II. Problems feeding your puffer?

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. Continue reading II. Problems feeding your puffer?

III. Inside the mind of a puffer

Understanding pufferfish behaviour for better pufferfish husbandry

Pufferfish are among the most popular of all the oddball fish, and most aquarium stores carry at least one or two species. There is much about pufferfish that is fascinating, whether it is the fact that many species are highly poisonous through to their bizarre parrot-like beak. Some species do very well in aquaria, learning to recognise their owner and soon learn to beg for food. Continue reading III. Inside the mind of a puffer

I. Feeding Your Puffers

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. Continue reading I. Feeding Your Puffers

X. Three Suvatti and a Palembang

A Good Relationship?

suvatti01.jpgIt’s been seven months now for my three T. suvattii and one T. palembangensis who share the same tank. They have all attained a similar size of approximately 5″. They are all fed the same diet twice a week, which consists mainly of mussel, cockle, prawns, shell on king prawns, krill and snails. Each one is fed as individually as I can manage to ensure they all get their fair share, which is important as they are only fed twice a week. Continue reading X. Three Suvatti and a Palembang

IV. Basic Snail Breeding

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.

Two snails

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! Continue reading IV. Basic Snail Breeding

V. Help! My Puffer is Air-filled!

What to do if a puffer inflates with air?

Almost anyone who has heard of a puffer can tell you what makes them different from every other fish. It is their amazing ability to double or triple their size when needed for their protection. This amazing ability is made possible by unique adaptations. First, they do not have ribs. This allows their stomach to expand without having bone interference. Second, they have specialized muscles around their stomach and within their mouth to funnel water into the stomach. Finally, puffers have a thick rubbery skin that can expand easily. Both the stomach and skin are also pleated and folded, providing more room for expansion. Nearly all puffers also have spines that become very visible and erect when the puffer is in its expanded form. Continue reading V. Help! My Puffer is Air-filled!

I. Alone but Not Lonely: The Importance of Keeping Puffers Solo

Lately, I’ve been concerned about a trend I’ve noticed on Puffer-keeping forums: Aquarists purchase an additional Puffer to prevent the first Puffer that they own from “getting lonely”. In this article, I hope to explain why this is unnecessary, and may even be hazardous for your Puffers. Continue reading I. Alone but Not Lonely: The Importance of Keeping Puffers Solo

II. There’s a Dragon in my Tank!

Keeping the Dragon Goby

There are a few creatures that are claimed to be “so ugly, they’re cute” or
“so ugly, only its mother could love it”. This dragon is not quite the same.
The Dragon Goby is a gentle monster — it’s nowhere close to as mean and evil
as it looks. Although it looks like a vicious predator, it’s really the
opposite. Continue reading II. There’s a Dragon in my Tank!

II. The Story of Puffy, a Green Spotted Puffer

In April my husband was sold the cutest little fish in the world. The guy at the LFS said, “Oh, yeah, he’ll be fine in your community tank.” That’s a freshwater tank mind you with such little snacks, um, beauties as neons, cory cats, upside down catfish, danios, dwarf gouramis, and a few mollies.

The little guy smiling at me in the bag on the drive home was definitely adorable but the name puffer fish tweaked something in my husband’s memory. Continue reading II. The Story of Puffy, a Green Spotted Puffer

I. An Introduction to Green Spotted Puffers

Green Spotted Puppies..err..Puffers

Early in my fish-keeping years, I came across a little yellow fish with black polka dots. It had a cute baby face and greeted me at the glass, like a puppy dog, appearing happy to see me. I had to have him. I took the little cutie home and everything seemed fine as I went to bed. I awoke to find the rest of the fish cowering in one half of my aquarium, missing fins and tails. The little “sweetheart” was happily buzzing around the other side of the tank, belly full of fins. I realized this was definitely not a fish for my community tank and sadly returned him. Continue reading I. An Introduction to Green Spotted Puffers