The Puffer Forum

The three figure eights survived the first night. They are actually very active. The Wisteria plant did not. Guess the raise in temp along with the salt addition, and the fact it was not doing so good to begin with, did it in. What a mess. I ended up pulling it all out, and netting much of the left over YUK after midnight! The other plants seem to be ok, for now.

This tread is to ask about feeding. My last post, snails, krill, bloodworms, cockels and mussels were mentioned. A few questions:

1 - snails - freshwater I assume. Have this 3 gallon trying to breed them, I have a few babies, buy why do they seem to breed in my planted tanks and NOT where I want them to. Freshwater snails in brackish water tank, they will die upon hitting water, or will they live for a small amount of time?

2 - krill, I'm assuming frozen. Is the shell on the krill hard enough to wear down the f8's teeth?

3 - bloodworms, I'm assuming frozen. Do they have a hard shell also? I feed them to my discus, so I have a supply.

4 - cockels and mussels - fresh or frozen? And how do you feed them? I read about the clothes pin, but they just seem so big!

What foods are best, and how often, to wear down their teeth?

Any other foods that are good for them?

Who sets up feeding stations? What do you use?

Any other advice about feeding them?

Thanks all...

1. Yes, freshwater snails. Pond and Ramshorn are the most popular. The snails will likely die quickly in BW, but your puffs should gobble them up before they hit the bottom. If they do die and are uneaten, be sure to remove them asap, dead snails foul water really quickly.

2. As for krill, I use freeze-dried and soak in vitamins before feeding. If using frozen, chop off a piece small enough and thaw it before feeding.

3. Bloodworms don't have enough crunch to help with beak over-growth.

4. For cockles/mussels. freeze for a few days, the thaw before feeding. Pry it open slightly first, and plop it in. If they are too big for your puffs, be sure to remove and discard the excess before it fouls your water.

I feed a lot of snails to wear down teeth, several per day as main meals. Others feed crickets and such. There are great feeding articles in the library.

I hand-feed my GSP's, I find it lessens waste.

Anyone ever feed meal worms, or super worms (just large meal worms)? I know they would die hitting the water, but if they are eaten quickly....

Yes, but only as a treat, not a staple food. When I had herps, I bred them for those and would give some to the puffs at times. They loved the cysalis, and it is a bit safer and crunchier.

rtr, what is a cysalis?

Mealworms are extremely fatty. I feed live blackworms, in the addition to above.

What is a herp?

herp is a reptile

Just wondering about meal worms for added crunch......

I try to read all articles before I post. I like to know what other peoples experiences/opinions are.

[quote="londonloco"]herp is a reptile

Actually, both reptiles and amphibians are called "herps". Herpetology is the study of these two classes of vertebrates. A Herpetologist is someone who studies amphibians or reptiles.

lol......ty chesapeake, I stand humbly corrected....and to tell you the truth, I didn't know herp was also an amphibian.........

LOL! I don't do legless reptiles, believe it or not it a a pre-nup agreement. But I sometimes have amphibians for extended periods. Fire-bellied toads seem to live forever.

Typo in prior post - it should have been "chrysalis" = a stage in the metamorphosis of an insect wher it is in a hard case and does not move. The transition state between the worm-like mealworm and the beetle stage.

hmmmm, like wax worms?

Yes, wax worms also have the chrysalis stage between the "worm" and moth stages.

Those were also used for treats quite some years back, but I did not culture them myself.