The Puffer Forum

Just some question regarding the "frozen peas"
How do I feed it to my puffer, and how esssential is it to their diet?
I read on one of the post stating something about soaking the frozen pea in garlic concentrate
and I tried, but my puffer just swim around gaze at the pea, and unsure how to eat it. (it quite cute actually)

m3m0ri35 wrote:Just some question regarding the "frozen peas"
How do I feed it to my puffer, and how esssential is it to their diet?
I read on one of the post stating something about soaking the frozen pea in garlic concentrate
and I tried, but my puffer just swim around gaze at the pea, and unsure how to eat it. (it quite cute actually)

I think you unskin the pea. I'm not sure if peas are essential, but I heard it helps them digest food better, so an occasional pea here and there is probably a positive way to help them clear their digestive tract.

They're not necessary, I think, but they have some benefits. Take a frozen pea (preferably organic, and NOT canned) and thaw it in the microwave. Then cut it up small enough to fit into your puffer's mouth.

Edit - JJ is right. Peel the pea, too.

Either they develop a taste for them or refuse them all together. i had one GSP who would much on algae wafers while the other ignored them.

Do I need to soak it in garlic or it isnt necessary. My puffer is much better now. It refuse to eat freeze dried krill, so I switched to frozen mysis shrimp. He/she seems to enjoy it very much.

Garlic will make them more likely to eat it, and it's a nice supplement. You can give it a shot.

Have you only tried those two foods? You need to offer a more varied diet. There are some articles on this in the Library.

I second that. I find that mine really, really love a variety of frozen foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp with spirulina, krill, clams, mussels, mysis shrimp, etc. and "people" shrimp. I just get uncooked, shell-on shrimp from the grocery store. Then I can detail them and feed the tails with some of the meat to the puffers and have hubby eat the rest of the shrimp (I hate seafood, just ucky, give me steak!), so it works out well. Otherwise, I'd have way too much shrimp to use at a time. I also feed live pond snails and sometimes cherry shrimp (usually go uneaten for weeks to days).

Whenever I try new foods on them, I soak the food in garlic juice for 30+ minutes to entice them. Fish go nuts for garlic, so it's a great incentive for them to try new foods. Sometimes I have to offer it a few times before they get it. Garlic also irritates internal parasites, so it is often used in conjunction with parasite medication.

I tried offering peas several times, and while the mollies seemed to love them (as did fish in other tanks) the puffers completely ignored them or had this "what the heck is that?" look. It's good that you mentioned this 'cause I'll have to try again with Schnitzel. Haven't tried in a while with Grun or previous puffers.

bazil323 wrote:I tried offering peas several times, and while the mollies seemed to love them (as did fish in other tanks) the puffers completely ignored them or had this "what the heck is that?" look.

That look cracks me up. I got that when I offered them a pea - they followed it to the bottom, then came back up and looked at me like, Um, what was that for? Where's the food? And they do the same thing when I drop in algae pellets for the snails and otos. SO funny!

Gotta skin those peas 1st though.