Figure 8 java fern destruction

[JoseDepacos]

Hello. I am new to the forum though I have been doing research here for months. I currently have two figure 8 puffers and three bumblebee gobies in a 27 gallon hex. All seem very happy and I have had no issues....till today. I took a cube of bloodworms out to thaw and I returned about half an hour later to find that one of the puffers (I assume it was one, not both) had used its teeth to perforate holes down the length of every leaf on my java fern. Neatly spaced down each leaf, some with double rows....little teeth marks punched out perfect little holes. They didnt eat the little hole punches as they were floating around and stuck to the filter intake. In all my research I have never heard of this. They get a varied diet of snails, ghost shrimp, brine shrimp, bloodworms and krill. And puffers arent known for eating vegetation so I know thats not it. Any ideas or input are welcome. I could really care less about the destroyed fern, I just want to make certain my puffers are well. They are quite healthy, fat, inquisitive and active. And apparently have bouts of orneryness. Thanks in advance, Jose

[Pufferpunk]

Very common when hunting for food that might have landed on the leaves.

[JoseDepacos]

No food on the leaves. I hadnt even given them the bloodworms yet and there arent any other food sources in the tank. Maybe a ghost shrimp or two. It looks like it was done deliberately.

[zombiefetus]

lol. When I got my first GSP and had him in brackish water I tried to keep him with some java fern. Didn't work out so well.



Some puffers just love to nibble plants!

[JoseDepacos]

Lmao! That looks just like it. Guess I'll remove the fern. If I had to guess I would say they did it because they could. A form of entertainment I suppose? Perhaps they like the feel of their teeth chopping through it. Heck I dont know. Thanks for the replies ya'll.

[Nick]

Puffers like to bite stuff

[J-P]

LOL!! that looks like one of those old old computer cards! I wonder what it would say!

[Myaj]

LOL too funny. Well, not to the fern of course.

Java fern tends to develop brown spots when its getting ready to reproduce, and puffers often just seem to insist these brown spots just MUST be snails, and chomp at them trying to catch the snail.

Or it could have just been crabby... ROFL

[J-P]

LOL too funny. Well, not to the fern of course.

Java fern tends to develop brown spots when its getting ready to reproduce, and puffers often just seem to insist these brown spots just MUST be snails, and chomp at them trying to catch the snail.

Or it could have just been crabby... ROFL

actually that is good to know! I was wondering why mine had spots so I QT'd them

[JoseDepacos]

Just got a good look at the tank since yesterday. The destruction didnt stop with the removal of the fern. They have since destroyed every live plant in the tank. Money well spent. Hope they like plastic. Thats all they get from now on.

[J-P]

at least they are getting their veggies

[jennybugs]

Aw! My F8s do that to my javas too. It is the baby plantlets that grow from the brown spots as mentioned. If Muldoon bites off a whole plantlet I just let it float round the tank and eventually it will settle and grow elsewhere

[Pandora114]

I'll always put silk/plastic in with puffs. Except DP's..they seem to LIKE plants. lol.

I've heard of Fahakas totally destroying a planted tank

[zombiefetus]

Just thought I'd mention that I had some live plants in with my brown puffer. Today I went to go feed him to discover sometime in the night he had eaten every last one of them. :[

[shaner]

I'll always put silk/plastic in with puffs. Except DP's..they seem to LIKE plants. lol.

I've heard of Fahakas totally destroying a planted tank

yes, my fahaka "Ackmed" has done a wonderful job of destroying every single plant in his tank, so no planted tank for his 180 that is for sure....