The Puffer Forum

Hi,

Just hoping to get some help with a figure 8 puffer. I'm about to house one in a 15 gallon that I'm slowly making brackish. I understand that they need to be fed snails and other "crunchy" foods to keep their teeth from overgrowing their mouths but how do you keep the snails? My LFS will probably just give me some but I don't want to have to go there daily in order to feed my puffer. Can I get a handful from m LFS and keep them frozen or in a small container? Maybe get a weeks worth and go back the next week and resupply? How do you keep up with their needs? My tank will be cycled soon and the new little guy will be at my local fish store this week. They agreed to keep him for me until my tank is fully cycled.

Welcome to the forum. Most of us have snail breeding tanks to keep our supply going. A 10g is ideal for this but a 5g is sufficient

Ok. A 5 gallon I can do. Can it just be a small tank by itself or do I have to have a filter and light running? I'm guessing what I'm saying is can I just have a tank by itself with a weeks supply of snails and feed my guy and go back a week later and restock it with new snails?

Or should I just get something like this:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2752291

Does it have to be cycled or can I just toss them right in?

BTW, thanks for the welcome! I'm sure to be on here often now since I'm new to puffers. Want to do everything right.

You may as well just pick up a bunch of snails and keep them in your snail tank. If you ad a cheap filter which keeps the water nice and clean, your snails should start reproducing at a fast rate.

I used to breed snails for a loach that i had a while back, and i'm just getting my snail tank running again for my F8 puffers that are coming soon.

That 1 gallon that your looking at is a bit small. I just use a 5gal pail and have one of those aquatech 20 filters in it. I'm currently looking into ways of making the snails shells harder. I believe adding calcium to the water will do this.

In terms of cycling, probably not necessary. I would just seed that tank with some filter media from a different tank then through the snails in.

Rather than spending 15 bucks on a 5 gal glass tank, what i would do is just buy a 5gal pail and a cheap walmart aquatech filter all for probably around the same price.

DGabbs wrote:You may as well just pick up a bunch of snails and keep them in your snail tank. If you ad a cheap filter which keeps the water nice and clean, your snails should start reproducing at a fast rate.

I used to breed snails for a loach that i had a while back, and i'm just getting my snail tank running again for my F8 puffers that are coming soon.

That 1 gallon that your looking at is a bit small. I just use a 5gal pail and have one of those aquatech 20 filters in it. I'm currently looking into ways of making the snails shells harder. I believe adding calcium to the water will do this.

In terms of cycling, probably not necessary. I would just seed that tank with some filter media from a different tank then through the snails in.

Rather than spending 15 bucks on a 5 gal glass tank, what i would do is just buy a 5gal pail and a cheap walmart aquatech filter all for probably around the same price.

Yeah, I thought the link I posted was a 5 gallon. If I get the pail would I need a light or can it be completly dark?

I may just end up getting this set up.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hawkeye-5-gal ... s/14660258

They don't really need light. Just food, oxygen and some calcium in the water wouldn't hurt and would make their shells harder (better for your puffers teeth)

After a couple days with them in the tank you will likely start seeing little clear jelly blobs on the side walls. These are eggs and will hatch into baby snails that you wond even be able to see at first.

If you get a hang on back filter make sure to put a little piece of sock or something over the filter intake.

DGabbs wrote:They don't really need light. Just food, oxygen and some calcium in the water wouldn't hurt and would make their shells harder (better for your puffers teeth)

After a couple days with them in the tank you will likely start seeing little clear jelly blobs on the side walls. These are eggs and will hatch into baby snails that you wond even be able to see at first.

If you get a hang on back filter make sure to put a little piece of sock or something over the filter intake.

Ok, that sound easy. Do you keep a lid on your pail? I'm guessing you can't since the filter is hanging off of it. Do you usually give him one snail a day?

If they don't breed try feeding them extra, that seems to help convince them to lay eggs.

+1 reproducing is hungry work lol. Do you have a spot where some natural light will hit the tank? It will possibly get algae which the snails will eat. You will soon have an endless supply for your puffer, just toss plenty in and feed your puffer the eye sized ones.

bertie 83 wrote:+1 reproducing is hungry work lol. Do you have a spot where some natural light will hit the tank? It will possibly get algae which the snails will eat. You will soon have an endless supply for your puffer, just toss plenty in and feed your puffer the eye sized ones.

This is why I would like to do this in maybe a 3 gallon tank. I don't have much room as my puffer will be in my basement and the snail tank will probably sit on my computer desk (also in my basement). If it's a 3 gallon I don't mind bringing it upstairs (because it's a lot lighter) to get some sun. Does it really have to be a 5? Even if it's a 3 I don't mind not having a large supply of snails because I can just restock since the LFS in right down the street.

I think a 5 is best because realistically they will reproduce. You will still need to do water changes on the snail tank.

If you are feeding the snails carrots or cucumber once a week, there is really not a need to have natural light hit the tank.

DGabbs wrote:I think a 5 is best because realistically they will reproduce. You will still need to do water changes on the snail tank.

If you are feeding the snails carrots or cucumber once a week, there is really not a need to have natural light hit the tank.

Good to know. How often do you feed your F8 puffer snails BTW?

My snail breeding experience came from when i had loaches. I am just getting a snail tank ready for when my brackish tank is cycled and i move my puffers in.

I think generally people just throw a few snails in a week, but i could be wrong on that. Someone else can confirm. You can also feed them things like shrimp and even crab legs and that kind of thing.

I stocked my brackish tank with a few small snails and a few ghost shrimp. Occasionally I would grab a few fiddler or red clawed crabs and throw them in for the puffers to hunt.