Porcupine Puffers and their Teeth/Diet

[davmic]

Hi...just joined the forum a few minutes ago. I have two porcupine puffers, they will both eat from my hand and chase their food down. When it comes down to it, they just LOVE to eat. I recently switched from guppies to minnows as their appetites seem to be insatiable. I've had the older one for about two or three months now and to be honest never heard about their teeth overgrowing until I stumbled upon this forum...what would be the best hard shells/foods/etc. to offer them to make sure I keep up with their teeth?

Also can you over feed a puffer or will they eat until their full? It's a regular feeding frenzy in the tank at meal times (3 times daily), the two of them eat the largest portion of what is dropped into the tank...and yet they beg for food all day long, every time they see us walking past the tank.

[fatpuffer]

wow...how big is your tank?! You know that each of them gets over 3 feet long (I think...)

I would not feed them fish because they are too fatty and will cause liver problems. I would switch to seafood from ur grocery store such as clams, mussels, shell on shrimps, crab legs, crayfish, etc.

They are magnificent fish...went to the Vancouver Aquarium and saw one at least a foot long and foot around...with begging eyes!


GL


js

[wolfgang270]

I would go with what fatpuffer said. Frozen (preferably uncooked seafood is a staple in my house. Get some live clams and freeze those. I thaw mine and then open them up. My puffs get lots of teeth scraping action picking off the meat.

At the Newport Auquarium in Norther kentukey, they have one porc that is about a foot and a half and another that is nearly three feet. man that fish is big (you should see the teeh when they are that big.

[Pufferpunk]

The puffers that grow to 3 ' are not the ones usually sold at shops. Go to WetWebMedia for ID.

[Jager]

try this id method, one you dont hav a diodon hystrix they are not in the aq trade and if you do one you are screwed and two return it.

the pacific /indo variant is known by its long spines near the tail. the carribbean version has the longest spines on the head between the eyes. very easy to tell.

[wannapuffer-20g]

i dont think porcupine puffer grow that big, i read about them and u need 75g per puffer.

they dont grow to 3 feet, u rpobably saw a different species or a full grown one...but what do i know?

[LittlePuff]

90gal 18-20"


Kim

[Jager]

once again fishbase is every ones friend. a porc gets 18 inches or so after 15 years. it slows growth after 8 or so and a 120 will hold them comfortably.