The Puffer Forum

Hey there,
I recently got some Formula One and some Beefheart to feed to my F8s. I didn't realize that the Formula One is a gelatinized cube, so it just sank to the bottom of the tank and my puffers pretty much ignored it. I haven't tried holding it with my tongs, but I'm pretty sure that Grün won't eat it that way either. Gabria probably will take a few bites. The beefheart was nibbled on when I held it with tongs, but it slipped and fell to the bottom of the tank where it was ignored.

I'm leery of trying to feed those products again, but I don't want them to be a waste of money. Has anyone else feed those products to their F8s? How did you get them to eat it? Would it work better to chop them up and soak in Garlic Guard? Or just soak in Garlic Guard and dangle with tongs?

I do have other foods that they eat with no problems (mysis shrimp, bloodworms, people food shrimp, brine shrimp with sprirulina, people food mussels live snails, live cherry shrimp), but I'd like to feed the beefheart and Formula One as long as I have them.

If you really wanna feed the beefheart I think soaking a chunk in garlic and dangling should work. Would not feed the beefheart too often though like maybe once every couple weeks as it is high in protein and can make a mess outta your tank. Also with the beefheart make sure there is no fat tissue

Beefheart is not good for them, so if they don't like it much, it's not even a good treat. If you want something high protein to encourage growth, earthworm is ideal, it's got really high protein in a form that's even more digestible than the beefheart, and most puffers go crazy for them.

When would a puffer come acrosss a cow's heart to eat in the wild? Bad food all around for fish, IMO.

Y'know, that's exactly what I was thinking! I only got it because I'd read that many people do feed beefheart. I wasn't planning on feeding it often for the same reason. Maybe I'll just give it to my dog and cat instead, lol.

Thanks guys! You're so much help to a novice puffer keeper! Btw, does anyone else feed Formula One? 'Cause they're not too thrilled with that either. If I can't get the F8s to eat the Formula One, do you think that my goldfish or neon tetras/snails/cherry shrimp would enjoy it? Thanks again!

If this comes in a gel, I'd rinse it in a brine shrimp net, before feeding. I wouldn't want that crud in my tanks.

Formula One? Yes, it's a cube held together with gelatin or something like it. I tried mashing it up and dropping small chunks in the tank. The F8s investigated, but didn't eat it. My neon tetras seemed to like it as did my fantail goldfish. I think I'll stop trying to give it to the puffers and gobies and just give it to the tetras and goldfish once in a while.