The Puffer Forum

Hello everyone,

My Palembang will only eat frozen bloodworms (which I soak in vitamins) and live fish (some tetras I had in his tank to keep it cycled). I've offered garlic and vitamin soaked krill and shrimp and he's simply not interested. I'll probably get some frozen silversides and some shellfish like clams or mussles to try next. I'm breeding snails for dental management so hopefully he will eat those. I am also breeding guppies for him to use as feeders but it will be months before that becomes a reliable food source.

How do you get a finicky puffer to eat? Stuff I've tried.

1. Garlic soak.
2. Tied fishing line to food and waved it in front of him.
3. I use feeding tongs that he will rush to if it has bloodworms, but ignores if it has anything else.

He's about 3 inches so I'm feeding every other day. Should I wait longer between feedings to see if he will eat if he's a bit starved?

Thanks,
Rich

Yes, try fasting for a week.

How is he doing by the way? I rescued an emaciated picky palembang that would only eat live fish. It was tough, but now he eats everything, so keep trying. I'll agree as well that, even though it's hard for us keepers, fast for awhile (esp when healthy) and they WILL get hungry eventually. Also, try red wigglers, or if he seems big enough, earthworms. IMO it's easier for feeding if you can eventually ween them off of live food. Just be warned, the worms and frozen silversides are messy! But still offer live food as treats. It gets their natural hunting instinct going and they get super excited and flap their fins all over the place. You can also gut-load some ghost shrimp. These puffers do not have teeth issues like some other species, at least from what I've read and seen. Maybe it's from them being mainly piscivorous?

Please post a pic. These puffers are awesome fish!