i don't know ANYTHING whatsoever about marine tanks. just happen to swing in and see how thin he looked. boy was he cute.....
my LFS has a Spiny Box Puffer that they have had for about a month that wont eat.
they have him in a system that has copper and a fake plant in the tank. said they tried live, prepared, frozen... no snails or hermit crabs. they have spiced with garlic and nothing so far. they guy said he will go crazy over the food just wont eat it.
i suggested to move to a non copper system and to try snails... is it the copper???
thanks a bunch!!!
-ash
Spiny Box Puffer wont eat
-
Puffer Queen
- Mentor
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:35 am
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Contact:
hilomycterus schoepfi - aka spiny box puffers are not the hardiest of the diodon (burrfish) family.
They often do not adapt well to tank life and are often hard to get them to eat. Many will waste away and simply never eat for the hobbyist. They almost always have external as well as internal parasites/worms.
The nasty rumor that copper will kill saltwater puffer is untrue. Properly dosed/maintained & monitored at therapeutic level, copper is effective in treating marine velvet (amyloodinium ocellatum) as well as ich (cryptocaryon irritans). I have used copper on hundreds of saltwater puffers and have had another several hundred hobbyists use it as well. Public aquariums use it on their puffers as well.
Toxic levels of copper can affect appetites and prolonged exposure to high doses of copper can affect immune systems - so like any other treatment, being well informed and following directions is a must.
The spiny box is suffering from stress from capture/living in a glass box as well as almost guaranteed internal parasites/worms.
Providing the puffer with caves/ledges and fake sea grass in a tank without tank mates may help decrease the stress and make him/her more at ease to eat.
Deworming the puffer immediately may help with the feeding issue. Also offering the puffer small gut loaded craw fish or freshwater ghost shrimp at night may stimulate the puffer to eat. Most saltwater puffers (especially those recently removed from the ocean) are nocturnal eaters/hunters. I love to do night dives to see all the puffers out hunting/foraging.
High doses of Vitamin B12 may "jump start" the puffer as well. I would add 1000 mcg to 20 gallons of water. I have had success with this many times.
Hope this helps.
They often do not adapt well to tank life and are often hard to get them to eat. Many will waste away and simply never eat for the hobbyist. They almost always have external as well as internal parasites/worms.
The nasty rumor that copper will kill saltwater puffer is untrue. Properly dosed/maintained & monitored at therapeutic level, copper is effective in treating marine velvet (amyloodinium ocellatum) as well as ich (cryptocaryon irritans). I have used copper on hundreds of saltwater puffers and have had another several hundred hobbyists use it as well. Public aquariums use it on their puffers as well.
Toxic levels of copper can affect appetites and prolonged exposure to high doses of copper can affect immune systems - so like any other treatment, being well informed and following directions is a must.
The spiny box is suffering from stress from capture/living in a glass box as well as almost guaranteed internal parasites/worms.
Providing the puffer with caves/ledges and fake sea grass in a tank without tank mates may help decrease the stress and make him/her more at ease to eat.
Deworming the puffer immediately may help with the feeding issue. Also offering the puffer small gut loaded craw fish or freshwater ghost shrimp at night may stimulate the puffer to eat. Most saltwater puffers (especially those recently removed from the ocean) are nocturnal eaters/hunters. I love to do night dives to see all the puffers out hunting/foraging.
High doses of Vitamin B12 may "jump start" the puffer as well. I would add 1000 mcg to 20 gallons of water. I have had success with this many times.
Hope this helps.
Kelly