Overfeeding Puffers

A place to discuss general puffer care or news.
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Weaver
Dwarf Puffer
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by Weaver »

I have other fish that will love the brine shrimp. lol I will give them to my puffer as a treat but today I'm going to get some shellfish to freeze.

I went to the pet store and he just suggested a diet of mostly snails and supermarket food rather than the frozen packet of brine shrimp or bloodworms.

as for the vitamin water, where do I get it. Is it a special kind for puffers or the same as for humans. (making sure not to get flavored with additives of course)

I also have a question about garlic. I'm sure I won't need it but, I see the guy at the pet store had a bottle of garlic juice that he added to the first bit of food he give me. He said it would put little Spartacus into a blood lust, and it did. My question is, what is it? is it something special for fish, something you have to make or something I can pick up at the grocery store.
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Flutter
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by Flutter »

Fish really seem to like garlic. You can buy that stuff or you could just crush up the garlic yourself. It isn't necessary though if the puffer is eating well.

The vitamin supplement can either be found at your LFS or online. What province are you in? You may want to shop around for prices too. At the LFS here it costs about $21 whereas one farther away sells it for $8. Of course I found that out too late ;)
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
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Weaver
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by Weaver »

I live in nova scotia.

Also how many snails do I have to feed him everyday? I have been giving him 2 or 3 every other night with daily feedings of brine shrimp.

I have now bought fresh mussels for him and plan to give him 1/4 of one a night until my snail farm has taken off and I can make snails his main deit
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Flutter
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by Flutter »

You can feed as many snails as you want in relation to other foods. I don't think you can feed too many :) Just make sure you feed your snails well too, as we're only as good as our food is. Feed as many as your snail farm can handle.
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
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Weaver
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by Weaver »

Thank you for your help. This has been very helpful and I can not express how grateful I am without interruptive dance... But sadly I can't dance and my singing voice has only ever left people fleeing in disgust.
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Flutter
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by Flutter »

I am sure a youtube video would be very much appreciated :) It's the thought that counts right? ;)
It is absurd to talk of one animal being higher than another. We consider those, when the cerebral structure/intellectual faculties most developed, as highest. A bee doubtless would when the instincts were.
Charles Darwin
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by FADE2BLACK_1973 »

Flutter wrote:Good catch! I was thinking a golden dogface. The LFS had one a few months ago and it was on my mind ;)

Oh the golden dogface is my fav. I seen one at a fish shop about a 2 hour drive from me about 8 years ago. He was so awesome. Never seen another after that. Btw, they wanted about $400.00 for him.
Chris,


He who knows best knows how little he knows - Thomas Jefferson
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GBobNorth
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by GBobNorth »

I have actually been wandering what is a good amount of food for my two inch gsp, every site I've gone to will tell me "what" they can eat "how often" I should feed them, but no one seem that concerned with "how much".

An actual measurement would be great.
las
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by las »

bump
(No need to bump a sticky. ~PP)
RTR
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by RTR »

Fat puffers on the reef may well be a competitive advantage for breeding early and often. Fat puffers in tanks are unhealthy.

No matter hoe large and elegant your tank may look, it is not and never will be the ocean. Do not kid yourself that what may very well be a competitive advantage in the wild is the same in captivity. Effectively, other than DPs, our fish have zero chance of breeding. Fatties die sooner than slim, trim fish in captivity. Few wild fish have the lifespans of even moderately well kept captives - but they have a heck of lot higher chance of reproducing themselves. Accept it and deal with it if you keep captive puffers.

We are not attempting to reproduce the reef or sand shoals or any such. We are trying to achieve and maintain an environment that will maximize health and lifespan for captive specimens. Comparisons to the reef are pipe dreams. Dream all you want, it is healthy. But don't kid yourself about captivity emulating the wild. We cannot do it.
Where's the fish? - Neptune
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by J-P »

RTR wrote:But don't kid yourself about captivity emulating the wild. We cannot do it.
That is the realization that all people should have in mind, but at the same time (I believe) we should provide the closest approximation to that as we possibly (physically**) can.

** physically includes monetarily also. If you can not provide a quality home for for your pet under your current budget, don't even attempt it. I have given up a few times simply because it was not feasible both in space and funds.
if you follow me, you avoid stepping in the crap that I just did...

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RTR
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by RTR »

I have no issues with that at all.

I have gotten in trouble for years on the Web because I think first, then plan, then decide go or no-go. I get strange (to most folks it seems) in that if I cannot do it right (to my mind) from the get-go, I do not start on the collecting and assembling. I do not upgrade tanks - I start with the final tank. I do not upgrade equipment, I start with what will do the job best and longest under my techniques. This does not mean that all of my experiments work. it only mean that I use known fish and largely known equipment for them. I do replications of all experiments. After ~ 3 years I usually have a pretty good idea of whether or not it needs to run 10 years. If you cannot tell very clearly in ten years, it is not worth bothering with.

But you have to stat with knowing that captive semi-closed systems are not the wild. They are microecologies at best. You cannot and will not ever approach the complexity of the wild. You absolutely must keep that in your mind. You may have a system free from Mother Natures "natural" disasters, but you substitute power failures and technology glitches instead. And what you do not know can still bite you. The advantage to captive systems is that you can isolate specialized techniques via refugia and semi-isolated specific microecologies. On many forums, that alone seems to label as a nut - which may be valid, but it is how I find it easiest to achieve many of my goals. And to have my failures collapse quietly out of full view.

But it is not and never will be the wild condition.
Where's the fish? - Neptune
Yingchun

Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by Yingchun »

I'm glad u mentioned feedin, I put a post up sayin I don't feed them every day a got tons of replys sayin I should, as a preditary fish I like to change foods, times and days of feedin so the still work for there food, and not just wait. I'm a strong believer of tryin to imitate nature. Thanks for this post.
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GBobNorth
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by GBobNorth »

I think I got the amount to feed it figured out, it's surprising how little these things eat.
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DrKennethNoisewater
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Re: Overfeeding Puffers

Post by DrKennethNoisewater »

i was overfeeding and my puffers never came out of their hidden coma except to eat more. i thought they were diseased and unhealthy. i read a few threads on here and realized that i am unhealthy for feeding them so much.! they now come out and about all the time. a few cat naps during the day for 20 mins here or there. really happy to be seeing them all the time, a cleaner tank, and less $ spent. it just makes sense.... resist!!!
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