Fahaka Feeding

Mr. Puffer · Post by **Mr. Puffer** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:28 pm

I recently brought home a 2" baby fahaka puffer from the LFS. He has been in my tank for 2 days now and is very active. The LFS was only feeding him live ghost shrimp, and thats it. Since I have had him he hasnt eaten much. From what I have read they are to be fed once every other day when babies. Well in the 2 days I have had him he has only taken a small chunk of frozen krill. I also tried to feed him some frozen beef heart, but he wouldnt accept it. I tried using a feeding stick to feed him which he loved to follow around the tank, but he wouldnt accept the food.

I'm going to the LFS tonight to get him some ghost shrimp and ramshorn snails, but what I want to know is what is a good way to get them to accept other foods if they are only used to eating live food? I thought about trying the garlic method... but figured id ask here first.

Rocker · Post by **Rocker** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:46 pm

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... ur-puffer/

Boxermom · Post by **Boxermom** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:52 pm

Welcome!

At 2", I would be feeding him daily. As you have noticed, they are very active and energetic and expend a good bit of energy so they need to be fed more often than lurker types, IMO.

Frozen beef heart isn't good for fish IMO. When in their natural habitat are they going to eat a cow?

There's a good article in our library, complete with photos, of recommended foods for them. I don't recommend krill as a staple as it apparently can lead to nutritional imbalances.

What you need to do is keep offering the food to him, not giving him anything else to eat, until he starts to eat it. Don't get the ghost shrimp or snails until after he's begin eating other foods. What I've done with mine is started using a dish (a large scallop shell) for his food. I put his food in that, starting with live blackworms. The live food isn't a problem, he eats them up right away. Then once he gets used to expecting what's in the dish to be food, I start adding additional foods, such as chopped up frozen (thawed) shrimp. I put it in the dish, put a few live blackworms on it, and he eats it all. Then I slowly add fewer and fewer worms until he's eating just the shrimp. Same with mussels, clams, etc. I supplement his main meals with a couple of small snail snacks almost every day (feeding snails in the morning, main meal in the evening).

Mr. Puffer · Post by **Mr. Puffer** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:45 pm

Yeah I have read about people almost starving their puffer fish to get them to accept certain foods... I find that kinda cruel, and since the fish just came into the LFS I don't want to risk it not eating much longer.

I'm going to add a ghost shrimp in tonight just so I know he gets something to eat. Also a couple small snails, and the next couple days I'll work on getting him to eat other foods. The fish shops in the area don't carry a very good selection of live foods. The beef heart is only a small treat for him every few days, same with the krills. But if they will end up causing complications for him I won't feed them to him.

Next time we get a good couple days of rain ill head out in the country a bit and dig up some earth worms for him. Also I plan to start breeding ghost shrimp since he loves them so much.

Thanks for the tips, and if anyone else has some more input on how they get their puffers to accept different foods... please do post!

Post by **Pufferpunk** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:00 pm

Feeding just ghost shrimp is practially like feeding your puffer water, unless the shrimp is gut-loaded with some kind of food.

Boxermom · Post by **Boxermom** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:27 pm

You aren't actually starving it, you're offering it food. It'll eat when its hungry enough. Its worse to feed it inappropriate food. As long as you are feeding it other things, he's not going to eat anything else. Again, I don't believe beef heart is good for fish as I don't believe their digestive systems are meant to handle it. But its your fish, no one can make you do what's right, all we can do is provide the information. Its your choice what to do with that information.

BTW, if you are going to feed earthworms from outside, make sure they are from an area where no pesticides are used. Not in any of the surrounding areas either, as the pesticides can travel a good distance.

Mr. Puffer · Post by **Mr. Puffer** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:04 pm

Well from what I have read ( which includes books dated back to the 1930s ) people have been feeding their fish beef heart forever. I understand where you are coming from as far as it not being good for them. I know its a great source of protein and helps fish grow faster... I only planned to feed the beef heart 1 time a week, and not that much of it at all. But if it really isn't a suitable food for them I'll just feed it to my friends Oscar because that thing cant get enough of it.

And as far as earthworms go around here... I live near Fargo, ND and id say 75% of the fields are purely organic around here. And I know of quite a few spots to collect earth worms that will never have been exposed to pesticides or any other chemical. I used to collect earthworms in the area for my old bearded dragon... and he never once got sick.

As far as the Fahaka he still doesn't eat what would be a suitable meal for him. He has been in the tank 3 days and just nibbled a bit on some krills. I have tried to place a shell in there with some food in it. Tried putting the food in the bubbles where it would move around ( which he liked but only bit a small chunk off which he spit out immediately ), and his favorite is the feeding stick. I attach a small piece of krill to the end which he loves to follow all over the tank, but he wont take food from it.

I have hesitated adding ghost shrimp and snails to the tank just to get him to take the dead food... but if he doesn't eat anything by this evening I'm going to add a ghost shrimp and a few small snails.

I really wish our LFS in the area carried live bloodworms or some other live food, but unfortunately they do not. They do have some cockles which I may get for him. I'm way to soft at heart, and don't want to see the little bugger not eating for much longer. If I have to spoil him with the foods he likes... so be it! He is worth every penny spent!

Pandora114 · Post by **Pandora114** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:06 pm

Soak the dead food in garlic.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:39 pm

I've had poor luck with krill, I think it tastes funky and salty to FW puffers. Eathworms, on the other hand, are Shakespeares favorite. I predict you will see puffer carnage if you get some, btw, be prepared for the dirt in the worms digestive track to spew out the gill openings in a giant cloud, unless he's very hungry and swallows without nipping much.

hiemstra23 · Post by **hiemstra23** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 7:07 pm

My fig 8's absolutely love the krill, they almost swallow the pieces whole.. I only give it to them once every other week or so.

Mr. Puffer · Post by **Mr. Puffer** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:45 pm

Well I put 2 small ghost shrimp in the tank tonight... he went for one immediately and gobbled it up. The second one he was hunting around the tank forever... losing sight of it every once in a while then finding it again. I took advantage of him hunting and dropped in some krill. He seen the krill and went for it right away and started munching.

Finally after about an hour of hunting he found the 2nd ghost shrimp and gobbled him up too. So tomorrow I'll try some more krill again, and I have some snails for him. Also its raining out tonight and will be for the next 3 days... I'm going to collect some earth worms for him tomorrow as well.

He really is a riot to watch while eating, and when he gets done with his food he swims right over to me and begs for more. I can't wait for him to grow larger! Time to start looking for a 120g tank for his permanent home!

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