Feeding Dwarf Puffer

[mojoevanilla]

Sorry if youve already got this post a hundred times, but as usual my lil DP is a damn picky eater. Well my girlfriend had him on a diet of mainly freez dried blood worms. So i tried to give him some of the 'Top Fin' brand that i had layin around, which arent quite as nice and dense.... he totally refused them and everything else i gave him a bite of (mysis shrimp, daphnia, plankton, shrimp pellet). So i thought i would just go get him the $9 bloodworms and of course he ate em right up! lol I also got some mini krill (which i already knew he would love). So basically ive been feeding him a few worms in the morn and some krill at night, is this gonna be enough for his main diet? Or should i start experimenting with frozen foods(mysis shrimp, bloodoworms)? Ive used them before but hes just so small that i only need to use like 1/15 of that lil square.

Now about the dentistry of these lil guys, its gonna be pretty much impossible for me to trim his teeth, but i give him about 3-4 snails a few every few days. But the only ones i can get are about the size of his head...he still loves to eat them, but doesnt eat the shell, he bites chunks off it but wont eat the whole thing. Will this along with the krill be enough to keep is bite down??

[Boxermom]

DPs don't seem to have much of a problem with overgrown teeth. Not that it can't happen, it can. Its just not all that common IME. Worms and krill are fine as long as you soak them in vitamins like Kent Zoe vitamins. Variety is better, its healthier to train them to eat other foods even if he isn't interested (training takes patience and stamina on your part but its better for the fish) but if you are unwilling, then use the vitamins. I wouldn't use the krill too often either as it has been known to cause constipation issues in puffers, which can sometimes kill.

[dragunov]

i've not fed my DP snails in AGES and i'm a bit worred about his teeth... he sucked up a bloodworm and spat half of it out, but couldn't bite the rest off...! is that a problem? and at night i see (a) small snail(s) on the glass. maybe he's lazy. or mayb they're the Malaysian something snails.

[Pufferpunk]

Mine loved F-D plankton. Definately try frozen foods too. Variety is an important key to healthy puffers.

[mojoevanilla]

Thanks all for the info, I also agree that variety is the key. And i love feeding him so he gets plenty of it lol Today i went and got some Hikari frozen bloodworm sheets. Much easier to break off a piece then the cubes. And it said they have added vitamins and stuff so im sure with the other foods i give him it will be fine. He did also eat a lil piece of mysis shrimp so he may have just had the 'new tank setup' jitters lol But ive been checking my water params everyday and got some Prime...god, good deal only 2 drops for my entire tank, that means 1drop for a huge water change lol all is good any my DP is very happy, i was able to take the pleco back, and got some tiny ghost shrimps instead, i figured if he didnt eat em they would just help clean the tank lol

[spikesmom]

was thinking the same about ghost shrimps as my is messy eater, let me know how you get on,

[mojoevanilla]

was thinking the same about ghost shrimps as my is messy eater, let me know how you get on,

Do you mean your ghost shrimp is a messy eater?? I thought they pretty much eat detritus, and other lil things in the tank, i also saw em munching on the algea tabs, and a fallen piece of krill that my lil puff let get away from him, so if anything i think there a good thing. Would i have to feed them more than that?? I can see that their bellies are always full of food...

The first day i got them he went right up to em, and tried to bite em, and i thought for sure they were food... for about an hour he chased em around, but hes got plenty of room in there and they dont bother him anymore, theres 4 tiny lil ones, now they swim right by him and he doesnt mind..

[Nick]

Important to note ghost shrimp don't eat wastes or algae, only food that is missed by the puffers, so they do add bioload, just not very much compared to fish you actively feed.

[mojoevanilla]

Hmm ok well i guess ill have to look into these things a lil more before i keep them, thank you for the info

[spikesmom]

sorry i meant my puffer was messy and thought the shrimp would kinda eat some of the bits that i miss when i hoover up, havnt tried it as i think he will eat them,,, might try keep you updated