my GSP's bad eating habits?

[joycemauney3]

Please read all before replying-I know flakes are no bueno.
My GSP, Goby, is pretty new. I got him some tropical flakes.. because that's what the man from wal-mart told me to do. He also told me Goby was freshwater.. I figured out he needed brackish water and a better diet than flakes. So changed his tank and got him some feeder snails and freezedried blodworms. He doesn't like the bloodworms. When I fed him a snail he went for it after about 15 minutes of me dropping it in the tank. He picked it up, puffed and spit it at the ground. He then ate the snail out of the shell! Would not eat the shell. I know that he needs the shell for his teeth so I was dissappointed. I kept feeding him snails every few days since he only likes to eat his flakes, he likes to chase the flakes and eat them but he doesn't seem to eat a lot. I haven't seen him eat any snails since his first one but when I did his first water change, I found a few empty shells! Yesterday my husband and I got Goby some feeder ghost shrimp! He has become FRIENDS with the shrimp! He let's them walk on his head and slept with them in his cave!

What should I try feeding him next?? I'm nervous he isn't getting the right nourishment from his flakes. Please help!

[Pufferpunk]

Try crushing the snails.
library/category/feeding/

[xrayjeeper83]

How big are the snails? They might be to big for him to eat the shells there for he just sucks out the snail. The snails should be about the size of his eye.

You can try clams on the half shell, earthworms, shrimp(shell on). And if he refuses to eat them, dont feed him for 3 or so days and then drop in the food, he will eat it if he is hungry enough. They wont let themselves starve to death, you can also try to soak it in garlic

[energizerfish]

How big was the snail? Mine will only eat the very tiniest shells. And my GSP that I got from Wal-mart will not touch flakes or pellets or most freeze-dried food. I feed mine San Francisco Bay saltwater multi-pack frozen food and very small snails...No bigger than his eye.
You can find the multi-pack at most fish stores (Not Walmart) or you can order it online. http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/p ... catid=8131
As small as your GSP is, he probably will not eat much bigger food like clams and mussels until he gets bigger, and trust me, my Wal-mart GSP grew from 1 in to just over 2 inches in a matter of a few weeks after I started feeding him a proper diet.

[joycemauney3]

There are brine shrimp in frozen cubes at the pet store and other ones frozen, what do you think of those?

The size of the snails were about 5 mm and Goby's eyes are smaller than that maybe like 2 mm. So ill look for smaller snails and try crushing some too maybe.

Where I live, in jacksonville" you would think there would be plenty of fish needs pet stores but all I have is petsmart and petsupermarket so finiding food variety is tedious. I should order some stuff online!

For you guys who know of goby's tank situation I found a 30 gallon on craigslist for super cheap and we're getting it in about a week!! I'm excited!

[Pufferpunk]

BS have basically no nutrition--98% water. Go for worms, it's like comparing white bread to steak! Also, try freeze-dried plankton.

[xrayjeeper83]

joyce, would that be jax florida?

[joycemauney3]

Good thing you told me about the shrimp! I will have to get him some mealworms! And plankton if I can find it and yes jax florida!!

[xrayjeeper83]

I live in Orange Park.

There is a fresh seafood place that I get my shrimp and clams from on 17 just south of 295(by suntire) called fishermans dock.
Also 2 good fish stores, one is jolly's reef shack at blanding and wilson and the other is blanding and camp francis johnson called Orange park aquatics or something like that. The OP store has very limited freshwater though.

Also if you have a seperate tank set up, i can hook you up with a few marbled crayfish

[Pufferpunk]

Mealworms are not what I meant. Anything red will do though: redworms, bloodworms, blackworms, nightcrawlers.

[joycemauney3]

Xray thank you!! I googled some places and couldn't find much close by! The seafood place they sell them alive? Either way dead or alive goby will either befriend them or hopefully eat them! And marblehead crayfish? For tank buddies for goby or food? Lol you guys I'm so new at this but I'm glad you're helping me! Thank you

Pufferpunk I saw a youtube video of a gsp eating a mealworm that's why I assumed but I can try some of those worms. He just doesn't like freeze dried bloodworms. He's so picky! I hope he eats something regularly soon!

[Pufferpunk]

Too hard to digest.

[sevenyearnight]

He's not being picky, freeze dried foods are awkward for a lot of fish to eat. Imagine if you didn't know steak and beef jerky were from the same source.

[xrayjeeper83]

The fish market is all dead, which is good cause you need to throw them in the freezer to kill anything that might be living on them before feeding them to your puffer.

The marbled crayfish are a food source. They are Asexual(meaning dont need partner to reproduce) so starting with 1 in a few months you could have more then you know what to do with. The puffer I know would love them, not sure about the goby though.

[Srkoe]

I think her Puffer's name is Goby . My GSP's will eat anything!!! They even enjoy Cichlid pellets and algae wafers. Marty befriended his shrimp too. You can get frozen bloodworms pretty easily...petco/petsmart. If you can get live blackworms that would be great...all my puffs love them...I think them being alive entices them. If you can get a small (5 gallon or less) tank it would be a good idea to breed your own snails. Pet stores will usually give you their pest snails. Just get a bunch put them in a tank and they will breed. Make sure you get pond snails or ramshorns...NOT TRUMPETS! Trumpets shells are far too hard for puffers and can damage their beak.