The Puffer Forum

My fahaka puffer is so picky on what he eats. Since I introduced live snails to his meal he wont eat anything thats frozen. He used to eat cut up shrimp but not anymore. I just bought mussels today and he wont eat it. I presoak the food in a kent vitamin solution mixed with his tank water for about 30 - 45 min. what could i do so he can eat his frozen foods?

Stop feeding him snails for a while. I soak my fish's foods at least an hour. Try adding a smashed garlic clove to the soaking water.

Are you still checking the water parameters daily?

How often do you try to feed him and how long have you had him? If he's new to you then he probably sees the snials as a more natural and wild food and doesn't know what to make of the mussel. Try not feedinbg for a few days and then try again with the mussel, its not uncommon for puffers to go off their food for weeks especially if they are new

There are some foods my fahaka would never touch & now that he's older his tastes have matured & he eats everything.

Pufferpunk wrote:Stop feeding him snails for a while. I soak my fish's foods at least an hour. Try adding a smashed garlic clove to the soaking water.

Are you still checking the water parameters daily?

smasked up garlic clove? is that okay? how do I add garlic to the food? Do I remove the clove before feeding it to him? water parameters are still the same. I brought a little bit of water to my friend that runs the LFS and It turned out almost the same. nothing dangerous though.

manutius wrote:How often do you try to feed him and how long have you had him? If he's new to you then he probably sees the snials as a more natural and wild food and doesn't know what to make of the mussel. Try not feedinbg for a few days and then try again with the mussel, its not uncommon for puffers to go off their food for weeks especially if they are new

I feed him like 2-3 time daily. I only had my fahaka puffer for about a week now. He is like 2.5 - 3 inches long.

At that size he would only really require feeding once a day at the most.

Use the juice of the garlic, just like the vitamin--just soak & then drain in a net or pick out the food.

I brought a little bit of water to my friend that runs the LFS and It turned out almost the same. nothing dangerous though.

What does that mean? ANY ammount of ammonia/nitrite is exteremely toxic. Nitrates should be kept <20. It would be easier if you would post the exact parameters.

Hilly wrote:At that size he would only really require feeding once a day at the most.

how much should be okay? because the snails i feed him are pretty small.

Until the belly is slightly rounded. You're best off getting him on as big a variety of foods as quickly as possible like Mussels, Cockles, Prawns/Shrimp etc... then if he goes off one you have others to try. PLus as he grows it will require more and more snails to fill him, your colonies will take a big hit and he may not even go for small ones until you've grown em up.... then the other hard shelled foods come into play.

Hilly wrote:Until the belly is slightly rounded. You're best off getting him on as big a variety of foods as quickly as possible like Mussels, Cockles, Prawns/Shrimp etc... then if he goes off one you have others to try. PLus as he grows it will require more and more snails to fill him, your colonies will take a big hit and he may not even go for small ones until you've grown em up.... then the other hard shelled foods come into play.

thanks.. Ill try that out

Pufferpunk wrote:Use the juice of the garlic, just like the vitamin--just soak & then drain in a net or pick out the food.

I brought a little bit of water to my friend that runs the LFS and It turned out almost the same. nothing dangerous though.

What does that mean? ANY ammount of ammonia/nitrite is exteremely toxic. Nitrates should be kept <20. It would be easier if you would post the exact parameters.

ammonia - 0
no2 0
no3 30
ph 7.0
gh 20
kh 160

everything is almost the same like last time except the hardness of the water

NO3 30, could be the problem he won't eat well fgor you. It needs to be kept <20, closer to 10 even. Stop feeding him snails for a while & get him on other foods.

Pufferpunk wrote:NO3 30, could be the problem he won't eat well fgor you. It needs to be kept <20, closer to 10 even. Stop feeding him snails for a while & get him on other foods.

how could I lower the no3?

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