The Puffer Library

When it comes to feeding puffers there is no excuse to feed them a poor diet. For many puffers their meal can and does consists primarily of shellfish, crustaceans and hard shelled foods such as snails. This is the basic requirement in feeding puffers as their teeth need to be constantly worn down to prevent overgrowth. If you provide a source of ’shell on food’ then the need to intervene with dentistry is greatly reduced. Some puffers more than others rely more on ‘hard’ foods for teeth wear than others. In my experience it seems to be the ‘hunters’ that benefit from this diet more so than the ‘lurkers’, although with puffers there is always at least one exception. (» Click here to read the rest of this article…)

Not sure how often to feed?

While problems with “picky puffers” often arise from the fish’s reluctance to eat dead foods, a lack of patience on the part of the aquarist may also be at fault.

Most puffers will readily accept live food whether it is bloodworms, an earthworm, snails or shrimp. The movement of the live food is too much of a temptation for the puffer to ignore. This movement is the key to adapting puffers to readily accept dead foods in their diet. (» Click here to read the rest of this article…)

Most aquarium fish are carnivores, though their prey is usually small crustaceans and insects. (» Click here to read the rest of this article…)

This is just a short description of what works for me when it comes to breeding snails. At the moment I breed common pond and more so Ramshorn snails. The Ramshorn is on the left.

I have two tanks that breed them. One is set up much the same way as RTR describes in his article Snail Breeding, while the other is set up in a very basic way, as described below. I find it’s enough to provide for 28 puffers with plenty to spare! (» Click here to read the rest of this article…)

Ghost Shrimp - See-Through Inverts for Your Tank

Commonly sold as feeders for predatory fish (puffers love them by the way), these US Gulf Coast natives are worth a closer look for peaceful tanks with small fish or those with non-predatory habits. They have been suggested on the boards as algae eaters. In my experience this is a bit of an exaggeration. (» Click here to read the rest of this article…)