The Puffer Forum

Hi All

Just got 2 baby ceylon. They are about 1 1/2 inch long close to 2 inch. I realize one of the puffer teeth kinda long. Like a rabbit puffer(lol). I know i need to get snails for them to file it down but dont know what kinda of snail to get for brackish water and size becasue my puffer are small. Wil they eat a snail thats larger then them?

Also the owner of the place where i got the puffer says i can feed them feedrs(guppies). Is this true? I dont think he's lieing because i see he got tons of different type of puffers in his store and they all look very healthy. Just wanna confirm with all youpuffer out there first before i start feeding my babies feeder fish.

Thx in advance

Feeding puffers fish is not a good diet at all. There is a great article in the library on feeding puffers. There is also an article on why not to feed feeder fish.

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library

If the teeth are really long you might have to manually clip them. There aren't any snails for brackish water, I know a lot of people just breed their own snails in a separate tank. I have a 10 gallon with pest snails that I feed my puffer.

SpockthePuffer wrote:Feeding puffers fish is not a good diet at all. There is a great article in the library on feeding puffers. There is also an article on why not to feed feeder fish.

http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/library

If the teeth are really long you might have to manually clip them. There aren't any snails for brackish water, I know a lot of people just breed their own snails in a separate tank. I have a 10 gallon with pest snails that I feed my puffer.

how do i clip a 2 inch baby ceylon teeth??and with what kinda tools?

There is also an article in the library on dentistry You have to sedate them and then clip them with cuticle clippers.

SpockthePuffer wrote:There is also an article in the library on dentistry You have to sedate them and then clip them with cuticle clippers.

Thanks for the suggestions

But do i need to get snails thats smaller then my 2 inch ceylons or doesnt matter what size they will eat it? Im having a hard time buy snails,crayfish at a pets store or fish stores. Know any good online website that i can order shellfish from with a decent price? Thx in adavnce

Its recommended to feed them snails about the size of their eye. I just get my snails from my LFS. They grow like crazy in their tanks so I just got and ask for some of the pest snails and they give them to me for free. They just come on their plants and they don't need them for anything so they give them to me. Now that I have a good sized colony I don't have to get snails from them anymore because I have so many in my tank.

You can also feed mussels, just go to your local fish market or grocery store and get some mussels or clams. If you take off most of the meat they will have to scrape their teeth on the shell to get anything to eat.

SpockthePuffer wrote:Its recommended to feed them snails about the size of their eye. I just get my snails from my LFS. They grow like crazy in their tanks so I just got and ask for some of the pest snails and they give them to me for free. They just come on their plants and they don't need them for anything so they give them to me. Now that I have a good sized colony I don't have to get snails from them anymore because I have so many in my tank.

You can also feed mussels, just go to your local fish market or grocery store and get some mussels or clams. If you take off most of the meat they will have to scrape their teeth on the shell to get anything to eat.

geez size of their eye?thats really small snail to get. As for clam what ssize you recommand?

Any size will do. The mussels I give to my puffer are the same size as him, I save them in the fridge for a couple days so it doesn't go to waste since he obviously can't eat the whole thing in one sitting.

You just have to defrost them in tank water and I put put vitamins in there too and I let it sit in the fridge and then 30 minutes before feeding I take it out so it gets room temperature.

As for snails, you can always try the lfs, what is your location? I know that petco and petsmart always have the little pest snails in their tanks. Or if you are feeling ambitious and have another tank you could always try breeding mystery/apple snails and feed the babies. They are a bit harder to breed though, or so I hear.

SpockthePuffer wrote:Any size will do. The mussels I give to my puffer are the same size as him, I save them in the fridge for a couple days so it doesn't go to waste since he obviously can't eat the whole thing in one sitting.

You just have to defrost them in tank water and I put put vitamins in there too and I let it sit in the fridge and then 30 minutes before feeding I take it out so it gets room temperature.

As for snails, you can always try the lfs, what is your location? I know that petco and petsmart always have the little pest snails in their tanks. Or if you are feeling ambitious and have another tank you could always try breeding mystery/apple snails and feed the babies. They are a bit harder to breed though, or so I hear.

I was thinking of clams instead of mussels per your recommandations. I hope they will eat clams that way i can solve the problem with his bunny teeth. Do i need to clean the clam first before i throw it into my tank?

Crunchy foods are to keep their teeth from overgrowing, not to file them down, once they are too long. You MUST cut them yourself.

Well since you soak it in the tank water to unfreeze it it gets clean that way I think. My clams and mussels are clean when I buy them but if there is stuff on it I guess it would be good to rinse it off before you soak it in the water.

If it looks like he has trouble eating it might be too late for his teeth to get worn down. Hopefully they aren't too far gone and you can get them under control though.

Im thinking of LIVE clams..is this ok?

I think it would be best to freeze them first, then defrost and feed them. Then if there are any parasites or anything they will be dead.

good idea..how stupid of me

Thank you soo much for all the great answers. Im sure i will need your help again in my next topic!!!

If you get pest snails from your LFS make sure they are little round ones, not pointy. the pointy ones are Malaysian trumpet snails, and are very hard. they can sometimes harm your little puffer's teeth.