Red Tale Red Eye Puffers

[rlhirth]

Alright where to start.... I have acquired two red tail red eye putters that needed rehomed...

They are both about an inch long, male and female. I rearranged my tanks and rehomed some of my fish ( to my parents house) so my tank was completely cycled ( been running over 2 years) I added some more plants and some soaked drift wood to make them more at home. Waters is still 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, 15 ppm nitrate, and my pH is at 6.4 usually its right at 7 bit the tannins have brought it down. With how messy they are I was expecting more maintains and for my levels to sway a little but they haven't.

So in the week and a half I have had them so far they have eaten blood worms, glass worms, brine shrimp, snails, krill and a ghost shrimp today. (These are my first putters) the ghost shrimp stayed because they couldn't be rehomed so they are an extra snack.

My main question is should i been feeding daily or every other day, or even once a week I have heard all these options? And what else can I add to there diet? I always like lots of variety!

And also is it normal for this variety of puffer to nibble plants? I have noticed perfectly round holes in the leafs of some of my amazons the its not the snails or the shrimp and only seems to occur at night?
I thought these putters were completely carnivorous

 

[nmonks]

They are both about an inch long, male and female. I rearranged my tanks and rehomed some of my fish ( to my parents house) so my tank was completely cycled ( been running over 2 years) I added some more plants and some soaked drift wood to make them more at home. Waters is still 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, 15 ppm nitrate, and my pH is at 6.4 usually its right at 7 bit the tannins have brought it down. With how messy they are I was expecting more maintains and for my levels to sway a little but they haven't.

I would not worry about water chemistry too much, and certainly don't faff around with pH-down products unless you absolutely and thoroughly know what you're doing (i.e., you're adjusting the hardness as well as the pH). For most freshwater puffers, something around neutral, slightly soft to medium hard water is ideal -- i.e., around 10 degrees dH, pH 7. As you are aware, water quality matters rather more, but this element is somewhat overstated, and puffers aren't any more sensitive than, say, dwarf cichlids. So long as ammonia and nitrite are zero, and the nitrate level isn't insanely high (i.e., no higher than 40 or 50 mg/l) you should find these fish fairly easy to keep.

My main question is should i been feeding daily or every other day, or even once a week I have heard all these options? And what else can I add to there diet? I always like lots of variety!

Bloodworms, krill, small earthworms, finely chopped seafood of all sorts (coley and cockles are especially good, but use thiaminase-rich prawns and mussels sparingly). Naturally, small snails are taken, with the thin-shelled Physa-type things being particularly well received.

And also is it normal for this variety of puffer to nibble plants? I have noticed perfectly round holes in the leafs of some of my amazons the its not the snails or the shrimp and only seems to occur at night?
I thought these putters were completely carnivorous

Yes. Most puffers are partially herbivorous, the marine species especially so, but the freshwater species will consume some plant material too. They are often said to eat holes in plants while biting off the snails they find; whether this is true I cannot say, and it may be a misunderstanding of some genuinely herbivorous feeding.

Cheers, Neale

 

[rlhirth]

Thank you!!! Do you know anything about how often to feed? Sence I just got them and they are setting in still I have been feeding daily!

 

[nmonks]

With fish this size, a couple feeds a day is ample, but puffers do tend to gorge given half a chance, so "a little but often" is the best approach. My specimens preferred to feed in the evening when the lights were out, at least when they were kept in the small tank. In the bigger tank (180 litres) they swam about much more confidently and would feed pretty much all the time, taking their cue from the fish I kept with them (South American puffers, Bleeding Heart tetras, etc.).

Cheers, Neale

Thank you!!! Do you know anything about how often to feed? Sence I just got them and they are setting in still I have been feeding daily!