My Puffer Won't Touch It

[love cichlids]

I went and bought a can of crab in water, put a few pieces in the tank. They were still there in the morning, my GSP did not touch them at all and she would have been hungry because I did not feed her the night before. This morning I had to feed her the frozen bloodworms she loves and she is full now. Have to scoop out the crab later, she was freaked out this morning when I put on her light. Now I hope my kids will eat it, cause I don't like canned crab, just fresh in a salad.

I am wondering if I go with a live ghost shrimp if she would eat that, she won't eat much. Just bloodworms, a little of unshelled shrimp and snails, but nothing else, so far. Just trying to find something else for a variety for her to eat.

 

[kanzaris]

Hi


My GSP is the same real fussy eater. Loves blood worm nibbles on a prawn and likes snailes.

Thats about it.

Sorry that i can'y be of more help.


Sabby

 

[nmonks]

Hello --

You have to remember that these are wild fish... they don't necessarily recognise that something as yummy as canned crab is actually food! There is also a lot of variation among individuals. My South American puffer, for example, doesn't seem very keen on snails at all, despite everyone saying that puffers should be fed snails. He eats them once in a while, but much prefers bloodworms.

Provided your puffer is eating at least a couple of different things, then you're fine. Once it settles in, and learns that you are the "bringer of food", it'll be much more accomodating. For now though, snails and frozen prawns are a fine staple. Klaus Ebert (in the Aqualog puffer book) has written a long seciton on food that you'd perhaps find useful. Mussels are one of his recommendations, and these are usually very cheap and easy to obtain. If you cannot find them frozen in your supermarket or at an Asian grocery store, then you can also buy them chopped and frozen at fish stores, particularly ones specialising in marine fish. Buying the mussels for humans is usually cheaper though.

Having said this, my S. A. puffer doesn't seem to like them.

People worry too much about feeding fish. Fish don't need to eat nearly as much as we think they do. "Variety" isn't so important, either. Provided they're getting what they eat in the wild, e.g. mosquito larvae for livebearers, or wood for Panaque catfish, the rest is just icing on the cake.

Cheers,

Neale

(PS. Canned crab is good mixed with hard boiled eggs (about 50:50) and mayonnaise: yummy in fresh French bread!)

 

[love cichlids]

I have had my GSP for 6 months now, just to let you know she is not a new addition.

 

[nmonks]

Then you definitely don't have anything to worry about! If she's lasted 6 months already, then you're obviously feeding her a fine diet! Lots of people fail with puffers well before the 6 month mark, so you should be quite pleased with yourself!

Basically, just experiment. Fish don't all go for the same thing, even within one species. Any more than all humans like the same stuff, either. So long as you avoid obviously harmful things, like mammal/bird meat and (in my opinion) feeder fish, you're unlikely to poison a fish. If you remove unwanted food within half an hour, you're not going to mess up the filter or water quality, either.

Cheers,

Neale

I have had my GSP for 6 months now, just to let you know she is not a new addition.

 

[pufferpoison]

if i may, you might try to get a plastic cup that hasn't been used or something similiar and put the food your puffer likes in it and add some fish vitamins ( i use vita chem) just add a few drops with tank water and let the food sit in there for a few minutes to soak it in. My GSP loves ghost shrimp, i put them in a cup with some of the GSP's water and feed them what i would like my GSP to eat, it seams that the ghost shrimp i buy love bioblend tropica fish food by marine labs. they are little balls that the shrimp pick up and eat. that way he's getting the nutrients from the fish food that he normally wouldn't touch. even add some vitamins to those little guys. Some people think it's cruel to feed them live things but i don't feed him fish and he only gets shrimp and snails that are live for now, i did feed him a Red Claw Crab, and he did enjoy it but i don't like seeing those creatures suffer so i won't be practicing that in the future. although my Little Torpedo's favorite food is freeze dried shrimp. i just experiment. when your GSP gets older he will tear up pieces of crab legs (with shell on for his teeth) and similiar items. Sounds like your doing a good care and care at least to find things they like, but they are picky little boogers. i'm still trying to find a snail that will live in brackish water (SG 1.010), P.S. i'm sure that you know this but keep those Malysian Trumpet snails for away from little puff puff, for their shells are so hard it could chip his beak.

 

[love cichlids]

I have a colony of normal plant snails in my 30 gallon that I try to keep up with. But lost alot of them, had to empty tanks not too long ago since new rug was going in. Just got a few more from the petstore, free, to try to get colony of snails back up in numbers again.I was thinking of trying 2 ghost shrimp when I can get to the petstore and get them. I will make sure I feed them something before putting them in the tank.
Just noticed yesterday in one of my old posts that I have had my puffer since May of last year, so she is almost a yr old, wow. No wonder she has grown as big as she is now, she was tiny when I bought her.
Just looked at my old posts again and I bought her June 26/05. I will have to put that in my sig so I don't forget.

 

[bogwood]

I take small Ramshorn snails (no larger than 5mm) from my 20UKG and drop them on the surface of my DPs tank... as the snails get pushed around/down by the water flow, the DP hunts them down... as he eats you can hear the shells crunching throught the tank glass!... other than that, its frozen bloodworm... and Sea Monkeys... great for preventing 'puffer bordom'... tried mussels from my lfs... not interested... so its bloodworm one day and as many Ramshorns as get eaten in a five minute sitting the next... with occasionally Sea Monkeys...

 

[penguinpimp1990]

do you mean brine shrimp? I think sea monkey's and brine shrimp are the same thing right?

 

[love cichlids]

My puffer won't touch brine shrimp but she eats well. Bloodworms, a little of a unshelled shrimp, snails. And she is healthy and happy puffer

Yes they are the same thing.