The Puffer Forum

Hi everyone! It has been a while since I have been back on here. I finally got a new gsp named Cricket. He's a nifty fellow. He Window surfs a bit and sleeps a lot but there is another odd thing that he does. He doesn't try to attack or even eat the ghost shrimp that I put in the tank with him. I spent 4 hours watching him yesterday stalking one ghost shrimp. I thought when he got close to it he would finally bite it but he just laid on the sand and stared at him. I placed another shrimp and he didn't attack him either. This morning I saw they were both alive and decided to put the third one in (she had babies. I think they died?). Now the only food as of now that Cricket is okay with eating are freeze dried krill. I'm planning on getting some frozen blood worms tomorrow to test that out on his diet. Is this normal that he doesn't want to eat the ghost shrimp? Does anyone else have that occurrence? Thanks everyone!

Here's a picture of Cricket staring at the ghost shrimp.

My brand new GSP promptly devoured 2 ghost shrimp bigger than he was not too long ago. My guess is that your puffer isn't settled in to his new habitat yet and needs a little more time. You could also get frozen mussels, mysis shrimp, frozen krill or scallops on a half shell for your little guy.

Avoid freeze dried krill - it is known to cause lockjaw in pufferfish.

El Scorpio wrote:My brand new GSP promptly devoured 2 ghost shrimp bigger than he was not too long ago. My guess is that your puffer isn't settled in to his new habitat yet and needs a little more time. You could also get frozen mussels, mysis shrimp, frozen krill or scallops on a half shell for your little guy.

Avoid freeze dried krill - it is known to cause lockjaw in pufferfish.

Thanks El Scorpio for the advice! I figured he's still adjusting. I just hope he doesn't go on a rampage and eat all three of them at once because they are all pretty big O.o I had an F8 a week ago and he inhaled the shrimp instantly so I thought it was weird that this GSP wasn't as thrilled as the F8 was initially. Thank you for telling me about the freeze dried krill. I had fed him a couple a few hours ago and I'll make that his last. Or I'll just soak it in water for a bit before I feed it to him before I go out to get him better food!

Sometimes puffers do "adopt" live foods as temporary tank mates. Sooner or later they tend to get eaten, but some are quite lasting.

When I had paranahs as babies I fed guppies then moved up to rosie reds well they left a male n female guppy for a year without eating them they'd eat the babies but never those two I just figured they we using them like we do cattle it was very cool

I posted this a while back as a reply in a POTM thread. I think it applies here.

RTR wrote:Sometimes puffers do "adopt" live foods as temporary tank mates. Sooner or later they tend to get eaten, but some are quite lasting.

He doesn't bother the ghost shrimp anymore. It's cute because he even swims with them along the glass. But I am still anticipating the day he consumes them haha

sw10mm wrote:When I had paranahs as babies I fed guppies then moved up to rosie reds well they left a male n female guppy for a year without eating them they'd eat the babies but never those two I just figured they we using them like we do cattle it was very cool

The one ghost shrimp had babies but I think she lost them all in the previous tank that I held her in for a bit. Maybe she'll reproduce again and he'll eat all her babies. I hope that doesn't sound that cynical haha

JRC3 wrote:I posted this a while back as a reply in a POTM thread. I think it applies here.

That is actually a pretty adorable picture. I have a picture of him laying beside the ghost shrimp inside their house. But I just took that house out earlier today because there was a weird fungal growth coming from it :/

JRC3 wrote:I posted this a while back as a reply in a POTM thread. I think it applies here.

HEY! Thats MY pic and MY Puffer! LMAO

sgtmyers88 wrote:
HEY! Thats MY pic and MY Puffer! LMAO

I don''t even remember when that was. So I'm guessing he started eating the ghost shrimp.

It was hard taking a clear shot of this picture because they were all moving but if you look closely, the little guy is swimming with the two ghost shrimp. I really don't think he's going to eat these guys haha I was wondering that maybe he's scared of them possibly? The possibilities are endless but I found this occurrence interesting haha

RTR wrote:Sometimes puffers do "adopt" live foods as temporary tank mates. Sooner or later they tend to get eaten, but some are quite lasting.

Kept mbu and fahaka as tank mates for a few weeks..both were 12 inches..and some..wouldn't do it now..cos I know better..

laauurreeennnn wrote:It was hard taking a clear shot of this picture because they were all moving but if you look closely, the little guy is swimming with the two ghost shrimp. I really don't think he's going to eat these guys haha I was wondering that maybe he's scared of them possibly? The possibilities are endless but I found this occurrence interesting haha

I have ottos in my mbu tank which he ignores to the extent I've seen at least one of them sat on his head during the early hours while I'm de-childing myself..

My T. mbu lived 3 years with a beautiful pajama catfish, then one day I came home and it was the T. mbu plus the pectoral girdle of the catfish.The head and body of the cat were gone, but the mbu was bright enough to leave those pectoral spines behind. Never again, NIMFT.

I call this the "Crap...I'm stuck" ... I guess he's starting to put two and two together and is ready to feast