Weirdo dwarf puffer and online sources of live food

[FranktheTank]

Hi all - I can only find brine shrimp, black and tubifex worms locally and no one around here lets snails live in their plant tanks so local pet stores can't even give or sell me small snails. Anyone know of a source for small live food? The puffer will not eat frozen or flakes/freezedried food.
No live shrimp either , as my puffer is a pacisfist and has lived with a dozen ghost shrimp his whole life.
His other tank mates are a pair of fancy guppies which have BRED in the tank and as of this week (week 3) it seems like he hasn't chosen to murder any of the baby guppies. He mows down the brine shrimp with relish and I keep a healthy colony of black and tubifex in the substrate which is large river pebbles.

The tank is a well planted Fluval Edge.

The puffer is shy but to my eye healthy, perhaps even too fat.

Any suggestions would be great... I have a bucket of water outside in a shady area hoping to hatch some fly or mosquito larvae... also there are nematodes or planaria in the tank (about half the size of a newly hatched brine shrimp) that I haven't even tried to eradicate because they are usuallly harmless and a sign that the water quality is decent.

[bigfatfish]

The puffer is shy but to my eye healthy, perhaps even too fat.

Any suggestions would be great... I have a bucket of water outside in a shady area hoping to hatch some fly or mosquito larvae... also there are nematodes or planaria in the tank (about half the size of a newly hatched brine shrimp) that I haven't even tried to eradicate because they are usuallly harmless and a sign that the water quality is decent.[/quote]

I thought planaria were generally present due to overfeeding?

[Ohyouknow]

From what I read planaria thrive on excess waste. How often are you doing water changes - and are you getting out the extra food left behind? How often are you feeding your puffer? Just curious. Dwarf puffers are quite small, have you tried ordering snails or black worms online? Depending on the size of your DP, you might be able to hit up a local bait store and find some really tiny red wigglers. I've had some in the container in my fridge for about... well... Probably for about four months now. There are some tiny baby ones in there, so they must have found some time to get busy while chillin in the fridge. If they are red wrigglers (earthworms) they can live underwater for a while - but I wouldn't just toss them in there. They crawl down in the substrate and die. Might be an interesting 'food fight' for your DP. Maybe skip a feeding or two if you think he's getting too much (too much can make him lazy) and try introducing a new food once he's good an hungry. No blood worms at LFS? Have you asked to see if they can order you some in at all? Some LFS will try and save back some snails if they get them - if you talk to the manager. Never know, get buddy buddy and you might get what you want. I'm still waiting for my order of snails from mine *grumble*...

[LilGreenPuffer]

Plain old live blackworms will be fine. You said you can get those at the store, right?

[FranktheTank]

Blackworms, tubifex, brine shrimp... tons of cone snails from another tank but not sure if he is eating them or not.

I do water changes about once a week at around 20%. I don't want to starve the plants and moss balls I have in there. I was almost encouraging the planaria because I thought the snails and guppy fry might be able to eat them. I'm hoping my clean bucket of tank water outside encourages some critters to deposit eggs so I can get some mosquito and fly larvae. Anyone ever try this? Also, still hoping someone can offer up a source for small quantities of water fleas (gammarus) or glass worms. I can only get them in bulk and they stink like anything even when alive. My minimum order is about a quart which is probably a couple hundred thousand of the buggers.

[J-P]

well knowing the location is a better guide. USA is good, but state would be better Someone near by may be able to make more suggestions.

[FranktheTank]

northern NJ

I think that I would have been better off just raising the fancy guppies in this tiny Fluval Edge... honest, the puffer is a PITA and I rarely see him.. just hides. If anyone in the northern NJ area can assure me that he will be well cared for I'd put him up for adoption. He is so healthy and seemingly happy in this tank but as mentioned he is afforded a LOT of privacy and is not with any of his own kind. I really couldn't imagine there has been a fatter healthier dwarf puffer but conversely I can't see how he can be enjoying a well balanced diet even if the worms he is eating are part of my little ecosystem and feeding/breeding in the substrate.

Can I once again ask if anyone has cultured larvae outside for their fish? The bucket was sterile with just tank water when I put it out hoping to lure some insects to deposit eggs.

[JoseDepacos]

They should love blackworms. Mine did.

[Ohyouknow]

I have yet to sucessfully breed anything at all - however, I think I read that to properly ensure that there are no parasites passed on through to the babies/larvae you almost need to have 2nd generation.... the babies of the ones you hatch? I don't know if it's possible with mosquito larvae (or even remotely feesable) but to my understanding mosquito larvae is bloodworms (Not for sure here)... My bag doesn't specify, just says blood worms... farm raised, washed and processed to be clean but the highest nutritional value for your fish.... or something close to that.

it's worth a shot though, and if you throw a couple washed rocks in there, maybe you'll at least grow some algae for snails to feed on (if you find snails? easily ordered from wilmasthecause.com or other locations such as ebay or aquabid.com) I finally got nerites, but no brackish water to breed them in. Apple snails, but I think they are ALL female. I've been cursed lol... All good though - I think I have a nice little hookup on it's way soon enough

[FranktheTank]

mosquito larvae are white - sometimes they are called wigglers ... not bloodworms. They utilize the mid to upper water column and I think they might even need to surface for air since I know you can kill 'em by putting a drop of oil on the surface of where they live if you can't empty the water out. Anyway, parasites schmarisites wild fish are loaded with parasites and though I don't condone shoddy animal husbandry or fishkeeping there is such a thing as being too obsessive. Unless of course you enjoy doing water changes twice a day. Over the last 30 years I've kept just about everything and it's my genuine opinion that most of my fish lived to ripe old ages and died happy.

Ke kind to them, give them as much variety in food as possible and monitor the water quality - and if it's 3 weeks before nitrates etc. start creeping up THAT's when to do the water change... not every day just because you feel like you have to.

[J-P]

you can try aquabid, but they don't really do "larva"

have you thought about live worms? Night crawlers and such? I nice little compost heap near by should keep them happy and you'd get plenty of "candy food"

If it is not going for the ghost shrimp.. have you tried Red Cherry shrimp? Much smaller and the puff might find them attractive.

Another option is pond snails and or ramshorn snails. Garlic soaking the food? Just tossing ideas out there...

[JoseDepacos]

mosquito larvae are white - sometimes they are called wigglers ... not bloodworms.

I cant tell you anything about breeding and raising them as food, but bloodworms ARE a type of mosquito larvae.

[J-P]

bloodworms are red or black correct?

are they both types of mosquito larva?

[JoseDepacos]

Bloodworms are just that, blood red and are larvae of midge flies. Blackworms are just worms, also known as california blackworms.
Blackworms- http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Lumbriculus_variegatus
Bloodworms- http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Bloodworms
Midge fly- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midge

[J-P]

but those links say a midge and mosquito are a different family:
Mosquito (from the Spanish meaning little fly[2]) is a common insect in the family Culicidae

Midge:
Blephariceridae, net-winged midges
Cecidomyiidae, gall midges
Ceratopogonidae, biting midges (also known as no-see-ums or punkies in North America)
Chaoboridae, phantom midges
Chironomidae, non-biting midges (also known as muffleheads in the Great Lakes region of North America)
Deuterophlebiidae, mountain midges
Dixidae, meniscus midges
Scatopsidae, dung midges
Thaumaleidae, solitary midges


None of those listed include the mosquito family. Similar yes... related yes,.. but not the same family according to those links.