer is stunted from potentially being kept in a tank with bad water quality / that was too small for too long prior to you buying him or even having some other underlying issue such as genetics or even maybe IP’s...
If i remember correctly there was one member here before that said he had a Fahaka that refused to grow past 1-2” as well although what eventually happened to that puffer im not sure?
Now, as for growth rate that is just an average and everyones experiences will differ depending on tank size, water quality, food, parasites and even the genes of said fish and how they were kept prior to being bought...
With that said, how long has this tank been setup, how did you set it up and have you tested your parameters recently?
My other advise might be to consider finding a more varied diet for your puffer as blood worms are mainly just water and dont carry much nutrition, you can try other worms such as live black worms kept in a container inside the tank so they dont end up everywhere, pieces of fresh seafood cut down to smaller size and even just chuck in a few more snails and let your puffer goto town on them...
Also, since your puffer is young you can pretty much feed him every day till his belly is rounded but not overly stuffed, then as he puts some size on him you can cut down the feedings slowly to every other day or even every few days as he grows...
If after time he still doesnt seem to be growing then that could mean your puffer is stunted from potentially being kept in a tank with bad water quality / that was too small for too long prior to you buying him or even having some other underlying issue such as genetics or even maybe IP’s...
If i remember correctly there was one member here before that said he had a Fahaka that refused to grow past 1-2” as well although what eventually happened to that puffer im not sure?
Yes I have a fahaka sorry ?. I was concerned about parasites and treated him with api general when I got him whether he had parasites then or still I’m not sure. He’s usually very picky and almost refuses to eat anything but blood worms and trumpet snails I’ve seen him bite at krill once won’t even touch clams and he goes after the guppies but never catches any at least that I’m aware of. Water quality is good I test it weekly but to give exact parameters I can test it again he was in a 10 gallon for however long at the store I got him at. Also I’m not sure if it means he has parasites even after the medication but after he eats his belly looks more bumpy than round
One thing i forgot to mention is, instead of trumpet snails try breeding something like ramshorn snails as their shells are not as hard and less likely to damage his teeth, asince hes small you could even use common pond snails from your LFS if they have healthy tanks...
As for him being a picky eater, as long as hes not skinny, you can starve him for a few days before trying a new food or soak the new food item in some garlic juice such as “kens garlic juice” to entice him to try it...
finally i would probably avoid feeding him live fish if possible as its not really the best diet for them, instead can even try to train your puffer onto pellets...
As for him being a picky eater, as long as hes not skinny, you can starve him for a few days before trying a new food or soak the new food item in some garlic juice such as “kens garlic juice” to entice him to try it...
finally i would probably avoid feeding him live fish if possible as its not really the best diet for them, instead can even try to train your puffer onto pellets...
