The Puffer Forum

Had dale for about 2-3 months now, but I've tried everything possible to try and get him to eat dead food... All he will eat is live crayfish, crabs, and my own tank bred platys... What has worked for y'all?

I've been feeding my Congo mostly life earthworms, from Walmart for the past few years. I was feeding the the other fish a piece of shrimp one day & wiggled it in front of him & he ate it! Still won't touch other dead foods but loves shrimp. At least I can soak that in vitamins for him. What have you offered him & using which methods to tempt?

Beautiful puffer! I am waiting for my first puffer to come in (Hairy) but I know earthworms will be a regular staple. I hope that it will not be a picky live food only type fish but I am going to try hard to get it on dead or frozen. I have to pick up some tongs to feed or I might try to tie on the food to some fishing line to mimic live moving food.

I've tried everything I feed to my fahaka.. Shrimp, scallops, oysters, mussels, clam, smelts, whole baby squids... I spoil the big guy with a huge variety of foods... I'll have to try worms for both of them! And I've tried using forceps, fishing line

Piggy eats mostly earthworms, plus shrimp. I bought him mussels, he tried them but won't eat them.

Definitely earth worms. Is that how his tank looks now? Its a bit bare for a lurker. That might be your problem. Other than that...patience !

I agree, lurkers like a well covered tank. I have anubias plants everywhere.

Another +1 to purplecandle's comments on cover, effectively light screening. Without shade, the lurkers I have kept have been very shy. With shade close at hand, they will be out more...which sounds crazy, but I suspect that it is a security thing. Even my Palembang, which at first was always in one cave or the other, starting resting much of the time on top of either of the caves. That was definitely in light, but somewhat diffused by Val at the surface. Just what makes particular puffer feel secure is not always certain.

Ditto for live foods. Some "train" easily, other never do, or only rarely will eat non-live foods. That frankly is part of what makes keeping puffers so interesting. They have much more individual personality (read as: quirks) than do most fish, even the Cichlids.