The Puffer Forum

i just picked up my first fahaka puffer today and i was reading some where that fish is no good for them? is this true?
i also want too know out of the food i used too feed my serrasalmus rhombeus whats good and no good for the fahaka.
smelt
large shrimp w/ shell
halibut
krill
any other food that I should be feeding it?
I have snails already and am starting too breeding them in a 5.5gallon tank.
thanks

a list of good foods would be great if i could get a list before i head out too the store.

heres the size of it.

yes hard shelled snails are generally the best way to go.

other good things are proawns and shrimp from the seafood section with their shells still on.

cockles, mussell, krill, crabs and crabs legs.

thanks guy, two questons what are cockles?
and is the smelt good for him?

Cockles are like oysters. see here: http://www.geocities.com/wenraylm/oysters.html

Smelt is a fish, and puffers generally do not eat fish in the wild. Feeder fish in general are not a good idea as they may contain parasites and other nasties you do not want your puffer to catch.

All other food items listed here are a good idea. Don't forget to freeze them for a while first to kill all the gross stuff, and thaw it properly in clean warm water or vitamin water if you prefer before giving it to your puffer.

The lurker predators are primarily fish-eaters in the wild. The mollusk and crustacean eaters will largely eat whatever they can catch in a captive tank, even other fish.

But that does not mean that either group shouid be given feeders unless those are hobbyist reared and healthy over months to years in the hobbyist's tanks. Commercial feeders are too great a risk of introducing parasites or infectious diseases.

x0rtrunks- looks like what I would call a clam, thanks for the link.

RTR- this is not my first fish, I know all about "feeder fish" and the problems they pose, even more so the ones from the carp family and the depletion of vitamin B from the thiaminase in raw carp. only live foods i ever use is culls from cichlid spawns.

Looks like a clam, but isn't...v similar, and both are very popular! You could get some apple snails from a decent breeder as well...he'll crunch right through them in no time.
You can even cultivate your own if you have space.
Pami.

i didnt make it out too the store last night but im heading out today, so i will look for cockles, are they better then clams?