Its been awhile, maybe 2-3 weeks. I still can not get my puffer to eat. I have tried margarita snails, krill, clams, squid, silversides, and even live ghost shrimp. He hides during the day and the only time I have seen him out is when
I turn on the lights in the morning. He shows zero intrest in me, tankmates, and food. What should I do?
SG: 1.023
pH: 8.2
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 10
Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
![[welcome]](./images/smilies/welcome.gif "welcome")
Has he ever eaten for you? Find out what he was eating in the LFS, before you got him. Does it look like he can open & close his mouth?
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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jdak
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Have you tried feeding at night? Maybe stand back from the tank and give him some space while feeding.
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
have you tried market shrimp yet?
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Lil' Swimz$
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Are his teeth too long?
Ha ha, he he! DAncE whEn yoU're HAPpppy! He he he! DAnce, danCE, DANCe!
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
I'd like to hear some answers to the Qs I've asked.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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esine
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Pufferpunk-
No he has not eaten for me and it turns out I bought him the same day that they got him. He didn't get a chance to eat for them either. They say he was a "captive bred" puffer but I'm pretty sure they mean't "tank-raised". I don't think it has a problem opening or closing its mouth but I could be wrong. He only comes out when its too dark to see and hides when the lights are on in a part of the tank that I can not see.
jdak-
Yes in fact last night I slipped a live ghost shrimp in my tank. I woke up and half of it had been eaten. At first I thought it may have been the puffer, but in my opinion I think my two hermits went at it.
SammyDee-
If you mean shrimp from the local fish market, then no I have not tried market shrimp.
Lil' Swimz$-
Quite frankly, I can't even tell if he has teeth.
No he has not eaten for me and it turns out I bought him the same day that they got him. He didn't get a chance to eat for them either. They say he was a "captive bred" puffer but I'm pretty sure they mean't "tank-raised". I don't think it has a problem opening or closing its mouth but I could be wrong. He only comes out when its too dark to see and hides when the lights are on in a part of the tank that I can not see.
jdak-
Yes in fact last night I slipped a live ghost shrimp in my tank. I woke up and half of it had been eaten. At first I thought it may have been the puffer, but in my opinion I think my two hermits went at it.
SammyDee-
If you mean shrimp from the local fish market, then no I have not tried market shrimp.
Lil' Swimz$-
Quite frankly, I can't even tell if he has teeth.
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
no teeth .... grinding plates?
have you tried soaking the food in crushed garlic? Garlic is a fish attractant. I don't know anything about fish Lock Jaw.. other than the garlic I wish I could help.
Or possibly hand fed foods? A worm or 2 shaken before him? 3 weeks sound like a long time.
have you tried soaking the food in crushed garlic? Garlic is a fish attractant. I don't know anything about fish Lock Jaw.. other than the garlic I wish I could help.
Or possibly hand fed foods? A worm or 2 shaken before him? 3 weeks sound like a long time.
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esine
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
I hate to say this but I dont think he has any teeth. What the hell do I do now?
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esine
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Never mind the garlic worked.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Yippee!!!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Keep us updated as to how he's eating
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J-P
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
someone correct me if I am wrong, but I recall PP saying the porcs don't have "teeth" per say. They have dental plates to crush their food.esine wrote:I hate to say this but I dont think he has any teeth. What the hell do I do now?
Glad to hear that it finally ate
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Yea, they only have one on top, and one on bottom; also, they grow only so much as they wear.
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esine
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Re: Porcupine Puffer won't eat.
Well he continues to eat. However, he is still very inactive. He tends to hide under a rock for most of his time is this normal for porc puffers?