Malabar/Dwarf Puffer Feeding

[Malabar Puffer]

Hi all new to the forum had my puffers for about 3 weeks now but im constantley going to the shop and getting them food as they wont take frozen is there a way i can make them feed on the frozen if not...

How can i keep bloodworm alive if i buy in bolk i have a 1ft tank ready to use with filtration etc just need to no how to keep bloodworm tbh thanx all.

Dean

[pufferpuggirl]

Hi Dean, I wasn't sure what you were feeding them in your other post (introduction). To be honest, I'm not really sure there' s a way to keep bloodworm alive, as far as I know anyway.

The only thing I would suggest is skipping a day or two and letting your puffers get good and hungry and then offer them the frozen bloodworm (thawed and rinsed, of course), or maybe try adding garlic juice to the bloodworm to make them taste better. I would think if they were really hungry then they would eat. Worth a try if no one else can come up with anything better.

[Malabar Puffer]

Hi Dean, I wasn't sure what you were feeding them in your other post (introduction). To be honest, I'm not really sure there' s a way to keep bloodworm alive, as far as I know anyway.

The only thing I would suggest is skipping a day or two and letting your puffers get good and hungry and then offer them the frozen bloodworm (thawed and rinsed, of course), or maybe try adding garlic juice to the bloodworm to make them taste better. I would think if they were really hungry then they would eat. Worth a try if no one else can come up with anything better.

Hi thank for the info i have tried the starving them path to no avail lol.

I read that they can be fussy eaters and that it is pot luck with each individual some will eat frozen some wont.

One of mine does but outher two dont so what i have read sound's true.

I just wanted to see if anyone has weened there's onto frozen and how they did it. And how to keep bloodworm alive if i cant ween them onto the frozen stuff.

I have done a fair bit of resherch on thease before i took the plunge to buy some.....

Male' s have a verticle line that runs from chin to tail on there bellys only fully mature male's have this some dont even get this again depends on the fish

Females on the outher hand hace speckeled spot's all over and are more plumper.

This may help someone.......

[eieio]

there may be a worm terminology issue here!
ordinarily, bloodworms are actually the larva of a fly, and to my knowledge, are only available frozen
the small, live worms commonly available, are usually referred to as blackworms, and sometimes as redworms
they look like tiny earthworms, about 1/2 to 1 inch long
i've been able to keep them alive for many weeks
which ones are you trying to keep alive?

[Malabar Puffer]

there may be a worm terminology issue here!
ordinarily, bloodworms are actually the larva of a fly, and to my knowledge, are only available frozen
the small, live worms commonly available, are usually referred to as blackworms, and sometimes as redworms
they look like tiny earthworms, about 1/2 to 1 inch long
i've been able to keep them alive for many weeks
which ones are you trying to keep alive?

Where i come from i can get LIVE RED BLOODWORM in small 1cm or large 2.5cm witch I want to keep alive for 2-3 weeks if i buy it in bulk

[pufferpuggirl]

Yes, I've gotten the live bloodworm too ... but I thought I remember someone saying that they would not live for very long ... maybe a week, if that. I've put them in my tank and the ones that haven't gotten eaten right away are never seen again, I've assumed that they die.

[Malabar Puffer]

Yes, I've gotten the live bloodworm too ... but I thought I remember someone saying that they would not live for very long ... maybe a week, if that. I've put them in my tank and the ones that haven't gotten eaten right away are never seen again, I've assumed that they die.

Ive had mine 3 weeks feeding the on small live bloodworm with no problems just wist they would eat frozen costing me a bomb atm lol.

What do you have in the tank you had them in ?

[eieio]

Malabar Puffer, can you get live redworms or live blackworms?

[Malabar Puffer]

Malabar Puffer, can you get live redworms or live blackworms?

Both

[eieio]

at first, i had a tough time getting my DPs to eat frozen bloodworms, too
you might try giving them live red or black worms in the morning, in limited amounts, so that when you feed them in the evening, they will be hungry
in the evening, give them a limited amount of defrosted & RINSED bloodworms (soaking in garlic juice can be very helpful)
i use a medicine dropper to feed them, because it helps to make sure all of the fish get some food, & that are NO uneaten leftovers
it takes some persistence, but it can be done
be sure to avoid feeding too much, so that they will be eager to eat when you feed them
keeping them a little on the hungry side is good!
my DPs are now as enthusiatic about the bloodworms as the live blackworms!

[rachy]

1 of mine wouldnt eat frozen to start with, but in the end i fooled her by putting a plant in the current from the filter, defrosting some frozen bloodowrms and kinda 'hanging' the bloodworms on there, so they move in the current and sort of look alive

[LilGreenPuffer]

PM mrgreen. She cultures live bloodworms, I think.

[Pufferpunk]

I have done a fair bit of resherch on thease before i took the plunge to buy some.....

Male' s have a verticle line that runs from chin to tail on there bellys only fully mature male's have this some dont even get this again depends on the fish

Females on the outher hand hace speckeled spot's all over and are more plumper.

This may help someone.......

Not exactly:
library/puffers-in-focus/sexing-carinot ... rf-puffer/

As far as live bloodworms (sold as blackworms around here), I buy about a pound every 10 days. (Keep in mind, I feed 7 tanks.) I keep them in 2 containers, with just enough water to keep them wet (<1/4 inch of water over them). I feed them ground leftover freeze-dried fish food & flakes & add liquid fish vitamins to them. They must be rinsed daily, in a brine shrimp net & the dead ones should be tossed.

[LilGreenPuffer]

You can get live BLOODworms too. They got them at my LFS once.

[Pufferpunk]

Who knows what they get over there?