Porcupine Puffer Feeding

[huntnikk]

I asked this question in another area...but I will try it here.. Is it ok not to feed a porcupine puffer live food? I have only had my pufer for 2 weeks and so far I have only fed him just like my other fish... frozen mixed food or freeze dried shrimp and flake food....

 

[amstar15]

i have found that when i use to feed my puffers live food it just made them more aggressive and they tend to "nip" at other fish more. plus i heard it wasnt good for saltwater fish to eat freshwater fish (i think it had more to do with my lionfish than a puffer) so i stopped feeding live fish. i did how ever feed them frozen silversides as a meat alternative to live fish. it got to the point that i fed mine the same time everyday so he got use to feeding time. when i would open the canopy to the tank he would start to spit water at me, b/c he as excited to get his food. also i would feed him, frozen clams, squid, silversides and shrimp pieces. he also would try and eat everything thing else i put in the tank for the other fish. the more diverse the food choices the happier your fish will be

 

[huntnikk]

i have found that when i use to feed my puffers live food it just made them more aggressive and they tend to "nip" at other fish more. plus i heard it wasnt good for saltwater fish to eat freshwater fish (i think it had more to do with my lionfish than a puffer) so i stopped feeding live fish. i did how ever feed them frozen silversides as a meat alternative to live fish. it got to the point that i fed mine the same time everyday so he got use to feeding time. when i would open the canopy to the tank he would start to spit water at me, b/c he as excited to get his food. also i would feed him, frozen clams, squid, silversides and shrimp pieces. he also would try and eat everything thing else i put in the tank for the other fish. the more diverse the food choices the happier your fish will be

Mine doesn't seem to eat...thats not to say he isn't eating but he doesn't come running like all the others do when I drop the food in..

 

[Navarre]

I would suggest that you get some frozen mussels. THen thaw them out and place one in the tank.. you might need to crack the shell on the first few but once this is done and the puffers get the scnt of the meat inside then it will soon learn to demolish the mussel. They need this to assist in keeping their teeth in good order.

 

[huntnikk]

I would suggest that you get some frozen mussels. THen thaw them out and place one in the tank.. you might need to crack the shell on the first few but once this is done and the puffers get the scnt of the meat inside then it will soon learn to demolish the mussel. They need this to assist in keeping their teeth in good order.

cool I will try that.... Now I just got to find who sells themmm

 

[Mr Miagi]

Your local fish monger should sell them. You could try a Bait and Tackle store, but I wouldnt be 100% about the quality of their frozen bait. General supermarkets also sell some.

 

[fraservet]

My porcupine is the greediest fish in the tank.
He will eat just about anything, although he is not very keen on flake/pelleted foods.
He loves prawns/mussels/squid etc.

As Navarre says, it is important to feed some food in the shell to help keep the beak trimmed - I put a few mussels in shells in the tank every couple of weeks.

One question I would ask is what size is the fish?
Also what size and species of tankmates do you have?

2 weeks isn't a very long time for a fish to become settled, he should become more assertive over time, and will probably become the most keen feeder in the tank - they really do follow you around like puppies looking for food.

In regard to feeding freshwater fish to saltwater fish - IIRC it can cause fatty liver amongst other problems and is best avoided.