The Puffer Forum

Hello! I just realized I was posting on TPF without even introducing myself on the Meet and Greet, yikes. Backtracking now...

My name is Bettina, and I'm 26 years old from New York. I have 2 betta fish (Porkchop, a blue/red crowntail and Sputnik, a black/silver/jade green crowntail), and a 1.5" GSP named King Koopa. I've been a betta fish keeper for years, but always thought puffers were SO gorgeous. I just recently made the jump to the puffer world and a brackish tank, and there's no turning back! Koopa has so much personality, and though he's quite shy for now, I am having fun getting to know him. =)

A little about my set-up: He is in a 15 gallon BW tank, and I am looking to get a 20-30 gallon soon since he eats up a storm and is bound to get gigantic soon. He has no companions, aside from myself and the occasional fiddler crab and now ramshorn snails he gets as a treat. Aside from that, he gets mysis shrimp, bloodworms, raw prawns, mussels, and oysters in his daily diet. I like to switch it around to prevent him from getting bored. His favorite are definitely fiddler crabs, he's kind of merciless with them!

Being a newbie, I'm so excited to be a member of TPF and get to know everyone. All of you have been so helpful already! Here's a video of Koopa doing what he does best (eating). =)

Happy that you joined TPF

Hey welcome to the group, Bettina . Neat lil guy you got too. Sounds like he has a menu that any puffer would die for.

kingkoopa wrote:His favorite are definitely fiddler crabs, he's kind of merciless with them!

Wow! So, based on that video, I guess he eats the crab leg-by-leg, over time! It's interesting how the crab isn't much smaller than Koopa, and Koopa seems to have no hesitation in attacking.

Where do you get your fiddlers?

Thank you everyone! I just hand-fed him a little bit of oyster (no shell), and his tummy is nice and round. This is a new thing, me hand feeding him... my bf jokes that Koopa eats better than he does! And it just might be true.

And to c333davis, yes that's how he eats his crabs! I thought it might be a normal puffer thing - maybe not? He usually goes for a leg at a time, then works on the body. In the end, only the top outer shell remains, he gets a GOOD meal out of it. I can't find any crabs much smaller than him, but I do make sure to get the females just in case there's any danger to him from the huge claw the males have. Koopa is a tough cookie and very very brave though, and I'm starting to think he might enjoy the challenge and the extra crunch of the giant claw, so maybe when he gets a little bigger I'll try it! And I end up just getting fiddler crabs at Petco, it's pretty expensive for "food", but given that it's just an occasional treat, I don't mind it indulging him every once in a while. =)

kingkoopa wrote:I just hand-fed him a little bit of oyster (no shell), and his tummy is nice and round. This is a new thing, me hand feeding him... my bf jokes that Koopa eats better than he does! And it just might be true.

kingkoopa a friendly word of warning. It is not suggest that you feed you puffer by hand. They will associate your hand with food which make water changes difficult. Puffer bits are not pleasant. Hope you have room to upgrade to a minimum of 30 gallons in the near future.
Welcome to the forum

welcome,

Nice gsp !!