The Puffer Forum

I got my first pea puffer today. I have been planning on it for awhile. I had a 10 gallon tank that I used to raise mystery snails and ramshorns. It has been cycled for 6 months. I sold all the mystery snails and began planning on a puffer. The tank is planted, has black sand substrate, driftwood, and large sea shells set up as caves. There is a healthy colony of ramshorns ranging from newly hatched to adults. I picked up freeze dried blood worms, frozen shrimp, and have an earthworm colony started for it. I waited for 4 hours after I brought him/her home before trying to feed. I tried the blood worms, using a set of long tweezers, but the puffer just looked at me and I swear it rolled its eyes. LOL It then went over to the driftwood and ate a baby snail. Since then he/she has been cruising the tank looking everything over. There is water lettuce in the tank and the puffer has been cruising around the roots like it is looking for food. I got a baby earthworm out and dropped it in the tank but the puffer didn't even look at it. I let the earthworm crawl around for about 15 minutes and the puffer never touched it. I retrieved the earthworm and set it on top of the water lettuce hoping the puffer would find it. I realized I know what to feed but no idea how to feed. The puffer did eat a small piece of the bloodworm while cruising around. Can someone tell me how I am supposed to be offering the food.

Mine only eat live blackworms I feed from a cone.

Puffers can take a little while to adjust to a new tank. Give him/her time and food will be snatched up.

I just checked on him again. He looks even thinner today. I am saying him because he has just the start of a dark stripe on his belly. His eyes look a little cloudy too. He is swimming around looking things over. He even came and checked out the bloodworms I tried to feed him. He just didn't eat. I added some ghost shrimp in various sizes including a berried female. I have had good luck breeding ghost shrimp. All my tanks are full of them. I was told on another fish forum that I needed to treat him for internal parasites but no product was mentioned. Should I use Paragard? I have to order it. My local fish store doesn't have any in stock. I did a 70% water change yesterday before picking him up and did maintenance on the filter, a Whisper 40. Today ammonia is 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate is between 5-10. Should I do one today?

IPs must be treated internally, by soaking their foods in the meds. Since FW fish don't drink water, medicating the water will not help them. Have you tried LIVE worms?

library/hospital/internal-parasites-pre ... treatment/

I have tried live earth worms. I do not have access to any other type like blood worms. I can get mosquito larvae, I was wondering if that would work. I feed them to my neon tetras. I am ordering some frozen bloodworms. I have raw frozen shrimp too. I have wormed other fish before but I wasn't sure exactly what to give a puffer. I have seen many articles but they all say to worm without giving much more info. This is the only thing I could find locally. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=23589 unless I get prazinquil for dogs. I have Praziquantel, piperazine, and I can get Fenbendazole (Safeway). I am going to do a search and see if any of these can be used.

Earthworms are too large. By all means, try ANY live food--you've got to get him eating!

I was using baby earthworms to try to feed him. I started a colony inside so I could get the tiny newly hatched ones. they are about 1/2 to inch long. I am going to harvest some mosquito larvae and try a few of those. I am pretty sure he needs wormed but I cannot find a definite answer on what to use. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Did you read the link on IPs I gave you?
Here's another one: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15083

Mine only ate live black worms at first, until I conditioned her to dead bloodworms too. I still mostly feed her black worms though.

Did you read the link on IPs I gave you?
Here's another one: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15083

Try live brine shrimp, not terribly nutritious but a great hunger stimulant. Live bloodworms ( mosquito larvae) may also work. Try soaking prepared foods with some crushed garlic, fish love garlic too. A crushed snail is another option. Finely chopped mussels are rarely refused by dps IMO, soak them in garlic too. Good luck

I read through the articles linked. I live in a very rural area with not a lot around. No major stores, just a mom and pop grocery store, car lots, pizza places, and one small pet store run by a friend of the family. I went there today and picked up some Melafix. The pet store owner said she has had good luck with that. I tried chopping up an earthworm, thawed some shrimp and tried that. I even went out to my spring feed frog pond and caught some midges and tried that. I soaked him in a pail of water mixed with fenbendazole for about an hour. He has expelled some white poo. He looks a little better after the soaking. I tried to feed him with the tongs again. he just looked at it and swam away. He has been cruising the glass and plants looking around. I haven't seen him eat anything though. I have been away for most of the day though. There are a ton of newly hatched snails on the glass and plants. I found some in my other tanks and added them too. I have to order almost every pet supply besides really basic stuff. Even the pet store has to order most stuff. I am going to try the Melafix in the morning. The store owner said to wait after soaking in the wormer to lesson complications from too much meds. I am ordering frozen blood worms, daphnia, and baby shrimp tonight. I am also ordering a feeder. I am reading and researching everything to try and help him.

You really are trying your best!

You really are trying your best!