Hi, im new to puffers and wanted to post that i purchased a dogfaced puffer and a burrfish. I have them in a 130 gallon community tank. Any suggestions would be great. I dont have alot of info on them and would like as much info as i can on their care etc. My burrfish is 2 to 3 inches and the dogface is 5 inches. The burrfish was not eating any frozen, pelleted or flake food. Yesterday i caught him with my hand (yes i washed hands first ) and broke off a tiny piece of silverside, wiggled it against his lips . He got angry, puffed up and bit the silverside, then spit out the meat LOL. Did that a couple times yesterday. He kept down one bite yesterday. Today i did it again and he ate every piece he bit onto. Ate two whole small silversides that way. I thought that was a curious and interesting thing. I hope he wont expect that kind of table service for the rest of his life LOL.
I got a couple puffers
- Thread starter cichlidgirl
- Start date
Yes, they are marine fish. I had to get him to eat something and everytime i put my hand in the tank to clean the glass he would come right over to my hand. He didnt puff up till i lightly rubbed the silverside on his lips. Im not "picking him up". I just corraled him in my hand and he doesnt puff when i do that. Today he didnt puff at all, just ate the silverside pieces then when i released him he just calmly swims off. When i just dump in the silverside pieces he ignores them and it pollutes the tank. He had not eaten a bite since i brought him home about ten days ago.
Just out of curiosity, why do you say that a burrfish puffing will kill it ? Its the fish's natural defense and they deflate the water as soon as the danger is past.
One thing i did find out if the fish swallows air for any reason and any gets trapped you are told to hold the fish in a vertical position head straight up and lightly wiggle the fish till the air bubbles are released. I saw this once and sure enough it "burped" a huge amount of bubbles then started swimming normally again. Sometimes they suck air in at the surface for some reason, i have not had mine long enough to know why they would do that and mine has not done it. I just thought that was relevant.
Just out of curiosity, why do you say that a burrfish puffing will kill it ? Its the fish's natural defense and they deflate the water as soon as the danger is past.
One thing i did find out if the fish swallows air for any reason and any gets trapped you are told to hold the fish in a vertical position head straight up and lightly wiggle the fish till the air bubbles are released. I saw this once and sure enough it "burped" a huge amount of bubbles then started swimming normally again. Sometimes they suck air in at the surface for some reason, i have not had mine long enough to know why they would do that and mine has not done it. I just thought that was relevant.
Oh, cool info! I'll bet it was the air issue that caused problems in previous reports. Nice way to deflate the fish!
I've also coralled fish into feeding position. I just misread and pictured you holding a fish and trying to push food into its mouth. Your second post made it clear you are being as gentle and wise as you can be. I look forward to seeing your hand-fed little puppy-faces.
I've also coralled fish into feeding position. I just misread and pictured you holding a fish and trying to push food into its mouth. Your second post made it clear you are being as gentle and wise as you can be. I look forward to seeing your hand-fed little puppy-faces.
No, i dont pick him up out of the water and stuff a fish in his gaping little fishy mouth !! 
Although with him not eating i admit i was tempted LOL.
Glad i could give that tip, what other info can you give me on puffers in general? As you can tell by my handle most of my experience has been FW and with cichlids. Do you have the saltwater kind of puffers or the FW kind ? Did i post this in the wrong section ? I just looked for puffers and started typing.
Although with him not eating i admit i was tempted LOL. Glad i could give that tip, what other info can you give me on puffers in general? As you can tell by my handle most of my experience has been FW and with cichlids. Do you have the saltwater kind of puffers or the FW kind ? Did i post this in the wrong section ? I just looked for puffers and started typing.
I would npot keep these 2 species togbether. You are asking for trouble. As they mature, they will be looking for their own territories 7 your tank is only large enough for one of those puffers. What other fish are in there/ Puffers really aren't community fish.
Burrfish are very difficult to adjust to captivity. They are difficult to get eat & 99% are brought in with internal parasites, needing deworming sometimes every 4 months for the 1st year (during that time they should be kept in QT). This is also very contagious to all your other fish.
Burrfish are very difficult to adjust to captivity. They are difficult to get eat & 99% are brought in with internal parasites, needing deworming sometimes every 4 months for the 1st year (during that time they should be kept in QT). This is also very contagious to all your other fish.
what foods have you tried? you should be trying invertibrate based foods.. krill, shrimp, clams, mussles, ect. fish are rarely on a puffers natural diet. I've always had good luck converting burrfish at work with a combo or any of these foods. often times a very finicky fish I have pre-soaked the frozen foods in garlic xtreme.
Thanks guys. I have the burrfish in a 6 foot 135g with tangs, wrasses ,a baby niger trigger and damsels and clowns. I moved the dogface in with two small lionfish in their own tank yesterday. I have a 7 foot 265 on hand for when they out grow the six foot tank.
Since i have a mixed community tank I have been feeding the burrfish : frozen : brine shrimp, krill, mysis shrimp, carnivore cuisine that has the squid etc along with emerald entree and formula 2 and also silverside pieces. Flakes i have been feeding formula 2, reef formula and marine chips and sinking hikarai marine pellets. Only thing the burrfish has consumed is the tiny bits of silversides when i coral it in my hand and brush its lips with the meaty piece. He eats it up then. But when i just drop it into the water column he wont go after it.
What is a good dewormer. Something safe but effective. I read that jungle tank buddies parasite meds is one of the few that cure both internal and external parasites. Anybody use it before ? It wouldnt hurt to treat my whole tank since i have not done that so far. I usually just qt for ick unless i see a problem.
Since i have a mixed community tank I have been feeding the burrfish : frozen : brine shrimp, krill, mysis shrimp, carnivore cuisine that has the squid etc along with emerald entree and formula 2 and also silverside pieces. Flakes i have been feeding formula 2, reef formula and marine chips and sinking hikarai marine pellets. Only thing the burrfish has consumed is the tiny bits of silversides when i coral it in my hand and brush its lips with the meaty piece. He eats it up then. But when i just drop it into the water column he wont go after it.
What is a good dewormer. Something safe but effective. I read that jungle tank buddies parasite meds is one of the few that cure both internal and external parasites. Anybody use it before ? It wouldnt hurt to treat my whole tank since i have not done that so far. I usually just qt for ick unless i see a problem.
I've heard they can get stuck puffed.
In my experience the best food to get fenecy puffers eating is mysis shrimp.
Have you tried these? Also the burrfish I've taken care of have eaten rather large fish for their size.
a 4-5 in fish can eat a 1-2 in goldfish. They just start sucking on them until they get them all down. Its gross, but they like it
In my experience the best food to get fenecy puffers eating is mysis shrimp.
Have you tried these? Also the burrfish I've taken care of have eaten rather large fish for their size.
a 4-5 in fish can eat a 1-2 in goldfish. They just start sucking on them until they get them all down. Its gross, but they like it
