Overfeeding Puffers

[Nick]

With only 3... maybe. If they don't take to joykilling. My DPs were more prone to this than my other puffers, but you never know.

[J-P]

I'll post pics and keep you guys informed on the other thread once they arrive

[MMaddox]

Anecdotally, the saltwater puffers I've seen in the wild are usually FAT. Like, fatter than mine are even when I feed them too much! The A. mappa's I've seen in the wild have stomachs as big again as their body, and the A. meleagris in Hawaii are often like a football!

Different species have different eating habits. I've had map puffers for years, and have been able to read the works of population biologists about the species. Map puffers are constant grazers on the reef, sampling pretty much everything (which is what mine do!) and often have over a dozen different things in their stomachs when the contents are sampled. I feed my map puffers frozen Formula One, frozen variety pack (also from Ocean Nutrition), raw shrimp, raw oyster, freeze dried krill and frozen mysid cubes. They're fed enough to stay 'chunky' but I tried to avoid the 'love handles' that map puffers will get.

Just an FYI...

[Pufferpunk]

I agree--except for the burrfish, they always seem to have concave bellies.

[kot]

This is why puffers must be kept in species only tanks. Especially not kept with fish that have long fins, like guppies. Well fed or not, your puffers will eventually eat all your fish.

I don't know if this is true. I have a puffer and at first he nipped fins until some fish had almost no fins at all, just stubs. Then he figured out that it was stupid to eat fins when I threw in a snail everyday and he stopped. Now those fish have regrown their fins.

[Dadof4]

This is time tested and research based. All puffers will eventually eat other fish in one way or form. Different species of puffers have different things they do to other fish, some are obligate scale eaters, some are obligate fin eaters, others are just pure piscevours. Another thing is that not all puffers start doing this at the same time, some (like Dwarf Puffers) will do this from little on, others wait until sexual maturity. Other things that factor in are the fishes overall temperament and how much territory they have (and a lot of territory isn't a guarentee).

[Weaver]

Hi, I'm the new Puffer Fry on the site. I asked a question in my infro but I wanted to repeat it in the correct forum to try and adhere to the forums rules. So here goes nothing.

I got my first Puffer fish last week and have been feeding him a a staple deit of brine shrimp mixed with some snails for a treat once ever other night or so. I was just woundering how much to feed him. He is a golden puffer about 1 1/2 inches. I have been following the rule of watching his belly to see when his belly looks empty then feeding him. this rule lead to me feeding him twice a day and the fears of overfeeding the poor guy.

Before you scorne me for using brine shrimp I was young and stupid, I'm going to buy some bloodworms and small shrimp from the supermarket tomorrow as a result of reading a bit of this topic. I will gladly take any wisdom you will now bestow upon me.

Thanks

[Flutter]

Don't worry, we won't scorn you, we're all learning.

When you buy that shrimp look for other frozen, raw, and unpreserved seafood. Around here the bags are cheap and contain all sorts of things like shrimp, octopus, squid, cuttlefish, mussels, clams, etc. This is healthier than just shrimp. From the LFS or online you can also pick up marine VitaChem or Selcon and soak the frozen food in that for a few hours before feeding.

[Weaver]

Thanks a lot, but how do I know when and how much to feed him?

Again he is a golden puffer and is about 1 1/2 inches long.

[Weaver]

With that being said my puffer has never looked like the ones that is posted on the learn section. Mine is skinny compared to that.

[Mac Myers]

I worry about keeping "enough" but not "too many" snails etc. in the tank.

[Weaver]

Thanks. I have a snail farm going but until I get them breeding I will have him on brine shrimp and shellfish from the store. Thanks for all your help.

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Weaver, I think you might need to use Vitachem (freshwater) liquid vitamin rather then the marine for soaking the food for a freshwater puffer.

[Flutter]

Good catch! I was thinking a golden dogface. The LFS had one a few months ago and it was on my mind

[Pufferpunk]

Don't waste you're $$$ on brine shrimp. They have no nutrition & are 98% water. Feed black/bloodworms instead. They also can be boosted by keeping them in vitamin water.