The Puffer Forum

Good morning to you all, and our American friends, good evening. I have been reading this forum for months now and it is brilliant I have learnt so much. At the mo I can't read anything from your library so I hope you don't mind me asking.

I have a young just over an inch valintini Toby and I was wondering what snails do I buy for him to eat as there are so many species out there? and I'm assuming I can't give her fresh water snails, only marine. I'm wanting the most nutritional and I don't care about cost. But as I live in the UK we are a little limited but I do have 5 very good LFS with in 60 miles of where I live.

He lives by himself in a 260liter/58 gal tank (UK so 70 US gallons) with oudles of live rock, that has been established for over two years, the fish etc that use to live in there got moved to the 100 UK gal tank 6 months ago, and is such a happy wonderful puffer, coming to see me every time I go near her, and loves it when I sing her her song, (at last someone loves my singing)

I have 4 marine tanks, one is a 450 liter/100 gallon UK tank (120 US gal) one is a 300 liter/65 UK gal (80 US gal) and lastly a 130 liter/30 UK gal (36 US gal) this one is for my peacock mantis shrimp we found in our live rock 3 years ago, we couldnt hurt him as it wasnt his fault he was taken out of the ocean, then the tank that I mentioned above for my valintini Toby.

I'm sorry for waffling, don't worry I won't go in to all the other tanks, ponds and furry pets I have as I and you will be here all night.

Thank you in advance for your help and a brill forum.

Don't worry about waffling we like to hear about others pets lol

I have a full grown toby and she still can't bite through a snail's shell. I'd forego the snails and stick with shrimp.

Thank you, what shrimps are her/hims favorite and what other foods have you had success with?

Pieces of people shrimp.

People shrimp? Sorry I'm allergic to all shell fish and oily fish so have no clue what all you lucky people can and do eat, as its banned from the house, my poor hubby and kids, but at least I'll never get tempted to eat one of my baby's from the tank, I'm only joking honest, but as we keep bunnies I've never eaten a bunny plus other pets we have kept past present and future.

So what crustaceans can you touch? Because that's all puffers eat!

She likes live ghost shrimp (freshwater shrimp are okay and are actually good because any freshwater parasites that might be on them won't live very long in saltwater) and frozen mysis shrimp.

FYI: Avoid freeze-dried krill. Known to cause lockjaw in puffers.

Kiamose wrote:Thank you, what shrimps are her/hims favorite and what other foods have you had success with?

Hiya thank you for your replys I already feed Rossi selcon enriched (done at home) frozen and live mysis shrimp, selcon enriched (done at home) frozen and live baby brine, then chopped cockles and fresh, then frozen then defrosted mussels, I don't feed krill as I've read about it already from here and wet web media, I'm ok about giving Rossi any shell fish as my husband does that part for me. If you can think of anything else that would be wonderful as I love my fish to have a varied diet as that's what we like, id hate chicken every night (my husband wouldn't mind though). I don't feed freeze dried anything as its not natural for my liking, I want to try as many different things on Rossi's menu as possible and as I have lots of other fish in my other tanks we always get something all other.

Can I give Rossi the occasional piece of krill as a treat?

Also what about greens?

Once again thank you to you all. And puffer punk I love reading your replys on WWM.

Oh and just to let you know I'm up to page 23 in the hospital section, I'm reading through everything so I can do the best for my Rossi, I read through every WWM article FAQs and other puffer info from the main marine pages from the puffer forum and rob Fenners book before I bought my Rossi, I'm now getting to the point when I've read the problem in the hospital section I can give the diagnosis before I read what has bee said and so far I've been right, HORAY one day I'll be a puffer princess (it will take years before I become a king or queen like some of you guys) but I wish people that asked would come back and report if everything was ok, just a quick report so you lot know as you helped out and newbies to know if it worked/didn't work. so thank you for a brill forum.

El Scorpio wrote:I have a full grown toby

Hey Scorpio, how big is your Toby?

I just had a fellow trade me a valentini for corals today. I plan on feeding him: freeze-dried plankton, live blackworms, earthworms, people shrimp tails, frozen mysis & frozen bloodworms. I also keep squid & muscles in my freezer I might try on him. Tobys also enjoy an occasional seaweed salad, too.

I'm still confused what people shrimp is though, is it oh I don't know are they little shrimps that look like mini people?

Also, would you say my tank is large enough for my Rossi?

LOL, it's shrimp the size a person would eat.

Your tank is more than enough room for him. Mine now lives in a45g cube, with filefish & large Peacock Mantis that never comes out of his cave.