The Puffer Forum

I have a 125 gallon 6 foot long marine tank. salinity 1.025, ph 8.2, 79 degrees, o ammonia, o nitrite, o nitrate. My levels appear perfect, there is 105 pounds of live rock in the tank. i intially had a 3 inch volitan lionfish and once i trained him to eat frozen shrimp, i then introduced my 3 1/2 inch porcupine puffer, yellow tang, naso tang, niger trigger, foxface rabbitfish and morrish idol. everyone is friendly although they are semi aggressive fish, it doesnt appear the puffer has any diseases etc... its been four days without him eating. I tried live worm today he started going at it, chewed on it and spit it out. the other day i tried frozen shrimp no go either, just chewed that up and spit it out. I also tried a mussell, I cut it open and dropped it in on day 2 and he sucked the mussell right of the shell and since then hasnt touched any foods. Any ideas on how to get this shy puffer, out into the open ( all he does is hide behind a rock but comes out periodically and at night) and to eat? How do you feed him mussells ( are the mussells and clams bought from a grocery store), do you just cut them in half like i did and drop them in? Do i just drop snails in there and let him eat whenever he's ready? Im just not sure, please help???

When my friend got his new porc she didn't eat either. We gave her live brine shrimp and she ate so much her belly was buldging. I know brine shrimp isn't really good for puffers but I think it helps them eat.

my porc acts exactly the same, hides under a rock all day and comes out at night... mine will (presently) only eat mysis shrimp... she has nibbled at prawn, but not substantially..


I think it is just time that is needed... as long as your parameters are as perfect as you say they are.. no nitrate reading is surprising, but i guess if you have loads of live rock..

i'd have thought if you added all those fish at the same time, there'd be some sort of spiking... ?

yes, besides the 105 pounds of live rock, also the day i got the six fish, i put in enough Bio-spira for a 155 gallon tank to also assist the cycle. thanks for your help i guess i will just wait and see

ah ha, knew it had to be something like that...

hope both our porcs come out of hiding soon...

Remember... your fish has been eating live foods all it's life. It will have to relearn how to ead dead foods. Article on this in our Library.