The Puffer Forum

She/He is happy, happy since he/she is in the 35 all by herself.

Well, not really.

I didn't want Gemstone to lonely and I put in a few hermit crabs that I found while fishing. They were smaller than Gemstone. They have been in there for three days. Today I looked and all three were gone.

I had to move the decorations to clean the bottom. So I looked everywhere, they were missing. Then I look at Gemstone eating it. Gemstone actually ate them. Well at the shells will be good for the teeth.

If Gemstone is about 2 1/3 inches, is Gemstone a baby, child, juvenile, teen or what?

I've been feeding Gemstone snails from my yard (no ice cream cone ones), shrimp, krill, crab and squid. I cut it up in tiny pieces so Gemstone can handle it but leave it big enough so she can rip it.

Man, I wish I knew if Gemstone was boy or girl. Hate calling Gemstone an It.

Gemstone is doing much better since I put her in brackish water.

I'd say Gem is a pre-teen. Pick a sex & stick w/it. S/he won't mind.

Be sure there are no pesticides or fertilizers used in the yard you are getting the snails from

Puffers + crabs = pufferfood.

Glad you're enjohing her/him!

Don't worry about your puffer being lonely. Provide a complex and stimulating environment and s/he will be very happy. You might want to read the article Alone but not Lonely, The Importance of Keeping Puffers Solo in our library for more information on this topic.

Pufferpunk wrote:I'd say Gem is a pre-teen. Pick a sex & stick w/it. S/he won't mind.

Be sure there are no pesticides or fertilizers used in the yard you are getting the snails from

Puffers + crabs = pufferfood.

Glad you're enjoying her/him!

I did not think the tiny hermit crabs could hurt her.

No pesticides/fertilizers used in my yard. We actually have one side of the yard that we have found a bunch of snails and we don't disturb that area except to collect snails. We call it the "The Snail Mine". Don't like using Pesticides since my best friend who lives in the back apartment gets bugs from yard to feed her Iguana.

Gemstone has a new home! I put her in the 46 gallon.

I got a corner caver for her and lots of plants. She is even more happy.

I got rid of the peach sand and got some white substrate sand.

I'm going to have take new pictures. If my pictures come out looking like the water is murky it is only because of the glass I am using to cover the 46 gallon tank. The original cover broke and I do not need her jumping out.

I even purchased some ghost shrimps for her.

On the hermit crabs, she actually pulls them out the shell and eats the claws only. It is an awesome site to see her pulling those critters out their shells.

I only could afford Whisper Internal filters for now but I got two 10 gallon ones running plus a 30 gallon one going. I even put some air stones in the tank with a double air pump to help circulate the water better.

What is the best temperature for her.

constant 76 to 78 degrees F.

I keep my GSP's at a constant 80

No surprise - lisalisa is hot and I'm (once again) cold.

are the hermit crabs that you are feeding he/she the salt water kind?
What salinity is the tank at?
I didnt know that you could use hermits as food, I think ill try that though, they are only like 99 cents at my LFS.( i have a 10 gallon BW tank with one F8, SG 1.008)


-John

ChesapeakeSwellfish wrote:No surprise - lisalisa is hot and I'm (once again) cold.

hmm?

yeah, I know, inappropriate double entendre, but I couldn't help it...

no offense?

No, no offense, I just don't understand it!

The Fisherman wrote:are the hermit crabs that you are feeding he/she the salt water kind?
What salinity is the tank at?
I didn't know that you could use hermits as food, I think ill try that though, they are only like 99 cents at my LFS.( i have a 10 gallon BW tank with one F8, SG 1.008)


-John

I only put them in for decoration and to give her some tank mates. They are much smaller than her.

Here is the latest picture of Gemstone. The water looks murky because of the smokey glass we have covering the tank. The lid broke. Can't do much about the brightness because of the light that came with the tank. This is the best shot I could get

Gemstone on 12/15/05



This is Gemstone in her one cave.

Nice looking puffs. Looks like she's enjoying her cave!

Yes, she is. I have two of them in the tank for her. One in each of the back corners. When I feed her shrimp she will grab some of it and race from cave to cave till she decides which one to eat her meal in.

Between the bigger tank, plants and caves, this puffer of mine is ever exploring.

I used the hydrometer this morning and it was at an even 19.