The Puffer Forum

Ohhh there only very small ones? Or doesn't that make a difference?

Depends on how hard their shells are it's the top that is the hardest that can cause the damage.

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okay so my fahaka is eating a little bit of prawn now, but he is still really inactive just staying under a piece of bogwwod that i have in the tank? and ideas guys?
heres a pic of the tank, and one of my little guy

Please do not take offense to this, but it's no wonder your guy is staying hidden, your tank is very bare, and the way it is now, I would think your puffer feels vulnerable when he's out. You really need to get more plants in there. Puffers need to feel safe in their environment. Keep in mind that a small puffer, even though they can puff, is still a meal to something much bigger in the wild. So I would think that your guy, being still fairly small, is staying hidden because your tank has few hiding places. I think if you put more plants in there, you will see him moving about more because he won't feel that he's out in the open so much.
That's just my opinion, but looking at your tank, it is painfully bare. Live plants aren't that hard to keep, and with the lighting you have on that tank, I'm sure you would have no problem growing some nice ones.

Definitely in need of some more decor in there. A group of fake silk plants, so he can dart in and out of cover if he feels so but also give him some secure paths from one side of the tank to another. Some more bogwood or fake type roots as well. Give them any type of wood structure with holes and they'll stalk in and out of them.

no offence taken your right, i just really am not good at aquascaping ha =] ill pick up some more decor etc hopefully tonight, fake or live plants do you think? anyone post pics of there fahaka tanks would be great, give me a few ideas. thanks

Personally I like live plants, and really, you will probably pay less for real ones than plastics. But it's all in what you like. I think you've got enough light going there for live plants to do pretty well in your tank. I'd stick with cryptocorynes, as they are fairly easy to grow, as well as anubias and Java fern. They are all easy to get and easy to maintain, not needing CO2 or anything extra really, although every plant will benefit from some sort of plant food every now and then.

I would go with fake. After a few test bites he'll realise theyre not edible and leave them alone. PLus you can get immediate cover from fake over live. No reason you cant add live later on. No need to break the bank, if you can create some cover from the log to the pots that might be a good starting point.

+1 for fake. Here is the 125g tank I have for Filbert:

A few live Java fern in the middle but the rest are fake.


See, Filbert still loves his "cave" too.


He always comes out to say hi!

Bloat tends to chill out under his rock"cave". But I agree with the live plants, there are tons of benefits. They not only make your puffer happy, but they also help keep your water clean, and help put o2 into the water.

A little insight on the trumpet snails: I have fed my figure 8 them for a year and his teeth arent visible. I'm still trying to get a ram/pond colony going. Provided the ones he eats are tiny, its OK. I picked up one out of my breeder tank the size that I feed my GSP and f8. Squeezed a little.. Gonna sound mean but the shell crushed. All of it. So. The tiny ones. Are OK for puffs provided they arent longshelled yet. My puffs eat the WHOLE thing, snail and shell. They love chompin em, No teeth visible. All seem to be healthy. Just thought I would put my $0.2 in, may not work for everyone. But this is my experience