The Puffer Forum

My little 3.5" Fahaka is destroying my nice tropica plants!!! Has anyone ever had the same problem? He isn't just biting them he is eating them. His favourite is the Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Mi Oya'. Is this bad for him? Also any suggestions on some fairly easy to grow plants that he will leave alone? The tank is a 4x2x2 with pool filter sand substrate and 260 watts of light. He is in their all alone.

Hahaha, my Fahaka did the same thing He likes his veggies. Anything real I put in there he would gobble up right down to the bulb. I've resorted to some life-like silk grasses for now, I don't know that there is much you can do to stop him from eating them. Mine would have a tummy full and STILL go for his veggies. I suppose it's to help their eyes (veggies help you have better eyesight, don't they? That's what I was always told!!!) so they can catch food better! I don't know, I heard that if there is food/snails that lands on them you'd see nip marks, but this was WAY beyond nips - he ate the whole thing!

Yes it does go way beyond nipping. I haven't fed him in 3 days because when I come home his belly is full of plants!

I'd be tempted to still give my Fahaka a little something... if nothing else, maybe it wouldn't feel the need to eat the plants while I'm at work. Have you tried giving him something before you leave for work? Maybe all day is just toooo long to wait when he has all those tasty veggies!

Yeah maybe I will try that. I don't turn on the tank lights until I get home. Around 4:30. Then they go off at around 10pm when I go to bed. I leave at 6am for work.

Definitely not an unusual occurrence. They will eat and uproot most live plants and some plastic and silk ones. Try feeding him veggies to see if that curbs his appetite.

if I were to intro one into my tank ... is it safe to assume that it would dismantle it?

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Not necessarily, you might have a straight meat-eating machine! Mine hasn't tried any funny business with the silk plants, at least not that I can tell. They have been holding up quite well. However, I'd expect to see some of your plants munched on!

it is a toss up .. I will keep an eye on this thread and see how it progresses.

My last Fahaka didnt touch his plants. He loved to swim through them. My new one on the other hand, I am not quite sure what he would do.

Thanks for all your replies. I think it has to do with the types of plants. He ate the crypt, nibbled on the Hygrophillia polysperma and has not touched the Hygrophilia corymbosa or Anubias nana. I have been reading this forum for months now and have barely posted. I will have to post some pictures of Bubbles and his tank some time soon .

I have chunks of plastic plants floating all over the place.

Dadof4 wrote:Definitely not an unusual occurrence. They will eat and uproot most live plants and some plastic and silk ones. Try feeding him veggies to see if that curbs his appetite.

What kinds of veggies would you recommend?

When I had my little Fahaka in my planted tank, he didn't eat the plants, but he went around biting holes in their leaves, which I thought was quite funny. He got moved to a bigger tank, which is also planted (although not as heavily), and I don't notice him bothering the plants now -- maybe was a juvenile thing?

My Ceylons on the other hand .... they seem to enjoy biting up the plastic plants, and like you PP, I keep finding bits of plastic in the tank.

Bizbomb wrote:

Dadof4 wrote:Definitely not an unusual occurrence. They will eat and uproot most live plants and some plastic and silk ones. Try feeding him veggies to see if that curbs his appetite.

What kinds of veggies would you recommend?

Most puffers will readily accept peas into a balanced diet.